But why a doodle?

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

So many posts lately have gotten me thinking about how much my boys mean to me.  Yes - there have been other dogs that I have loved deeply, mourn still to this day but Rooney & Stuart tug at my heart like no others - so I have to ask "why a doodle"?  What is it about these dogs that make us love them so? 

Part of the reason for me is;

that I adore their look.  Rooney resembles a little teddybear and his walk from the rear view makes me think bear too.  Stuart looks like a cartoon character - Fozzy Bear come to life.

even though they grow out of being puppies - they continue to look and act like puppies.

smart, smart - sometimes too smart.

So I ask you - why a doodle?

[Carol and Banjo]

I've had dogs most of my life.  I've loved them all...some more than others.  I often wonder what it is about Banjo that makes him THE best, most loved dog I've ever had.  Sometimes I think it may be a "stage of life" thing for me.  I'm at a wonderful point in life, children grown and independent, I work only one day a week and have lots of free time to devote to and enjoy a dog....life is good.....so maybe having the time to truly enjoy this dog plays a part. (?)   Or is it because he is so darned cute....the dog I have always sort of imagined I wanted....fluffy, scruffy, goofy, sweet, friendly, laid back one moment and zooming around the yard or house the next...he truly is the "whole package".     I don't have an answer Jane....I see other dogs and find wonderful things about them....but when I see another Doodle....I just melt....

[F, Calla & Luca]

I wanted a dog since I was a kid but decades went by. I started maybe 10 years ago, reading about breeds and I found labradoodles. Maybe it wasn't all true but I loved what I read about them. And then I started looking at breeder sites and loved the doodle puppies. I once almost got one and chickened out. Then my son and his standard poodle moved back in and when Rex died I missed him a great deal. Soon there was Luca. And then Calla. People were pretty supportive about one but thought two was crazy. Oh well, my father did say, "When you have your own house you can get a dog. " And I just doubled up.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

After my beloved dog of 16 years had to be put to sleep due to heart failure, . I swore off dogs. Didn't think I could take the heartbreak of losing another pup. After 6 months or so after losing Winston I was watching Dogs 101. They were featuring labradoodles and golden doodles. I have always been attracted to " scruffy-type" dogs. I love bigger dogs and have always wanted a dog that I could take places, had a good temperament and was a social dog. the golden doodle won my heart. I searched for the right one for months did llots of research , lurked on DK for months ; ). And convinced my DH that a doodle was not a girlie dog. It has been pure joy, love, hard work and lots of commitment to have a wonderful doodle girl that we share our lives with. Not to mention all the wet doodle kisses throughout the day. And I wouldn't have it any other way

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

That's an interesting question.  I've had lots of dogs in my life that I loved but doodles are different. Smart, too smart sometimes. Stubborn to the point of exasperation. But  I'm so "connected" to this fleecy huggable ball of fuzz.  He's almost like a mirror. If I'm happy, he's happy.  If I'm sad, he's mopes.  If I get mad about something, he barks -- at me. If my little grandson cries, the silly dog starts to whine.  So, LOL, life has gotten much happier around here.  Most of all I love the way he makes other people smile when they touch him and say, Oh he's so soft!  Everybody wants to hug Finn and he's happy to let you. Even big rugged guys.  It's so funny!  He can make you feel like you're the most special person in the world. One day we met an elderly couple on the street and stopped to chat.  Finn rarely leaves my side, so at first I didn't notice that he had sidled up to the man, had his head against his leg and was looking up at him with a look of complete devotion.  The man was telling him he was a fine dog and started telling him about a dog he used to have. Finn just kept listening for all he was worth.  The woman said quietly to me, "My husband has alzheimer's. It's so rare that he remembers anything.  What a dear dog.  Thank you."  I see the same "half human" expressions on so many of the doodles on this site. That's why I say all dogs are great but doodles -- they're just different.        

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am guilty of falling for the looks!  I already had two great dogs but when I saw a small labradoodle at a campground, I chased the women down to find out about him.  Ned was a total impulse buy.  Clancy was a total impulse rescue!  I love all my dogs but there is something about a doodle that is soooooo  very appealing.

[Charlotte and Bo]

Like Karen and Joanne I really wasn't determined to get a doodle. My BJ was gone and I "needed" another dog.  I wanted to find one that needed a second chance.  My brother and his family have a very nice golden doodle so I was aware of them and checked those rescues as well as many others.  The truth is I would have taken most any breed or mixed breed If we had met each other and approved of each other:-)  The DRC was the first rescue that had a dog that I applied for available and I loved him at first site.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Looks, temperament, smarts, looks...what's there not to love?? I always wanted a shaggy dog and then it was just a matter of narrowing it down to there. I liked the idea of non-shedding. I almost got a Portuguese Water Dog, had named her Rosie in my head, but I got cold feet and chickened out at the last moment. I waited six months, did a lot more research and realized I was ready, so when I started looking again I came across this litter of beautiful chocolate doodles and a litter of gorgeous PWD's! In the end I went with my gut, I just had a strong feeling about the doodle. I'm so glad I did because that led me to DK! Now I have two doodles! two doodles are better than one!

[Pam & Trixie]

when we got our 1st Flat Coated Retriever in 1992...Labradoodles were just becoming visable here & there.  I immediately loved the look of them, & thought how I would love to have one.  We had FCs for 20 years.

