Misinformation on Goldendoodles on Animal Planet

[Kim and Kashi]

Was watching Dogs 101 on Animal Planet today.  I was completely taken back by a claim made about Goldendoodles by Karen 'Doc' Halligan, DVM.  Her introduction on the Goldendoodles included this comment.  And I quote:  "If you want to have that amazing Golden Retriever personality, but you don't want all that grooming, and all the hair, this is a good dog".   I think it is so irresponsible of a so-called expert to make such a ridiculously false claim.  People actually heed her advice when deciding if a certain dog is good for their family or not.  What a dis-service she is doing not only for potential owners, but for the dogs themselves.   Sorry, Just had to vent my frustration.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Here's a link to their Viewer Relations contact page if anyone wants to voice their opinion...

http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/viewer-relations/

This is for the parent company, Discovery Communications.

[Richard Crowe]

     I would go along with the vet's statement if she mentioned that the goldendoodle "generally" sheds less than does a golden retriever.  At least my Holly sheds less than the golden retirever/German shepherd mix dog that preceeded her as our big dog.

     Holly doesn't need brushings that frequently, about once a week or so will suffice just fine.  We needed to brush our other big dog far more often specially during shedding time.  We could fill plastic shopping bags with her  shedded hair.

     So, I guess that Holly's coat is easier to maintain than was the Golden/Shepherd cross...

 

[DJ & Chance]

Ugh.  Totally irresponsible.  Owners of goldendoodles often need to dedicate many hours/dollars to grooming their furry pets.

[Ginny Nightingale]

SO totally right and she is NOT the only one! This is said all the time in all the wrong places! And it will lead to over-breeding by irresponsible breeders just in it for a buck and GDs in shelters....remember when the Obamas were going to buy a dog once they got into the White House? One of the breeds they were investigating was the Labradoodle because one of their daughters had allergies! It was widely covered by the media--That didn't help much either.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Ginny, I think we are already in the "over breading" realm, it truly is very sad. :0(

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

I was watching the Animal Planet when we decided on a Doodle fortunately for me my DH is a big researcher so we did know that this was a lot of hooey.

You have every right to vent.

Karen, that is an excellent idea I think she should be called to the carpet.

[Stella]

I saw this episode too!!  She also said that the labradoodle has an easy to care for coat!  I have an F1 low shedding LD that has a coat that is a dream to look after.  But my multi-gen non-shedder matts so easily and needs to be clipped regularly - not an easy to care for coat at all.  I was yelling at the TV!!

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

That is unbelievable.  What a lie!  This is very upsetting as many people may listen to this woman and go buy a goldendoodle and then want to get rid of it because (WTD???) you actually have lots of grooming!  This makes me mad.

[Kim and Kashi]

I received a reply from Doc Halligan.  I will post it below:

Hi Kim,

 

I appreciate your feedback but what many people do not understand is that as an expert we discuss the different breeds and their needs and elaborate for at least 30 minutes on each one.  The network edits all of us and just puts in sound bites with no say on my part.  I can assure you that I went on to talk about their need to be brushed daily etc but that did not make the cut.  I work in high kill shelters in Los Angeles and I am all about educating the public to choose the right dog for their budget and lifestyle and I am glad they did at least mention that these dogs need daily grooming.  I have not seen most of the segments I shot for animal planet and I do not get paid for these spots either so overall I receive great feedback from them and that is why I will continue to programming that helps to educate the public!

 

Best,

Doc Halligan

Just thought I would share with you guys.

I get that they edit the advice from the experts.  I don't get why she would allow such a mis-truth from continuing on and on.  I'm quite certain this is not the first or last time this episode will air.  And, with the growing popularity of the breed, it will be taken into consideration by a lot of potential owners.   It would be nice if they would just put a disclaimer up somewhere, either on the show itself or at least on the website.

I can not imagine someone ending up with a dog like my Kashi, thinking they won't have to do much grooming or have "all that hair".  His coat requires an enormous amount of time from me.  Luckily, I enjoy brushing him most of the time.  But if I didn't spend the time necessary, he would either cost me and arm and a leg in grooming, or he would be miserable with mats.  I realize none of us here would let that happen.  But let's be real, not all owners out there are responsible pet owners.  Most do the bare necessities, if that.

And, I'm not even touching on the sweeping generalization that all Goldendoodles will have a "Retriever" personality and "Poodle" hair.  LOL.  

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What a disappointing reply. Even if they had aired the whole thing, "daily brushing" doesn't even come close to covering it.

This "celebrity" vet may not get paid for her spots on this show, but go to their website and take a look at the way they promote her book. (And I love the way her Screen Actors' Guild membership takes top billing over her veterinary credentials, lol) And I'm guessing she does get paid for her job on one of their other shows, "Groomer Has It".  http://animal.discovery.com/tv/groomer-has-it/judges/doc-halligan.html

Still, it does appear that she does good work for shelter animals, so i guess I have to cut her a little slack for that.

[Kim and Kashi]

I do agree with you Karen.  LOL on "daily brushing".  What an understatement!

I wrote her back and asked if perhaps she could let Animal Planet know this information was misleading.  I probably won't get another response back from her again, but I do hope she addresses the issue.

And, thanks guys for voicing your support.  I appreciate it, as I'm sure many puppies that may be miserable because of the "bad editing" do.

This is why I love this site!

I'm putting a picture below of Kashi on a day where "daily brushing" couldn't begin to cover what I have to do with him every time he goes outside for more than 5 minutes when it's wet.  LOL.  

[DJ & Chance]

Now that's a photo I can relate to!  Love from puppy Chance.