Oy with the poodles already!

Priscilla, a 9-year-old apricot poodle, sits daintily on her owner as fellow poodles run around barking and sniffing.

She isn’t the type of poodle that rough-houses with others. Rowdiness might ruin her hair or, worse yet, it might remove her little red bows and ruin her freshly cut nails.

But don’t mistake Priscilla for an anti-social pooch.

She is still a lady and a lady never misses a function especially the annual meeting of the Gulf Coast Poodle Club of Florida, Inc. She’s been a member for three years.

The group got together recently to elect officers and board members who will plan activities for the club including dinners, educational programs and possibly walks in the park.

“We like to take our dogs everywhere because that’s the best part of having poodles,” said Debbie Foley, who was for the third time elected president of the club.

During the meetings, the poodles are allowed to roam free as their owners “talk poodles” and chomp on “people food.”

“Poodles don’t get chocolate, not even chocolate (colored) poodles,” said Suzan Fritze, of Bonita Springs, to her 4-year-old poodle, Ponzi, as she ate the brownies provided at the meeting.

His full name is Ponzi Schemer because “his mom” used to be a certified fraud examiner. Now the chocolate- colored poodle takes commands from Fritze and she swears he can understand them.

“A good poodle lies down while I’m eating,” she says in a huff as Ponzi lunges for her tasty snack. “I know Ponzi likes people food but not now. You sit.”

All the owners in the poodle club talk to their “smart” mutts as they were people and that’s the way they like it.

“It’s tough to be pretty,” said Fritze to a show poodle named Tammy that is sitting next to her with her owner Lisa Coto.

Coto admires her dog Tammy, a 16-month-old poodle, as she stands with class as if on display.

But when other poodles come to take a look at what seems to be getting all of their owners’ attentions, the biggest star of the night shivers in embarrassment.

Tammy runs under Coto as if seeking refuge.

“She hasn’t been socialized yet. We are doing the training now so when she joins the circuit Sunday she is ready,” said Coto, who spends up to eight hours tying up Tammy’s hair and wrapping it in tissue paper to prevent breakage.

The other owners take notice of the classy show gal preparing for her big day in the limelight. Most don’t mind the odd hair ties and pink tissue paper.

It’s all part of owning a poodle.

“It’s a labor of love,” says Rebecca Freas, Priscilla’s owner, as her own dog stands at attention as if she too were on display. “You just got to love poodles.”