After our last one died.  We were not going to get another dog.  Decided with the kids gone...it would be nice to be able to travel & not have to worry about a dog & whos going to watch it.  That lasted about 2 days...I said, We hardly ever travel!  And we said- how will we go for walks without a dog?

We were returning our Easy Walker that we had only gotten to use a couple times with our FC before she got sick.  There in the store was a Goldendoodle...I said to my Dh in wide eyed excitement  'I FORGOT about Goldendoodles!!!!!'

(so yes, for me it was their look that drew me in)  I had actually never met one.

 

And that was all it took, one look, a reminder about a 'breed' that had gone to the back of my mind for years....

I looked on the internet non stop for days...Deciding a Teddybear would be Perfect for us.  The cost was daunting...It was also my 3 year cancerversary...So my Treat to myself was a Puppy to Celebrate.

 

And Trixie is almost perfect...While I was hoping for a bigger dog.  Thats about the only thing that I wish were different.  Actually though she is a perfect size too.

She makes me laugh everyday.  She is so funny in the things she does.  She is So Happy, It makes me happy.

I love her long fur.  She is so fun to Cuddle with & she loves hugs & cuddling.  I love her butt- It is adorable- LOL

Smart!   Sweet. 

She is quiet- we love that.  It is the 1st time in 20 years that we have had a dog that does not get in trouble everyday.  

 

She has the Cutest bedtime ritual...When she was a Puppy I wouldnt let her jump off our bed.  Dh would lift her down when Cuddling was over & it was bedtime.  We'd say 'ok Trixie time for bed' She would stand up & wait for him to lift her down (I get to see her cute butt too)  She still does this at 18 months.  Stands up & waits for dh to lift her down..I love it.

if its during the day she jumps off & on the bed.  (At bedtime he is glad she is not a big dog : )

 

Trixie is the Best,    I still miss all the rest that came before her.

[Pam & Trixie]

of course I did not know this before I got Trixie... I love Kissing her nose...Not her black nose..(well that too) .but the fur on top of her nose. It is so different then all my past dogs. She gets many kisses planted on her nose each day : )

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

 

I'm a lover of big dogs.  When I was finally ready to bring a second dog into the home as my first dog was slowly getting on in years I was very specific as to the breeds I was partial to: Irish Wolfhound, Great Dane, OES, or Saint Bernard.  While researching breeders and gathering recommendations I literally stumbled across this stinkin’ cute, adorable F1 labradoodle puppy. He had the coat of a wolfhound, the temperament of an OES, the eyes of a SB and the legs of a Dane.  By all that is Holy, how in the world could I possibly have said no to this big, scruffy, gangly, and awkward pup?

 

I obviously couldn't.

 

And I am SO thankful, every single day, how lucky I was to have found him.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore my older St. B. mix, the smartest and most loyal dog I have ever had but the goofy and silly antics of Stanlee have finally balanced our home.  Cooper.....is NEVER silly.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I chose a goldendoodle for the looks, smarts and loyalty.  Now that I've had Peri for 3 years, I would get a goldendoodle again and again. But I would get another chihuahua again and again.  I told DH I would always have to have a lap dog, even after Tacky is gone.  I have a secretary that has never had the same breed twice.  She has had 15 different dogs (up to 3 at a time).  She cannot bear to think a golden could replace her beloved "best dog ever" golden Wagner.  It's odd how that is so different from what I think.  I don't think dogs can ever replace one in the past, but if you like the qualities that tend to come with a particular breed, why not get the same one?  I know they vary and personalities can be VERY different. My parents have had cairn terriers and all are different, but all have that same odd terrier personality (stubborn, mean sometimes like an "angry scotsman" according to DH, ratting tendency, etc...)  In my case I really like the lapdog quality of the chihuahua breed. I like their napoleonic complex.  Just like I like the goofy, out of control, nature of a doodle (well, my doodle is out of control sometimes!).  I like how Peri's eyes are so expressive it's like she is talking to me through them. Taquito is not like that.  I like how Peri swats me on the head when she wants a pat.  I like how she loves all humans and she'd be happy with us anywhere. 

I do think we will have more doodles in our future, but I also think we will have other breeds.  It will be interesting to see who "finds us". 

[Marcy, Apollo & Phoebe]

I had never heard of a doodle until this time last year. I have terrible allergies to dogs and had a poodle mix dog as a child that I did fine with. I've wanted a dog as an adult and kept putting it off. Then we had kids and waited a little longer for the dog. I considered low-shedding dogs like bichons and yorkies, but didn't think a small dog was a responsible choice w/ 2 rambunctious children. I did some research on larger low-shedding dogs and came across standard labradoodles. Apollo is nearly 8 months old and we can't imagine our lives before him, much like our own children. With that being said, we sought out a doodle because of our allergies and asthma, but if he ever started to trigger a problem I would walk around sedated. My Apollo isn't going anywhere! I absolutely love doodles, but caring for my own dog has made me love all dogs. I just know that I couldn't bring all dogs into my home, but I wish that I could. Apollo is just beginning to settle down some and I'm crazy enough to be planning to add another doodle to our home next year. I really can't wait! And once the kids go to college many years from now...I might just turn into a crazy dog lady!