allergy and coat question

[Laney Gliser]

We are getting our F1b mini- labradoodle puppy in January.  She will be 8 weeks old.

Our daughter seems to have slight sensitivity to dogs so we are hoping that this breed will be fine for her.

http://www.diamondcountrydogs.com/AvailableMiniatures.html  One of these will be ours!  Can you tell from the pictures what kind of coat they may have?

I prefer the look of a straighter or slightly wavy coat instead of a super curly one.  But will a curly one be better for allergies and shedding?  Does anyone have a more flat coated one that doesn't shed much?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Holy Doodle!

[Laney Gliser]

Wow I have never seen that site before (the one you linked to)!  I am going to update more in a different post but I went to visit these breeders today and if they are really making that much money, they are not living like they do.  I mean, their place is fine, but it's not millionaire nice!  

Any thoughts on that??  I am honestly asking, NOT arguing or being snarky!  :)

[Christy&Riley]

Wow! I had no idea about all this stuff when we bought Riley. We only paid 600 or 700. It was a sweet family that wanted their kids to see what it was like for their family dog to have puppies. They only planned to do one litter. She was the last pup of 12 and someone out of state wanted to fly her there. they gave us the chance instead as we were local. Knowing Riley now, there's no way she would have handled the flight well. rest of the litter went to their family and friends. The mom dog was so good natured and Riley let me cradle her on her back so we figured she was probably a good dog. We were really blessed that she turned out to be so good natured. Just hoping no genetic problems down the road since I know they didn't do that. You all have taught me so much!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, Joanne, your instincts were spot on. Here is the listing of these puppy millers from the Pet Shop Puppies website:

http://www.petshoppuppies.com/report.asp?ID=48A1846

They are apparently in Nebraska, too; or they were. 

http://companies.findthecompany.com/l/21232044/Diamond-Country-Dogs...

[Brittney & Cally]

Sorry off topic...Karen, may I ask what you search when you are looking into breeders? You get such in depth stuff about them, I was just curious?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Google the phone numbers, google the owners names, google the business name. 

They also come up on the Prisoners of Greed database, but it takes too long for me to search the exact link: http://www.prisonersofgreed.org/USDA.html

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

2013 100 Worst Mills by State

Ugh, I cant believe I typed all that out and only the links showed up.  I'm busy, Ill be back

[Jaime + Oliver]

We knew there was a possibility I would react to Oliver, but there was never any question that he would stay in our home even if I was allergic.  I have allergies to basically everything, especially pets (violently to cats), and had a few weeks of sneezing and itchy eyes.  "They" say that you do acclimate to allergens of your pets, and for me that was true.  Now a few months in I'm not taking any allergy medication and am totally fine.  I just bought large boxes of Zyrtec and loved our fuzzball as much as we could :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think that it is much more likely that an adult with allergies to the dog will keep the dog and just suck it up than it is that the parent of a child who is allergic to the dog will just give the child medications and let them live with the itchy eyes, sneezing, etc. Parents tend to put their children's well-being ahead of the dog's, but not necessarily their own. 

[Jaime + Oliver]

Very true!  Just wanted to give a little hope :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If you are looking for a dog and allergies are a concern, you should know that there is truly not a hypoallergenic dog breed, however 'non-shedding' dogs tend to be more allergy friendly.Here is a link to the most allergy friendly breeds: http://www.justdogbreeds.com/low-shedding-dog-breeds.html
While doodles are great dogs, not all of them are non-shedding or allergy friendly and there is a coat change from pup to adult that can cause a change in your allergic reactions to them. Here is an article about determining your allergy level with a particular doodle. http://doodlerescue.org/group/isadoodleforyou/forum/topics/the-alle...    These may be duplicates of the articles Karen gave you.  My kids, who are now grown, are allergic to cats and it has NEVER gotten better. I didn't used to be allergic to cats but now am, so go figure....

I am not generally allergic to dogs, however there are some dogs I cannot be around - it is dog specific and not breed specific.

[Melissa Lowman]

Hi Laney, I completely understand your situation. I have allergies and my son has dog and cat allergies (highly allergic to cats).Before even considering a pet I had my son seen by a pediatric allergist. He underwent allergy testing, twice in his life so far.  I recommend testing before bringing that pet home so you know how allergic your child is. My son can be around his grandparents dogs, his aunt's dogs, neighbors dogs for extended periods of time (weeks on end) and not react. He may have a play date at a friend's house and react. According to his allergist there are five different types of protein a dog may have in his/her genetic make up. Your child may react to one type or all. Sadly, when testing is performed all five types are grouped together. Him not reacting to all dogs gives us hope. We visited several doodles and neither of us reacted at all. Karen is telling you straight, it is a risk. You need to know all the risks involved with allergen exposure and your child. Research online and speak with the MD. We as a family understand the risk and are optimistic everything will work out fine given his prior experiences with dogs. Time will tell. Two contingency plans already in place for us to rehome our future pet if necessary(praying that is not going to become our reality). I also agree with Karen that it would be tragic for a doodle to end up with doodle rescue. Also consider your home environment. Wood floors are better than carpet where allergies and asthma (for us) are concerned. Keep pup out of bedroom at all costs. Be prepared to wipe pup down after being outside to decrease other allergens coming into your home EVERY time pup come inside from walks, being let out for relieving itself, etc. Google and you allergist, as well as the wealth of knowledge from the good doodle people :) here will help guide you in making the best educated decision for your family.  For what it's worth, my son is demanding allergy shots if it comes to pass. He hates needles and understand what allergy shots entail. HE demanded his allergist test him the second time around. That's how bad he wants this doodle. Good luck.