Even though Leo is a "designer dog", l was familiar with both the breeds that went into him. l've had Belle the poodle for years, and a dear friend has poodle therapy dogs who have also won awards in agility. A man in our therapy dog group has 2 Leonbergers that are just great dogs. l felt l had enough knowledge about the breeds and about Leo personally to make an informed decision. Even so, there were a few surprises.

The first was the issue of shedding. l had believed that poodle crosses are dogs that don't shed, that have a coat like a poodle's. Well, Leo sheds more than any dog l've ever had, even more than the German Shepherd! l brush him daily, but black clumps mysteriously appear overnight. Not hairs, but clumps that look suspiciously like the dead mice the cats bring in as presents. He still needs to be trimmed as often as the poodles do.

His coat is strange... not like a poodle's nor a Leonberger's. lt's curly, and l have it long for the winter but will trim it short for the summer. l like it long, and the kids like to brush him. l do keep his face trimmed from his eyebrows down. l will mention that he has the longest eyelashes l've ever seen on a dog! He has been told he has very soulful eyes. He also has great eye contact.

Leo's tail was docked very short. lt's about 3 inches long. l feel so bad for him, he'd have such a pretty long fluffy tail! lt's hard to see him wag it unless you look for it. This isn't too much of a problem except for when he's with other dogs. They can't tell his body language signals if they can't see his tail. Because of this l have to be extra careful meeting other dogs with Leo.

These are really minor issues because Leo is a great dog. He's "Uncle Leo" to the 2 Standard Poodle pups we now have. He's teaching them how to be good dogs, romps with them, and allows them to play rough with him without retaliating. l still would never encourage the breeding of "designer dogs".