Doodledawgs

Well, not really all done, because animals are still my passion. I sold my home in Arkansas and moved back home to Florida in 2023. I kept one pup from the last litter and he, Dickens, is currently finishing his training to be my service dog. I am currently looking for some part-time employment where I can work with animals. I’ve had a few ideas run through my mind and may yet develop one of these into a practical source of supplementary income.

1: Finding a part-time job working with animals

2: Making hard to find clothing items for large dogs. There’s a plethora of options for small dogs but not much for the big ones.

3: Pet sitting

4: Doing pet portraits. I’m just worried I would make less than minimum wage doing this option. I’m a good artist but not a fast artist.

Why did I stop breeding? Simply because good dog breeding is a 24/7 job and no overtime. I just wore out! I loved that phase of my life but am no longer able to work 24/7. Now part-time is the best option,

My red Standard Poodle Tickle Me Jada, AKA Jada is expecting her first litter about November 18. Greta has been retired and will soon be joining a family in Texas. Since I am not breeding Standard Poodles and plan for Jada to be my last breeder before I retire, Luke went to live with my daughter and her family close by. I found a local Golden Retriever breeder who tests his dogs and has excellent, beautiful stock, and even more wonderful, a couple RED boys, so I arranged with Dogwood Farms Golden Retrievers to mate Jada with one of his red Golden Retrievers, Mojo. It was a success and puppies are on the way! With a red dad and a red mom, I am hoping for lots of red pups. I am excited about this upcoming litter! These will be F1 Goldendoodles. Stay tuned!

A visitor to my Doodledawgs Facebook page recently posted a comment that suggested people should rescue rather than buy from a breeder. She posted her comment on an ad that I had to pay for, so it upset me more than a little. I deleted her original comment only to find that she quickly commented again saying the same thing.

I responded after her second try, giving an analogy comparing the choice of what dog to add to your family was similar to choosing a new car. You research, decide what model you like, what color, whether you want to go with a new car or an older one, what gas mileage it gets and so on.

Getting a new dog is a very similar process. First you research and decide what breeds you like best. You may prefer a certain coat type, like non-shedding poodles or doodles. You certainly want to know the history of the new family member. Did it have its start in a cage in a puppy mill? Did its parents have any genetic diseases? If it is a mixed breed, is there any way to know what the temperament might be without knowing what breeds are involved? Would it be safest to get a purebred dog or a hybrid from known breeds and known temperaments? All these are questions that new dog owners have to consider before adopting a new family member.

I had a neighbor once who had a female miniature poodle. She had it mated with another miniature poodle and had a litter. She sold all but one male puppy that she fell in love with. He grew up, was not neutered nor was his mother spayed. Soon another litter was imminent and the son was the daddy. When I asked the neighbor what she would do with the puppies, she said she would take them to the humane society.

The person adopting one of those cute mini poodles from the humane society would have no way to know that the pup was a product of canine incest. Later, when genetic health problems showed up they would spend a lot of money and time trying to keep their baby out of pain and alive. Now some would say, yes, but those poor babies need rescued as do all the dogs in rescue. Many see only the poor animals with their beseeching eyes and pathetic situations and never think of the possibility that adopting these animals can create two problems.

First the problems for the adopting family. Some dogs adopted from rescues are success stories. Sadly, many are not because the reason they are in rescue is because of abuse, neglect or a puppy mill history or something like I related above with the mini poodles. Research has shown that human children raised in a setting where they do not get love and proper care or where they are abused can have life long effects. Would not the same be true for canines?

The second problem is that adopting from a rescue rather than searching out a good responsible breeder is actually perpetuating the rescue problem. Neutering and spaying of dogs that should not be bred is the real solution. This creates a problem because many dogs that are not intentionally bred, which I call street breedings, are because their owners have not bothered to spay or neuter their animals. I don’t know the solution. But I do know that it is wrong to blame responsible breeders for the problems caused by irresponsible breeders and owners.

It is a personal decision when adding a new family member whether you want to adopt from a rescue or buy from a responsible breeder. You should not feel guilty either way. If you examine and know what to expect and are willing to put in the extra work and time and training needed to “save a life” by rescuing, then do it. If you want to know for sure what you are bringing into your home and what to expect and to know that no matter how rough your kids get, your dog will never hurt them, then get a dog from a good breeder.

Facts

Here’s a link to some statistics about the Pitbull breed that makes up a large proportion of dogs in rescue. The statistics show that 19-32% of Pitbulls end up in rescue. This does not include Pitbull mixes or other aggressive breeds.

https://dogbitelaw.com/vicious-dogs/pit-bulls-facts-and-figures

In the city I live in there is a ban on Pitbulls, Pitbull mixes and any aggressive breeds. If you decide to get a dog from a rescue, be sure to check the ordinances where you live before adopting. Know what you are getting.

Many followers have asked me why some Goldendoodles cost several thousand and yet you can also find a goldendoodle on the internet or locally for maybe $800. I sell my F1 goldendoodles for $2000.

