Someone Asked Me -- And What Is This Pretty Little Fellow?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Last week-end when we were out with Lucy, Sophie and our Foster Somer a lady approached us and asked us about Somer.  She was a Bouvier owner and I believe she thought that is what Somer was.  After our short initial chat about Somer and her compliments about how cute she was she left.  I said to Mike, hummmm that was interesting!  A little while later she came back over and we talked some more about Somer and rescue and adoption.   She is involved with Bouvier rescue.   We talked about the DRC.  She was very nice, but did have to get her "people are spending way to much on the mixed breeds and there is no wonder there are so many in rescue" speech in.  You could tell that she was choosing her words very carefully, but she never even approached being rude about it!  She also loved Somer very much.  It was nice to be able to just have a normal, intelligent conversation with someone from the purebread world without them being rude and walking off in a huff.  The part that I especially enjoyed was that even after she knew that Somer was a Doodle, she still loved her and petted her!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Nice to hear, thanks for sharing.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Bouvier people, especially Bouvier people who are involved in rescue, are up against some of the same issues as doodle rescue people...these are very appealing-looking, big shaggy dogs, (and Bouviers are always non-shedding) but they come with certain challenges, grooming included, and there are a lot of people who get one on looks or hype alone without researching. Bouvier people, more than any other purebred fanciers I've found aside from PWD fanciers, try to educate people about the downside as well as the good parts of owning a dog of "their" breed. So I'm not surprised this lady was polite and spoke pleasantly with you. And of course, not at all surprised that she was drawn to Somer...who wouldn't be???

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

That's interesting. I met a Bouvier "Mom" last Winter when I was taking Guinness to the play groups at our training facility. She was also very friendly, and loved Guinness. Her dog was still a puppy, and absolutely adorable. Lucy, Sophie, and now Somer are such great "spokesmodels" for Doodles.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

OMD. Sherri, I think I met this woman, Maybe. Small world.

Does she live in between Columbus and Cincinnati? South of Columbus somewhere?

Slight or slender woman over 50 maybe?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The description sounds right, but unfortunately I did not get her name or really much other info about her. We were at an event in Wilmington OH which is probably 1.5 hours SW of Columbus. Somer was having a little trouble not barking at the horses so we didn't get to stay too long. But sounds like it very well could be.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

YES! That is HER! Small Small world. Across an entire state!

I met her two weeks ago tomorrow. She drives all the way to Seville, OH to meet with friends ( Trainers and Behaviorists) and brings troubled rescued Bouvier dogs for help. It is a 3.5 hour trip but she is dedicated to the rehab her dogs need.

She sat with me as Starlit and Roger were being tested for Starlit's CGC. She met Starlit the first night I brought her there for an evaluation. Starlit was not doing well and we went there for a behaviorist evaluation. She was ecstatic my dog was doing so well and she could see the change. She was full of support for Starlit, wanted to touch her black curls( but knew Starlit would not let her ). I felt as if she was fostering me as I told Starlit's story. We were NOT going to stay and go through the test--just watch.

We talked for over and hour about rescues and she wanted to know the Doodles story, why they were breeding so much... etc.

Lucky you to have met her. I thought she was wonderful. She has had some real troubled dogs she has successfully rehabbed.

She is from Wilmington area. There really aren't to many Bouvier's or rescues. She told me they placed 127 dogs last year--so this has to be her.

[HeatherA]

I really don't understand breed snobbery to begin with -- MOST breeds were mixes at some point - a "purebreed" is often just a mix that has been around longer and has a recognized standard. These people do realize this, right? We had a Bouvier when I was a child. Most people were afraid of her, we actually had people ask if she was a bear. hah.

I'm glad this lady was less of a breed snob and polite about her opinions. I think most of us would agree it's upsetting when ANY dog or breed becomes a trend, it encourages people that have no clue what they are doing and what kind of investment it is to purchase one. I remember a pet store when I was growing up that only carried rescued dogs and puppies would put a sign up any time 101 Dalmatians came out (including VHS/DvD releases) because people would watch the movie and run out and buy a Dalmatian. They had a fact sheet about Dalmatians and their challenges. (They did the same thing at Easter for people that run out and get a pet rabbit without any kind of research) Unfortunately, there will always be impulsive buyers and pets aren't excluded from their purchases.

[Taylor & Huff]

I know that is what i have always thought. All breeds were mixed at one point in time, right? It just makes sense. If you ask a question somewhere on the internet, you get snubbed by people saying "I have no idea what a goldendoodle is." or "There shouldn't be so many mixed breed dogs in the world, they just end up in the pound."

[Ginny Nightingale]

The ONLY part that I would agree with is the price issue. There are breeders in my area who are charging upwards of $2000 for a doodle and that may not even guarantee that the parents have been tested for any genetic issues. When you are doing a lot of testing to assure that the parents are not carriers of disease or other genetic defects, than you have put some money into research the same as purebred breeders do. In my opinion, that justifies a high price to some degree--kind of a "you get what you pay for" idea. But not all breeders are doing that and not all buyers are aware of it or know to ask about testing, so they pay the high price because they think that the price alone means they are getting a quality dog. That is not an accurate assumption much of the time.

[Lynne of Fountain Falls]

I'm new to kisses and love this web sight! Nice you had a polite discussion. I've actually been cursed at by a poodle breeder for breeding "mutts". All of our dogs descend from wolves so what is the big deal. I will admit that I was an akc person until my daughter introduced me to goldendoodles. I was smitten from start. How could anyone not be! When I researched them and saw the benefits I made a decision to be a doodle fan forever. Again, I'm glad to have found this sight. Lynne