A story from last September that I wanted to share...... but forgot.
The creator of the Labradoodle cross-breed has said he inadvertently unleashed a "Frankenstein('s) monster".
Wally Conron, 90, who worked for Guide Dogs Victoria in Australia when he bred the first Labrador-Poodle cross in 1989, spoke of his regrets at having begun a trend for designer breeds on an ABC podcast.
"I opened a Pandora's box and released a Frankenstein('s) monster," he said.
His "big regret" is that his invention paved the way for "unethical, ruthless people" to breed the dogs without thinking of the health of their offspring.
According to Conron, the majority of Labradoodles are "either crazy or have an hereditary problem," with healthy examples of the breed "few and far between."
Conron's original purpose in crossing a Labrador with a standard Poodle (which has a non-shedding coat) had been to provide a guide dog for a blind woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to dogs.
The resulting litter of three was small, but one of the puppies did not trigger the husband's allergies and was sent to Hawaii to be her guide dog.
As no one wanted the two remaining puppies, Conron asked the PR department at his work to spread the message of this new breed. Labradoodles quickly became popular in Australia and further afield.
(https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/26/world/labradoodle-creator-frankenstein-monster-scli-intl/index.html)
Seriously, labradoodles are absolutely adorable animals. In our small village of 800, there are at least 4 of them -- with 2 living right here in our neighborhood.
In fact, we seriously considered getting one when we were looking for our first family dog back in 2016.
Dog breeders definitely carry with them a heavy amount of both responsibility and risk. Whomever decided to start cross-breeding the weiner dog........ yeah, that person failed on the responsibility aspect.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt
The creator of the Labradoodle cross-breed has said he inadvertently unleashed a "Frankenstein('s) monster".
Wally Conron, 90, who worked for Guide Dogs Victoria in Australia when he bred the first Labrador-Poodle cross in 1989, spoke of his regrets at having begun a trend for designer breeds on an ABC podcast.
"I opened a Pandora's box and released a Frankenstein('s) monster," he said.
His "big regret" is that his invention paved the way for "unethical, ruthless people" to breed the dogs without thinking of the health of their offspring.
According to Conron, the majority of Labradoodles are "either crazy or have an hereditary problem," with healthy examples of the breed "few and far between."
Conron's original purpose in crossing a Labrador with a standard Poodle (which has a non-shedding coat) had been to provide a guide dog for a blind woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to dogs.
The resulting litter of three was small, but one of the puppies did not trigger the husband's allergies and was sent to Hawaii to be her guide dog.
As no one wanted the two remaining puppies, Conron asked the PR department at his work to spread the message of this new breed. Labradoodles quickly became popular in Australia and further afield.
(https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/26/world/labradoodle-creator-frankenstein-monster-scli-intl/index.html)
Seriously, labradoodles are absolutely adorable animals. In our small village of 800, there are at least 4 of them -- with 2 living right here in our neighborhood.
In fact, we seriously considered getting one when we were looking for our first family dog back in 2016.
Dog breeders definitely carry with them a heavy amount of both responsibility and risk. Whomever decided to start cross-breeding the weiner dog........ yeah, that person failed on the responsibility aspect.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt