Since being an adoptive care-giver for elderly poodle Atlas almost three years ago, I have kept in touch with my poodle friends, and am regularly invited to poodle events despite no longer having a poodle!
I love catching up with them all and of course, the four-legged company is so darling. I love that I am now an honorary member of their little gang, and I get to be the doting Aunty at lunches and get-togethers.
This Bastille Day, last month, I was asked if I would like to be involved in a special Bastille Day Poodle Fashion Parade with them all. Yes please! I was kindly given a loan-poodle, sweet 13 year old Amy and was part of the group of 23 poodles and their walkers on the catwalk (dogwalk?). Amy had two changes of clothes from my dear friend Barbara’s pet boutique Yuppy Puppies in Auckland.
Barbara was concerned because she needed French music to play during the show. Yes, I could help her out with that! I don't know why she didn't ask me first when she thought to herself 'who do I know who is nuts about anything French'.
We put together a fun and jaunty playlist including Fabienne Del Sol, a few tracks from Hotel Costes, Saint Germain du Pres and Paris Lounge compilations, a little Pink Martini, a Serge Gainsbourg and even an Edith Piaf (we found one upbeat track of hers, usually she is a little more… morose, but I do love her).
Barbara had even organised a videographer to film the event, so you can see us on You Tube here. Such fun! After the show, we retired to Barbara’s beautiful home for ladies luncheon. Macarons of course featured on the menu, made by one of the ladies. I was so impressed by that as I have heard they are notoriously hard to make.
Most of the ladies balanced a poodle and a lunch plate on their lap. It seems that many poodles are adorably co-dependent. Hostess poodle Zoey trotted around making sure everyone was ok.
I don’t know what Atlas would have thought of this day. To be truthful, I don’t think he would have known much of what was going on. Being not that sighted and also hard of hearing, he may not have noticed the crowd but he would have enjoyed himself just the same.
And I would have had to help him off the catwalk otherwise he would have fallen off the end. Dear sweet little Atlas. He was there in spirit though.
If you haven’t met Atlas yet, click on the Poodle Chic tag. He was a honey.