That’s “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers,” the theme song and personal anthem of Tigger, whom we originally met in 1968’s Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, an animated Disney featurette based on stories from Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne. As a boy, I loved Pooh, and Bugs, and Felix the Cat, not to mention the double acts of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Tom & Jerry, and of course Yogi & Boo Boo and their never ending quest to find a “pi-ka-nik” basket despite Boo Boo’s frequently-voiced cautions “I don’t think the ranger’s going to like this Yogi.”

I’m probably showing my age, but those, and some others, those were cartoons. Today’s animated characters leave my cold. I do like Family Guy, but I never warmed to The Simpsons, and though my ex was a big fan of Bob’s Burgers, I never clicked with it. Don’t get me started on today’s double acts like Ren & Stimpy or Pinky & The Brain. And I know as a card-carrying member of Gen X I’m supposed to connect with BoJack Horseman’s exploration of the complexities of life, mental health, and relationships as seen through a lens of nihilism and self-destructive behavior, but I don’t. C’mon – a talking, self-aware horse? That’s ridiculous.

Besides, the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is that Tigger is the only one.

Which brings us to Poodles. They are prized as loyal companions who are highly intelligent, energetic, and sociable. In his book The Intelligence of Dogs, Stanley Coren ranked them second out of 130 breeds in “working and obedience intelligence.” In spite of this, their perceived passive and obedient nature has led to the use of “poodle” as a pejorative to assert the sycophancy of someone who obediently or passively follows the lead of others. Truth be told, I believe that is why my friend and classmate John gave me the nickname “Poodle” and created a whole lexicon of poodle-based vocabulary and grammar when we were undergraduates. Failing to accomplish a task (or simply refusing to do it) was described with the gerund “poodling” while it could also be used as a verb with a negative connotation: “we’re all going at 7:30, except Matt, he’s going to poodle, as usual.”

It was my attempt to get out from under this nickname that led to the first cross-breeding of Poodles. When I pointed out that my namesake, Matthew (St.), was an historical figure of some repute who also enjoyed writing (though his genre was gospels, the blogs of his day) and had been a publican or “tax collector” for the Romans in occupied Judea before his second career as an apostle of Jesus, it was John (my friend, not the so-called “beloved” apostle) who combined my poodlesque qualities of intelligence, loyalty, and obedience with my biblical pedigree and declared that henceforth I was to be known as “TaxPoodle.”

And like Tigger, I am the only one.

But in recent decades, the popularity of crossing Poodles with a wide variety of other breeds has surged. There are over 40 different recognized Poodle crosses, often called “doodles” or “oodles.” Here are some of the most popular:

• Labradoodle: A cross between a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle.
• Goldendoodle: A cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle.
• Cockapoo: A cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle.
• Bernedoodle: A cross between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Poodle.
• Schnoodle: A cross between a Schnauzer and a Poodle.
• Maltipoo: A cross between a Maltese and a Poodle.
• Yorkipoo: A cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Poodle.
• Aussiedoodle: A cross between an Australian Shepherd and a Poodle.
• Sheepadoodle: A cross between an Old English Sheepdog and a Poodle.
• Whoodle: A cross between a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier and a Poodle.

The idea is you are getting the best of both worlds. From the Poodle, you’re getting intelligence, loyalty/obedience, and dashing good looks!, combined with the qualities of the breed you are crossing with. It’s a win-win. My only objection to this practice is these dogs are commonly found in puppy mills and backyard breeders, which operate with profit in mind rather than the health and well-being of their dogs. It also strikes me as a kind of canine eugenics. Life is messy and random; I don’t like the idea of engineering a perfect breed of dog anymore than I think breeding to produce a master race of humans is a good idea Mr. Hitler.

And beyond all that, I am a huge and dedicated believer in and promoter of shelter pet adoption. Not only did Gordon, the Chihuahua who has become the love of my life in this, its second act, narrowly escape death after languishing in two different shelters for over a year feeling unwanted, but there are so many more just like him waiting to love and be loved. In fact, there are 84 dogs wanting nothing more than to love you and change your life for the better in the doggy jail where I found Gordon – here’s a link to them and their stories.

That said, I find it personally very gratifying that us Poodles are finally being recognized for the smart, friendly, handsome, and in some cases hypoallergenic characters that we are. Cross us with anything and you’ll make it better. But remember…