Re poodles, the standards can actually be pretty butch.
My ex boss had 2 and they were AWESOME dogs (much too awesome for her, but I digress).
They should definitely be able to find some sort of hypoallergenic dog through a rescue. I do hope they go with a mutt, so there's not the danger of a "breeding fad" that always happens when famous people get pets - everyone wants one of whatever the breed is and it leads to inbreeding and unhealthy doggies.