Disappointing Day = No Puppy

[Patti Golden]

Yesterday I was supposed to pick up my F1 English Goldendoodle puppy but things didn't work out that way.  It was a 5 1/2 hr. trip to Mt. Juliet, TN.  A friend of mine went with me.  We stopped for lunch and to fill up with gas right before we got to the place so we'd be ready to go when we picked the puppy up.  I'm not sure what I expected to see when she showed me the puppies but there was absolutely nothing about them that drew me to them...to say it bluntly.  I brushed that off to perhaps being tired from the drive and we took both boys out and played with them ; then took them outside to play.   They pooped a lot and the breeder said the stools were looser than she'd like and would send him home with a round of antibiotics.  What?  I know Giardia is common in puppies but to take one home with antibiotics?  Is this normal?  That was one red flag.  The boy I thought I would like turned out to have the straighter hair and when I picked him up I had hair all over my shirt. She told me all puppies shed.   The 2nd boy had a bit flufflier coat and didn't seem to shed much at all.  We played with them a little over an hour because I wanted to be sure.  I had hoped one would choose me but that didn't happen - that itself was disappointing.  Then the breeder started getting a bit frustrated and she finally said she didn't want to rush us but she had only scheduled an hour for us and that most people only take 30 min. to pick out a puppy.  She said she had another appointment in 20 min.  Now, maybe I'm wrong, but I would think since we drove 5 1/2 hrs. to get there that she would have at least informed me of this "minor" rule.  I mean what if traffic had been bad and we had been 2 hours late?  I was still having trouble deciding on which puppy I wanted, which was another red flag to me.  Something just didn't feel right.  She said she'd give us another 20 min to decide.  She kept hovering over us so we finally asked for a few min. private to talk about it, which turned out to be maybe 2 min. at most.  I was frustrated to say the least.  I went to my car to get a drink of water and came back.  The husband came out now and followed me back and asked if I'd made a decision.  To make a long story short, the breeder made the decision for me.  She took my deposit out of her pocket and gave it back.  She obviously wanted to see me leave.   This was a bit heartbreaking, but rather a relief.  I did not want to give this breeder my money.  I was all set to forfeit my deposit but kept trying to talk myself into one of these puppies.  They were cute after all, but looked more like backyard puppies in my opinion.  They seemed really small to be standards.  They were smaller than the mediums we'd seen the day before at same age.  They had not been socialized much either.  They were friendly but you could tell they hadn't been handled and played with that much.

Now, some of you told me not to visit other breeders before I went to pick my puppy up.  I did not heed that advice and my friend and I had visited a breeder the day before.  There was a HUGE difference in quality of the puppies.  If I hadn't gone, I would have thought the TN puppies were what they all looked like.  But now I'm back to square one.  I am going to keep looking and even include labradoodles in my search. 

I was going to blog this and include photos but I couldn't get it to work so just tried to keep this short as I could.  I just wanted to let everyone know my experience, and especially those who have been following my story.

[Stacy, Bruno, Molly and Gracie]

Really, are you offended or am I missing the humor. Just wondering.

[Sue & Lily Grace]

Haha. LABRADOODLES yeah

[Patti Golden]

Oh, nooooo, I didn't mean to state it in an offensive way.  I honestly can't tell them apart on pictures.  I have just always had Goldens and love their temperament.  I hope you were kidding when you said you were offended and I'm sorry if I offended you.  That was not my intent.  I just meant I was broadening my search and keeping an open mind and not stuck on just the one. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I was not really offended but my doodles were a bit hurt. They are so smart they pick up nuances when they read the posts :-) 

[Patti Golden]

haha, I ended up with a Labradoodle. I love him to pieces too.  :-)

And you are right - he's the smartest puppy I've ever had.

[Ginny Nightingale]

You did the right thing--People sometimes come to my house to pick a pup because I raise them for a breeder--most of the time, the new owners come at 6 weeks to meet all of the pups, then they have some time to think about it and choose the ones they would most want-- the pups are then assigned with their preferences in mind and they come back later and get one from the list they chose. So, your situation was different--you had only two pups to choose from and it is not that surprising that they didn't "hit" you the right way.It seems like you had a sixth sense that steered you to the right decision.

By the way, when I schedule people to meet the pups, they do get one hour--usually they are in love with all of them in about 5 minutes and then the rest is just playing with pups--unless they have a clear preference for a color or curly coat, etc...The pups get too tired and stressed if the "strange" people are there too long--they need to take a nap and are usually exhausted after the visit. 

The diarrhea is not that unusual as the pups are weaned and go to solid food, but antibiotic is not always the way to deal with that, so that is a bit suspicious. 

I groom both labradoodles and goldendoodles and there really is no clear cut difference between them--both breeds vary in coat, temperament, size etc, so you can choose from both types to get the puppy you want. If you don't limit it, you will have a larger group to choose from. If someone tells you that you should get a goldendoodle because they are calmer, less likely to shed, etc etc, don't believe it--not  absolutely true for either breed.  And also, some pups shed as puppies and not as adults, some do not shed as pups and do as adults, so that is one thing that is hard to call--but the curlier pups do tend to shed less. If you gently pull on some hair just above the tail on the pup's back, you might get a few hairs in your fingers or many--that is one indicator--but still no guarantee of future shed amount. 

Good luck with your search!!!

[Patti Golden]

I would not have minded the time constraint nearly as much if she would have just told me about it.  This breeder has not been a good communicator all along and I almost just forfeited my deposit at one point because of it.  The friend who went with me, her husband is a small animal veterinarian and he said what you did.  Antibiotics aren't the right way to treat it, should have been on an anti-parastic medicine instead, so he thought it was a bit suspicious too.  But he also said the soft stool could have been caused from the antibiotics.  I had forgotten they were already on the antibiotic (just got an email from my friend who had asked her husband about it, and she said the breeder said they were already on the antibiotic).  (bad sentence grammar - sorry). 

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

Patti -

I know you are disappointed but it was obvious from your other discussion that these puppies were not for you.  Glad that you got your deposit back.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Terribly sorry for the disappointment, but it sounds like (from this and your other discussions) that it was for the best. You will find your puppy soon I'm sure.

[Adina P]

I felt a sense of relief when you posted this because I'd been kind of worried on your behalf based on past posts.  I don't know who this breeder is, but things just weren't lining up in a way that I'd want if it were me choosing a pup.  I'm glad you're not terribly upset over it and not 'mourning' =)  Now at least you can use this experience to find an even better breeder and just the right pup for you!

[Lynne of Fountain Falls]

No excuse to be treated this way.  I may go overboard but I have cookies and lemonade ready for my prospective buyers. I encourage them to see and play with any and all of my dogs , see where the puppies are born etc.  Something not right there.  There is the right puppy out there for you.  Glad you didnt rush into something you would regret.  And btw medicine going home with a puppy, what??

[Bonnie and Kona]

It sounds like things worked out just as they should have. I look forward to hearing about the puppy you do choose! Thank you for updating us. This has been quite an adventure for you to get your pup!