Up until a week ago, I lumped Labradoodles in with all the other idiotic designer dogs. Ads for "Labadoodles" and "Labbadoodels" just reinforced my distaste. While walking a Portuguese Water Dog, people would ask me if it was a Labradoodle, and Wheaten Terriers were mistaken for mini goldendoodles. WTF?
Granted, John and Jane Doe usually can't tell the difference between a Golden Retriever and an Irish Setter, and ask me if that Weimaraner is a Greyhound. Well, it's grey (sort of) and hound-like (sort of but not), but it's not a Greyhound. Next contestant, please.
After doing a bit of research, I discovered that Labradoodles were first bred in Australia by a guy trying to come up with a hypoallergenic guide/service dog for a blind woman whose husband was allergic to dogs. That makes sense to me. Most dogs touted as being non-shedding and hypoallergenic are too small to be a guide dog, and I wonder if standard Poodles are steady enough to do the job. While he was trying to find good breeding stock to cross, he was told by the various breed clubs that any dogs he used would be struck from their registries. This made absolutely no sense, I mean, it's not like the dogs would be contaminated in any way. So the Poodle got knocked up by a Lab. That doesn't mean her next batch of puppies by a Poodle will be affected. Seems kind of harsh, to me.
Anyway, the idea of a guide dog for people with pet allergies is a great idea. Unfortunately, people will take an idea and turn it to their own purposes, churning out "Labadoodels". Don't have a handy Labrador? No problem, how about Goldendoodles? Or mini Goldendoodles for those of you with less room. And what really pisses me off is that most of the people who buy these crosses have absolutely no freaking idea that there are breeds already out there that would satisfy their need for a non-shedding, hypoallergenic, family-friendly dog. They are perfectly willing to spend $750 (and up) on a mixed breed dog but seem to have done no research on dog breeds. How likely is it that someone who can't spell "Labrador" has had their dog tested for hip dysplasia or any of the other problems you find in Labs? Or Poodles?
I'm sure that there are reputable breeders out there producing marvelous, healthy Labradoodle puppies from genetically tested, OFA certified parents. I just think that they are probably the exception. And I bet they can spell "Labrador".
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