Catalog Shopping for a Doodle!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Many things bug me in life.  Just ask my family.  I am very vocal about the things that irritate me and many of my family members can often be heard saying, “Give it a rest, grousemeister!”  Grouse isn’t really the word they use, but it sounds nicer than the actuality.  My mom also used to say, “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,” but I have found when I really get going when something bugs me, it wouldn’t be fair to my family to just clam up and keep my opinions to myself, because the silence that followed would just be awkward.  Also, since I don’t know sign language, there would be no other way to make my point.  If you are married to me, by now you would be wondering, “how can I distance myself amicably from this tirade and still feign enough interest that she doesn’t turn her attention to my faults?” Luckily, you have the option of clicking off, but I think what I have to say is important.

 

When did shopping for our Doodles become like ordering an item from the Sears catalog?  Growing up, it seemed like people I knew just had dogs.  Most were mutts and I never heard anyone go on and on about their expectations regarding looks, coat type, nose color, specific size and weight requirements, or overall appearance.  Yes, I admit I was taken with the cuteness of a Doodle and still am, but the only reason I would select a specific color next time is because I am determined to use the name Black Olive, which works much better on a black dog and they don’t come in green.  I would also be willing to change the name to just plain Olive if the right dog found me.  As far as nose color and coat type, luckily I had no clue that it mattered.  The only question I was smart enough to ask was about temperament and I still didn’t get exactly what I wanted, but it doesn’t change how I feel about my dogs.  Besides that, who is to say the whole nature versus nurture debate can’t be argued about our dogs, too?

 

It just seems to me we are getting more specific about requirements when picking out our dogs and opening ourselves up to a whole can of worms down the road if something goes wrong. Dog must be under 20 pounds….what happens if it grows to be 30 pounds?  Dog must not shed…..what happens if you take a chance on a mixed breed and it sheds?  Dog’s coat must be curly….what happens if that doesn’t pan out and your dog doesn’t look Doodley enough?  The list could go on and on, but these are living, breathing creatures we are talking about and genetics can be a tricky thing.  Our neighbors are an ordinary couple, not too big or tall, and their son is huge and by huge, I mean he could hang out with professional football players and make a few of them seem small.  I have one daughter who is 5’10” and the other one may hit the measuring tape at 5’3”.  Sure, we can use the old joke about the mailman, but in my case, the mailman is old and rarely speaks and I imagine if I asked him if he would like to start a torrid affair with me, all he would say is, “here’s your mail.”  Nope, it is genetics that can cause the unpredictability in families and if you convince yourself that if you start having kids they all have to be a certain size fully grown, good luck with that plan.  The same holds true with our Doodles. They are like snowflakes and no two are ever the same. I really think if appearance is all that matters you would be better off going to Build-a-Bear and picking out a stuffed dog.

 

What if our dogs had the ability to turn the tables on us and select the owner who meets their criteria?  Can you imagine a dog saying, “What color is her nose?  Is her hair curly or straight?  Does she weigh less than 135 pounds?  I surely can’t, because none of this superficiality matters to a dog.   They already know that love can happen in all sizes, shapes, and outward appearances, and they are far more forgiving and accepting than humans.  When you think about it, a dog doesn't have any options at all, they get who they get in an owner, faults and all, and frankly, they often end up with the short end of the stick.  What is that old saying?  Let me be as good as my dog thinks I am.  Maybe it should be changed to, Let me learn to love like my dog does..simply and without all these expectations.  So, the next time I see a question being asked about a specific physical characteristic of a prospective puppy or an already gotten dog, I am not going to answer, “who cares?” but, hug my dogs and thank them for accepting me just the way I am, imperfections and all.

[Carol and Banjo]

I will admit that we looked for a non-shedding, small, reddish doodle.  We didn't "meet" Banjo (except for pictures) until he was delivered to our door.  By the time he arrived on our doorstep we were in love, and that love has grown exponentially ever since.  He sheds, he's about 20lbs more doodle than we planned on and he could wake up green tomorrow and we'd love him all the same and then some!

I think when someone is planning to add a dog to their lives they should take many factors into consideration.  Breed should be one of the first things to consider.   Now, if we knew we wanted a beagle....well....a beagle is a beagle....not much in the way to "choose" from....size and coloring are pretty standard.   I think the thing with Doodles is the fact that they DO come in many sizes and colors.   So being partial to a certain size/color for whatever reason is not necessarily a bad thing.   But I do think you should be prepared to take in that puppy fully prepared to love and care for him/her NO MATTER WHAT.       If size, color, coat type, etc are vitally important "shop" another breed. 

I've grown to love so many of the doodles here on Doodle Kisses....all of the different sizes, colors, noses, personalities.   If there is ever another doodle in our lives it will have to be smaller....just because we'll be older....aside from that - anything goes!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

This is such a nice way to address a serious issue. I welcome people to the DRC site and, reading the bios is often a wake up reminder as to how naive many of us were when we got our puppies.  Let's order up one rescue puppy: specific color, specific weight, non-shedding, non-matting, house and leash trained, good with all ages, no abandonment issues, no health problems, hypoallergenic, and pretty much free....   I just giggle - Really??? Are we at a car dealership?  But, then I realize that the hype is so out there, and I was one of the uninformed - about coats, shedding, allergy friendliness, hybrid vigor and on and on and on.

When we got Ned we looked for a smaller dog because of the 'getting older and lifting' issues.  Ned grew bigger than a true mini, but he is still small and 'liftable.'   Then we rescued the adult Clancy who meets few of our physical wishes - he is heavy (65 pounds), light color (shows dirt), sheds (drat!).  He rarely mats though so that is a plus. What he meets is the love factor.  All that big boy wants is to love and be loved and who could ever ever ask for more? What an example he sets for us every day.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Good point, Jane! I was sure doodles didn't shed and were healthier than purebreds when we got our first.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

Love this blog...Yep!  Bailey picked us!! And the rest is history !

[Christine & Shelby]

Well said!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, and here's my contribution to the "genetics are unpredictable" stories. My parents were of average height; Mom was a tad over 5'5'', Dad, was 5'9". They had three daughters. I am a tad under 5'5", my next sister is 5'5", and our baby sister is 4'10" and a half.

Oh, and none of us has the personality of one parent with the hair of the other.

[Pat and Traveler]

Awwwww.....true and touching.  Love like a dog.  Sounds funny--but who could live up to such a high standard?

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Laurie - I so agree with you on this "catalog" mentality but I'm going to throw out something that might be unpopular.  Breeders.  When I first started researching Doodles I was visiting a whole lot of web sites.  At the time I didn't really have many requirements other than I really wanted to try to get a medium or smaller dog and knew l did not want black (our black Lab had just died), so I was pretty open.  Looking at all the websites - they were Marketing doodles as to color, size, coat type - they can make you feel like your dog is special ordered.  No puppy in the litter that meets your specifics - no problem - wait for the next go round.   Add in the high cost of these "special order" puppies and it becomes like buying a car - I want a 4 door, heated steering wheel in Pearl White.  Pretty sad really because we know where many of these doods end up when they fall outside of the expectations.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Very well said Laurie.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It really wasn't fair of you to make me cry before I finished my coffee, Laurie.

Thank you, my friend, on behalf of Jackdoodle and all of the other doodle puppies who didn't turn out as expected. This really needed to be said, and nobody could have said it better than you did.