In 2006 I did some photography is support of Pink Ribbon Day. A lady I had met was raising funds for this very worthwhile cause by selling little stuffed toys which were replicas of her Black Standard Poodle, named Miss Chloe. I had travelled to Louise’s house to photograph Miss Chloe with 100 poodle toys. One of these days I’ll post those photos, but for the time being, here is her son hamming it up for the camera.
I find the history of the Labradoodle quite interesting. The first litter was bred in Australia at the request of a vision impaired woman whose husband was allergic to dogs. This first mating of a Labrador Retriever and a Poodle resulted in three puppies. Of those, one of them was found to have a non-allergenic coat and was suitable to be trained as a guide dog. This was the official beginning of the Labradoodle.
As a dog breed, the Labradoodle is still developing and is not yet a true breed i.e. the puppies do not have consistently predictable characteristics. While many Labradoodles display desired traits, their appearance and behavioral characteristics remain unpredictable.
In Australia there is a group of breeders who are dedicated to the logical and planned cross-breeding of this dog with the goal of having a new breed recognised. In 2004 it was announced that the Australian Labradoodle was not just a Labrador X Poodle but a breed developed over many years with a particular goal in mind. Other breeds of dogs, such as the Irish Water Spaniel, Curly Coated Retriever, American Cocker Spaniel and English Cocker Spaniel have also been included into the bloodlines to improve certain characteristics of the Australian Labradoodle.
With the recent explosion in popularity of ‘designer dogs’ there has been plenty of discussion on the topic. Not withstanding the Australian effort to actually produce a new and stable breed, what are your thoughts on other new cross-breeds? Designer dog or expensive Mutt?
You’ve seen this gorgeous Labradoodle before in this photo, but I thought it high time she made another appearance. She’s such an expressive dog and always has a happy smile on her face. She just LOVES her humans to bits, which can be seen so obviously from her images.
I captured this photo when we visited Idyllwild back in March. Quite a lot of the business owners had their pets in the store with them. I really wish I could take my dog into work.
I’ve noticed over the last couple of years that I’ve photographed quite a lot of ‘doodles’…you know…labradoodles, goldendoodles etc. Anyone have another type I’ve doodle I should know about? How about a Cockerdoodle? That would be funny.
BUY A PRINT, CANVAS OR GIFT CARDS
The other weekend I took my friend Liz up to La Jolla for the afternoon to check out this beautiful suburb. Thankfully I took my camera with me because there were so many dogs out and about. We met Bella as we were in search of some coffee. She is a Goldendoodle, a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Poodle, so I guess she’s now blessed with looks and a brain. She’s certainly a pretty girl. Check out those eyelashes!
