A dog is a dog is a dog…right?

Today I had a rather surreal experience:

While taking our two small dogs out for their afternoon jaunt, a man walking his dog approached.  Once the man got within earshot he smiled at me and my pups, and pleasantly asked, “Are those guys black labs?”, nodding towards the dogs at the end of the leashes I was holding.

Confused, I replied somewhat slowly, “Um, no… they’re toy poodles.” (One dog weighs 9 lbs, the other is 11 lbs.)

“Oh,” the man responded, completely unfazed.  “So they’re really young then, eh?”

Again, I answered slowly, “Er, no… they’re 12.”

“Oh, okay,” the man answered chipperly, then nodded, smiled again, and continued on his way.

But here’s the best part of the story: the man was walking – wait for it – an old toy poodle.

Our little lovey Jojo.

Our sweet boy Charlie.

Stef