<p>Speaking of Border Collies. Just for fun.</p>
<p><a href=“Redirecting...”>Redirecting...;
<p>I get tired of reading how awful it is to get one of the so-called “designer” breeds. Well, it worked for our family. My son and husband have allergies, so most dog breeds were not an option for us, which means that many mutts were off the table since we didn’t know what breeds were in them.</p>
<p>We found a breeder of Australian labradoodles luckily. She doesn’t just take a Lab and a poodle and breed them, they are from a line from Australia where they were first bred to be service dogs to people with allergies.</p>
<p>She screened for all sorts of genetic traits and she herself has asthma and allergies. She guaranteed to take the dog back if we had a problem with its coat. She microchipped it and picked one with the best coat type for our allergies. We were able to meet the parents and see the rest of the litter.</p>
<p>In short, we couldn’t be happier with our dog. While I wish I could have gotten a rescue, it just was not the right choice for our family.</p>
<p>My sister has a Whoodle (Wheaten terrier/poodle) who is just the cutest thing and very, very sweet.</p>
<p>Count me as a sucker who got ripped off. We bought a golden doodle (after succumbing to constant begging from D2) from a breeder we saw recommended online. We had to wait two breeding cycles to finally get one. We paid the exorbitant fee and I met her to pick up the dog. It was so fluffy and cute I didn’t notice that his snout was deformed. When I took him to the vet they discovered it. After they trimmed him back, it was apparent that he had a major birth defect in his face/skull. </p>
<p>By that time, of course, the kids were in love with him. Now, his crooked face seems part of his character and we can’t imagine him without it. I always joke, “we paid extra for that.” </p>
<p>But yes, we were ripped off and would never do such a dumb thing again. I will say he does not shed and is otherwise very healthy. But he barks-SCREAMS-way too much and this just drives me nuts.</p>
<p>After our two dogs are gone, I’m just going to stick with cats. Far less work, though I do love dogs. Just not for us, at least for a while.</p>
<p>Well, I imagine it is possible to get ripped off no matter how you go about it. Best to do some research, I guess.</p>
<p>Nrds4,
At least you gave a good home to a dog that may otherwise not have found one becasue of it’s deformity.</p>
<p>^^^^^EPTR, I think you are right. In fact, I think one of the other folks in line for a dog from this breeder did refuse him upon picking him up (obviously much more observant than my dumb self), so the breeder just tried to pull a fast one to recoup her loss. </p>
<p>We don’t regret it other than the money part. As to the breeder, I just have to say…karma…eventually…karma.</p>
<p>That’s exactly right.</p>