No. 002 IT CAME WITH THE DOG. Although it was unscathed when it arrived. She never thought much of it and chose to teethe instead on Buddybear and Llamel (Is it a camel or a llama?). Over time though, she came to love “ball.” Especially when it involved alternating turns of “leave it” and “get it.” She relished the anticipation as we made her wait patiently before striking. She was bred for it after all.

It’s a well known fact (in certain circles) that the Poodle is the preeminent water fowl retriever. Yes, yes, Goldens and Labs are quite good too, but we’re talking about the original water spaniel whose very name is synonymous with splashing about.

Now, she’s never been properly trained for hunting. (Most poodles aren’t anymore, and are — sadly — relegated to some horrifying exhibitions of form over function.) So, I should be glad that she chew-ses to chew the cover from her “catch” than from the couch. They’d never go for that kind of behavior in the field.

A few design-related comments: Lest anyone take me for a rube, I’ll recant my insensitive statement regarding the seemingly embarrassing ways in which some people groom their Poodle friends (we too take our Babygirl to Miss Sue’s regularly for a shampoo and coif). Those clips, cuts, bands and knots do serve a functional purpose and have a rich history to boot. I’ll even admit that some of them are rather fetching (yes, pun).

But back to the artifact at hand: Tennis balls are an odd lot. They’re the only ball I’m aware of that can truly be called furry and yet, when put to work, they are imbued with beauty and buoyancy by some of the hardest hitting athletes in the world.

So let us celebrate tennis balls and the Poodles who chew them — for their furry practicality, and for both being unnaturally beautiful without their coverings.

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