How the poodle made a splash
Legends are often based on rumours, and rumours are seldom based on facts, so I’ve never been quite sure whether the legend of Alex, the red-bearded Scotsman, is true. According to the story, Alex was a familiar figure on driven shoots on the Welsh borders, wearing a kilt complete with sporran and carrying a 16-bore Stephen Grant hammergun that had reputedly once belonged to King Edward VII.
Alex was always accompanied by his black retriever, Dougal. Now Dougal was no ordinary gundog: invariably described as a giant poodle, he looked all the more impressive because he featured a so-called lion clip.
The lion clip — a completely shaven body, except for the joints and what might be called the mane — is reputed to have evolved when poodles were working gundogs, used primarily for retrieving ducks.
