The Goodwin Family
(Katelyn, Lisa, Dave, Christopher)

For as long as I can remember, I have always been an animal lover.  Dogs and horses being my two passions.  My first dog was an apricot Miniature Poodle that my parents bought when I was about 6 or 7 years old.  Natasha was a wonderful little dog that taught me the love and companionship that a dog could bring to it's human family.  I used to dress her up in my dolls clothes and push her down the street in my doll carriage and when I was a little older, I used to practice my grooming skills on her.  She sure had some pretty strange looking haircuts back in those days!  It was through her trips to the groomers that I was introduced to the art of dog grooming.  I spent several summers and many, many Saturdays over the next few years working for the groomer where we took Natasha.  Little did I know back then that the training I was receiving would lead me to my career as a professional dog groomer.

Over the years and through my teens and early twenties, there were other animal related jobs including other grooming shops, working at a boarding kennel, a veterinary clinic and even a horse farm.  During these years, there were also other dogs that came into my life.  A Yorkie that I 'rescued' from a pet store, a Greyhound that I obtained from a breeder, and then finally, my first Standard Poodle, Chance.

It was my Greyhound, Glory that introduced me to the fun and exciting world of dog shows.  I showed her in conformation and put a Canadian championship on her.  Glory and I also competed in Lure Coursing trials where she gained her Field Championship.  We even dabbled in obedience and put a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) title on her. 

In 1992 with the help of my parents,  I opened my own Dog Grooming shop called the Harbour Hound.  We were located in Bronte Harbour (Oakville). The name was fitting since we were located by the harbour and my shop mascot was my Greyhound, Glory.  Over the years my business grew and flourished.  Early on I had several Standard Poodle clients and I always enjoyed working with them and grew to love the breed.  So when I decided to purchase another dog, the obvious choice was a Standard Poodle.  I had originally set out to buy a show quality Poodle that I could show in conformation since I had enjoyed the shows so much with my Greyhound.

Chance was a wonderful boy and everyone loved him.  Unfortunately, he did not turn out to be show quality but he was fabulous none the less.  He went everywhere with me including coming to work with me and Glory in my grooming shop.  He was the perfect gentleman and a very special and loving boy.  I had Chance when I met and married my husband Dave in 1996.  He was there to lick the face of my newborn baby girl when we first brought her home from the hospital in December of 1997.  He was a gentle and kind dog and where ever our family was, Chance was right there with us.  Sadly, in 1999 Chance died prematurely at the age of 6 of cancer of the spleen. 

Several months after Chance passed away, I gave birth to our son and decided that the timing was not good to bring a new puppy into our home.  I waited a year and then Annie (Can. Am. Ch. Signet High Society) came to join our family. Annie was bred by Donna Wilson of Signet Poodles here in Ontario and we will always be grateful to Donna for allowing Annie to become a part of our family.  Annie is the foundation of Tango Poodles and will always be very special to us.  She is a lovely, happy, gentle girl that brings much joy and happiness to our lives.  Annie has grown up right along side of our two children and has always been very patient and loving with them. 

In 2000, just a few months before Annie joined the family, we bought the house we now live in and I moved my grooming business into the newly renovated garage.  Working from home has been great and proved very convenient with two young children, an increasing number of Poodles in the home, and when whelping and raising our puppies.

Annie finished her Canadian championship as a puppy and then was sent to the U.S to finish her American championship.  She gave us our first Tango litter in January 2004 and thus began our breeding of Standard Poodles. 

Our first Tango litter

Thanks for reading!

Lisa Goodwin