Looking for Doodle Puppy in Virginia/MD

[Phoenix]

My family and I live in northern Virginia. We are looking to get a labradoodle or goldendoodle this summer or fall. My husband has a slight dog allergy and my son has asthma. 

Can anyone send me a message to recommend or warn us away from a close breeder?

Thank you!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I am not here to recommend a breeder but want to add, Doodles are NOT for those with allergies or asthma. It is a dangerous chance you take. We have many stories of heartache on this issue.

Yes, there have been some success stories but keep in mind with mixed-breed dogs, you have no guarantees. Many many of our dogs shed, many are no where near what is needed for an allergy friendly breed. 

Yet, there are breeds that have much more success with allergies  :) 

I'm on my phone so when I get home, I will look into linking you to more information so you can make an informed decision and get the right puppy for your family  :)  

[Phoenix]

We had a golden retriever (Samson) until a couple years ago. My husband only had symptoms when Samson was shedding a lot and we got behind on bathing him. Samson's back legs were weak and he had trouble with the stairs to get to the bathtub. 

As for my son, his asthma flares up when he has a cold virus, but never showed any sign around Sam. He has an appointment with his asthma specialist next week where we will be discussing this. 

We've thought through this. While I know there is no hypoallergenic dog, I think the doodle breeds will help reduce shedding and fit our family. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

A slight dog allergy is one thing, but with your son having asthma, I wouldn't chance it by getting a doodle. I have an f1b golden doodle which makes her 75% poodle. She doesn't shed at all. However she was around someone back at Christmas with a dog allergy and that person had an allergy attack. I felt so bad. I would get a pure bred poodle or a mix of 2 purebreds that are known allergy friendly dogs like a shih-poo.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with the others. It would be very risky to get a doodle puppy of any kind if you have a child with asthma. There will be no way to know the true effects on your son until the dog is full grown and has his adult coat. It is heartbreaking for all concerned to rehome a dog who has become part of the family, and really not fair to the dog.. 

We have a member who adopted her ALD at the age of 11 weeks through Doodle Rescue. Although he does not shed at all, he aggravated the original owner's asthma so much, she had to be hospitalized. 

Many pediatricians and allergy doctors are not aware that all the "non-shedding", "hypoallergenic" "allergy friendly" hype about doodles is just that, hype. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's a link to an article with good information on doodles and allergies. While it's written about labradoodles, all of the same info applies to goldendoodles and any other poodle mix in which there are heavily shedding breeds involved.

http://www.labradoodletrust.com/allergy_info.html