Need User's Opinions - Is Leia a Goldendoodle?

[Kristoffer Karlson]

Hi everyone!

We got the pictured dog a couple weeks ago from a woman nearby who claimed she is a F1 Mini Goldendoodle. She received this pup as "compensation" because her mother's Golden Retriever was used for the pregnancy. She didn't have any paperwork, but she did send pictures of the parents. Unfortunately there's really no way to confirm authenticity and I think that was done on purpose since it's technically "hobby breeding". The dad (she claims) is a 10 pound toy poodle that was darker brown, and the mom is a red, flat & straight coat Golden Retriever. 

She did provide a signed contract with all of her info on it where she writes in that the pup is a Goldendoodle, but when I look at her, I just don't see many tell-tale Doodle identifiers. She has some good fluff to her, but I can't get over the ears. They're not long and floppy, they're shorter and have perk. I know all Doodles are different, so I'm hoping there are some really knowledgeable users here that can help me out. We love her, so at this point, we don't really care whether she is or not. It would be nice to know since I paid for a Goldendoodle (though she wasn't too expensive). 

I can't imagine this woman would put herself in a legal predicament by providing a signed contract stating she's a Goldendoodle.

Anyways, thank you very much in advance for your opinions!

[Kristoffer Karlson]

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Super cute!

Given the colour of the poodle dad I'd say unlikely it's a goldendoodle.  If it were a black poodle then maybe.. but red poodle I'm not even sure that's possible genetically speaking.

Looks like a border collie cross to me.   

[Adina P]

They may have bred goldendoodles, but is it possible that a border collie male snuck in too and added some pups in the litter?

[Kristoffer Karlson]

She told us that they had a breeder (who's also a vet) perform the insemination, and there's no way other pups could have gotten in the mix. I know she doesn't look like a Goldendoodle at first glance by a long shot, I just can't get over the fact that this lady would have put herself at risk by lying about the breed via a signed contract. This whole pregnancy was handled through a family friend, so it's unlikely that there was any deception going on. 

[Adina P]

I was just thinking that despite the insemination, a border collie could still have snuck in the yard or gotten to the golden retriever without the owner knowing -- if she was every alone without supervision.

[Gracie, Jade, & Barkley]

Actually, brown poodles can have black offspring. My goldendoodles mom is a chocolate poodle and my gd is black. There are genetics that back this up as well. We have posts about it on the black doodle forum here.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

This cutie looks like a smart one!  I also would say some border collie, but who knows.  I guess you could have DNA done.

[Kristoffer Karlson]

We looked into in, but I read that there is a lot of guesswork involved. I know the expensive and reputable companies that do it, go off of DNA traits that can represent very conflicting things. For example, I read a third party submitted fully AKA certified DNA samples form a Poodle (I believe) into one of the more reputable and well-known companies, and the results came very inconsistent. I appreciate the input!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I don't think this cutie is a goldendoodle.  Because of size differences there would have been artificial insemination (whatever that might be called in the dog world). If her mother had the female  dog wouldn't that most likely mean she raised the pups?  I don't know, but the whole thing is fishy.  If you paid money you probably got ripped off money-wise, but certainly not in adorability.  I think you are going to have one cute dog.

Just FYI, this is backyard breeding - people think to make a fast buck.  Hobby breeders, do health testing, responsible pairing, have paperwork, just like professional breeders do, it is just not a source of income for them - hence a hobby.

[Kristoffer Karlson]

I'm not too sure the pictures do much justice - since she's black, it's difficult to capture some of the details the make me think there's a chance she is. I suppose I will know more in the next few weeks or so as she grows. I am very much on the fence with this one, not even taking into consideration the woman's story, just physical traits alone, she does have a few characteristics that are consistent with some of the black F1 Mini Goldendoodles I've seen pictures of. She has a slight wave on the fur on her ears, the fur is markedly longer on her neck/cheek area, and her undercoat (for lack of a better description) has the "dreadlock" look (and it's noticeably lighter in color, too). 

Since this pup was given to this woman by her mother (who owned the golden retriever), I suppose it is feasible that she just wasn't given paperwork since it was a family-based transaction, The puppy had all of it's shots, and I hate to keep bringing up the signed contract where it says she's a Goldendoodle, but I just think it would be too risky to make sure a proclamation in a signed contract if you weren't 100% certain you can prove its lineage if ordered by a court. I don't want to escalate it of course, but the reason why we wanted a Goldendoodle in the first place was because they don't shed all that much, and because a few people in my house have mild allergies to pets (especially my son).

The worst part about waiting to see if she starts to look a bit more "doodle-ish" in the next few weeks is the fact that we're becoming more and more attached to her each day. It is quite the predicament we're in! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I doubt very much that this is a goldendoodle or even any type of Poodle mix, but the only way you can know for sure would be to do a DNA test. They are available online and are not very expensive.

I can tell you now that this dog is going to shed. I would bet money on it. She has what is called an "open face", meaning an absence of furnishings, and that's usually a pretty good indicator that the dog will shed as an adult if not sooner. 

Regarding the "contract" and the legal ramifications, the amount of money you could possibly recover if you did take the case to court wouldn't come close to what you'd need to pay a lawyer to do so. Misrepresenting a puppy's breed is not considered a serious crime (especially if she pleads ignorance) and any damages awarded would not amount to much. I'm pretty sure the person who sold the puppy knows that most people wouldn't bother taking this to court.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I agree, it's not like she's committed a felony by having a false contract. What's the worst that can happen to her and at what expense to the person suing her? This little guy is adorable though.

 I'd too be very disappointed if I wanted and paid for a goldendoodle and didn't get one.  I'm not sure what will change by waiting to see whether or not she gets more doodley. If she doesn't are you considering giving her back? What does your contract say about doing so? Money back? Exchange for another? 

I am not familiar with the DNA tests other than the one my son had done on his last very ridgeback looking mutt. It came back with some pretty strange results. Showed poodle, terrier, pit bull....I guess anything is possible but I don't know how much stock I'd put into DNA tests. It really never answered their question.  Maybe there are some tests that are more accurate than others.