My love for standard poodles began when I was ten.   My family got our very first dog: a black Lizette/Greenwyn poodle named Tony.   Tony was a very special dog to have grown up with.  He won my family's hearts over with his intelligence, loyalty, beauty, and joy of life that is representative of the poodle breed.
We lost him to cancer the year that I graduated college.  We were all left with a hole in our hearts so my parents added a new black standard poodle puppy, Henry from Vic-Tori Poodles, to their home.  Henry is an exuberant boy - full of life- and quickly won over my heart as well as my now-husband's heart! 
Henry had such an impact on me, I decided it was time to get a poodle of my own!  I did my research on finding a responsible breeder and, after much thought and consideration, realized I had my heart set on a brown puppy. I contacted Tom Carneal from Peckerwood poodles and learned that his lovely brown dog, Ch. Peckerwood's the Gladiator, "Russell", had recently sired a litter bred by Gina Gillespie.  From Gina's litter, a very special and sweet brown girl became my "Millie."  I learned a lot about responsible dog ownership with Millie.  I researched nutrition, vaccinations, and basic grooming.  I decided to feed her a raw diet and used Dr. Dodds' minimal vaccination policy .  She obtained her Canine Good Citizen title at 6 months of age, became a therapy dog, and we played in agility and tracking.  At the same time, I began to develop an interest in possibly getting another standard poodle - this one would be for the show ring!   I decided to practice growing show coat on Millie to see if I was up for the task.
In the spring of 2011, I brought home a handsome 6 month old puppy from Safari Poodles with the most adoring personality. Tiger and I learned the ropes of the show world together.  Thank goodness I had practiced growing coat prior to tackling a real show coat!  Tiger finished his Championship and Grand Championship quickly as well as becoming a Canine Good Citizen, Therapy Dogs International therapy dog, and earning obedience and rally titles.  He is the foundation of Apparition Poodles and his legacy continues with his offspring.