Here’s how I would illustrate the difference. If you go to your local grocery store, there is the generic store brand for the lowest price. There is the medium range item for a medium range price. Then you look for the farm raised, organic, non-toxic version and the price goes up.

So it is with Goldendoodles. A breeder can buy a Standard Poodle from a newspaper ad for maybe $500. They can breed it to the golden retriever running loose in the neighborhood for free. Then they can keep the puppies in a plastic swimming pool in their garage and advertise them for $800 a puppy. They have done quite well. Perhaps they wormed them a time or two, perhaps not. Neither mom nor dad has had any health testing done. The pups are fed generic puppy food and maybe are vaccinated and maybe not. They may come to you with a worthless guarantee, a belly full of parasites and no early socialization.

Then you have the breeder who carefully researches before buying their breeding stock, looking for healthy backgrounds, good conformation and excellent temperaments. This breeder raises the puppies in an environment where they are watched closely from the day they are born. The parents receive necessary veterinary care and health screening is done for genetic diseases. This breeder has paid much more for their breeding stock to assure they are breeding the type of puppies that will be the best dogs possible.

Ask yourself, would a breeder pay $2000 each for their parent dogs and then sell the puppies for $800? It’s the old adage that you get what you pay for. If you want a quality dog, you will need to expect a higher price.

My breeding dogs are from champion lines. The breeder I got my breeding poodles from breeds show dogs and has had an International Champion (pictured above) and many other levels of champions. Breeders of show dogs breed not just for conformation but for temperament because a show dog has to perform perfectly in the show ring. Intelligence is part of this also. So I have purchased to date, six of my most successful breeding dogs from this show dog breeder. I have had health testing done on them and there have never been any problems. I have culled dogs from other breeders from my program that did not meet my requirements for health, conformation, temperament and intelligence. I also watch for coat type, color and therapy dog potential. These excellent breeding dogs ranged in price from $1200 to $2000, depending how long ago they were purchased.

Duffy, the Golden Retriever father of many of my litters in the past, also had hundreds of champions in his background.

I recently had a friend send me a goldendoodle calendar and I actually hung a picture over the part where the doodles were because they are not what I consider beautiful goldendoodles. I may make my own calendar because my dogs are beautiful! Many of you who have dogs from me would agree.

Now, remember that when you buy an organic product, the cost is always higher. What about organic puppies? Now, I don’t advertise them as organic puppies but I call them “green” puppies. I do not use any toxic chemicals in my home or yard. I do not use any toxic chemicals on any of my dogs, adult or puppies. Flea control is done with a yard spray comprised of spices. Pen cleaning is done with all non-toxic cleaners like vinegar, essential oils and Dawn clear dish soap. Perfectly healthy puppies! No toxic stresses!

I do vaccinate and use a high titer, low passage vaccine, and I do worm the puppies with pyrantel pamoate at ages 2, 3, and 4 weeks and with fenbendazole (Panacur or Safeguard) at age 6 weeks. These are absolutely necessary for the well being of your puppy. My veterinarians never find parasites when they do the health checks. They always give me a high five!

The bottom line is that puppies do need wormed and vaccinated, but they do not need all the other chemicals, disinfectants and toxic yard chemicals that some other breeders use. You get a healthy puppy with no exposure to chemicals and toxins other than their wormer and vaccine.

Then consider the added benefits of the puppies being indoors and handled from birth. The puppies are allowed to start playing outside, weather permitting, once they are old enough to master climbing through the dog door, usually at about five weeks of age. Then from age of five weeks, they get puppy kindergarten, becoming accustomed to a leash and learning a few basics. There is more information about the puppy kindergarten on the Training page on my website.

All considered, $2000 a puppy is an amazingly low price for what you are getting. Trust me! No one has ever expressed disappointment! If you prefer to get a lower priced Goldendoodle, think about this: Would a breeder pay $2000 for good breeding stock and sell the puppies for $800? The person selling $800 puppies probably spent less than that for inferior quality breeding stock. Breeders don’t sell their puppies for less than the value of the parents. It’s as simple as that! If you find a puppy for less, you found less of a puppy.

The picture above shows the new rainy day yard, with patio areas and a gravel potty section. This is where the dogs go to potty outside when the weather is bad. This has worked out amazingly well. You may notice in the picture that the yard outside the gate is still just dirt in this picture. That has since been resolved with some bermuda grass plugs and seed and a twice the usual water bill to get everything growing good. The results are shown in the next picture.

I also added some large pavers to make a walkway to the back gate of the grassy area and also over to the water spigot. The final part of this puppy yard project will be to build a puppy playground on top of the old concrete cistern you see in the middle of the yard. It will have a deck and a ramp, with corner uprights to allow a roof. My previous puppy playground at my old house had steps on one side also, but due to the beautiful set of steps up to my back door, I don’t see a need for steps. My puppies will definitely learn how to use the stairs.

I am installing chain link guard panels on each side of the stairs to prevent any puppies from falling over the edge. Usually they don’t fall but might get pushed off by another puppy, so the panels are ordered and will be installed next week. Construction on the puppy playground should be complete as well.