First time Doodler looking to adopt

[Beth Ridley]

My boyfriend and I are looking to adopt a Goldendoodle around June or later and we live in the Boston area. My boyfriend suffers from mild allergies and we have heard great things about Goldendoodles. I am an experienced pet owner, but do not have any experience adopting pure bred dogs. Does anyone have any advice on finding a reputable breeder or any other tips on going through the adoption process? I have read up on F1, F1B, and F2s but am not sure which, if any in particular, is the right choice for us. 

Thank you!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I adopted my labradoodle as an adult and he was wonderful with my cat, who was 12 years old at the time. The rescue cat tested him. That was one of my deal breakers when I was looking for a dog to adopt: good with kids, good with cats, housebroken, past the destructive puppy stages. And I got all of that and more. He is the sweetest, gentlest, best behaved dog I've ever had. But he sheds like crazy, he is much bigger than what I had in mind, and he has lots of health problems.

[Julie and Charlie]

I agree, you could do a lot with that amount of money. We started a "Considering a Doodle" topic a month or so ago, and once Camilla added up the cost of owning a dog, I was nodding my head. It's not cheap. We estimated at least $1500 per year for a healthy dog that you can spend a lot of time with day in and day out.
With a health guarantee from a breeder, and one with superior testing and breeder practices, she probably saved me money in the long run. Poor breeding practices can lead to health and behavioral problems. Not saying they absolutely will, and not everything is due to poor breeding (sometimes circumstances people create cause problems too!), but with a rescue, you sometimes pay dollars on the back end instead of the front end of the transaction. Rescue shouldn't be about money, it should be about wanting to help a dog in need, regardless of the issues it might bring into your home.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Echoing others, I know that $1800+ sounds like a ton of money.  I get it. My mini dood Peri was expensive.  However, I adopted a chihuahua who was only $100 9 years ago.  I have spent over $5,000 on him for various health issues.  Peri is still young and could end up being very expensive;however, husband and I joke a lot that Peri is our designer dog, but Taquito will end up costing 10x as much in his lifetime.  Just something to think about! You never know.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Hi Beth,

I am part of a large group of Massachusetts doodle owners who get together periodically for romps and to raise money for our local doodle-rescue group.  If you send me a private message here on DK, I'll share with you our most-recent email distribution list.  If you'd like, you can then send out a blast email to our members, asking for recommendations for local breeders.  I have two labradoodles, but they are from out-of-state breeders.  

Good luck in your search,

Laurie

[Kristi and Mickey Finn]

Beth, I wish you all the best. Its a huge decision to get a dog if you are serious about adding to your family and having a dog for its lifetime. We put down our 15 year old dog Maggie down last April (it was the hardest and most painful decision we ever made but the right one) and have been looking into dogs and breeds ever since. We tried the Golden Retriever Rescue...the dogs were all old or had health issues that required medications & Vet visits. We went to many Animal Shelters.... all Pit Bulls & Chihuahuas with maybe 1 adoptable dog with 20 people wanting that one dog. We looked on the web sites from Mexico north to Santa Barbara and most dogs had problems or were Pit Bulls again. So.........we had a half Lab half Cocker Spaniel we loved and thought lets find something similar and we fell in love with the Golden Doodle. The best of both worlds. I spent 9 months in my quest and we get our bundle of JOY in 10 days! WE have a deposit on our newest family member with a breeder. She is recognized here on this site. So my recommendation would be find one of the breeders listed here on DK and decide what type you want and go for it! Its an adventure of a lifetime that you will never regret! Please share your story with us all once you make your decision. Were getting an F1 Golden Doodle the Mom is a Golden Retriever 60 lbs & Dad is a Moyen Poodel 30 lbs. I think that's the best of both worlds. Many pictures coming in 10 days!   Kristi

[Jordan & Daisy]

I am wondering if you ended up adopting? We live in the area too and just brought home our f1b puppy.