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Originally Posted by Keno's Mom  The problem is there is no guarentee or proof that any dog crossed with a poodle will be tolerated by allergic people. And no guarentee the dog won't shed. That's the delimna they run into - its not working like they thought it might.
Since you can't control what you get, why continue it? Looks like they've been trying legitimatly for awhile to breed something that works and its not working. The intentions/idea was a good one - but mother nature cannot be predicted at times  |
If today there was a need then this might happen yet again.
Many years ago there was a vision impaired lady in Hawaii that needed a Guide Dog, and it was her husband's allergy that was aggravated by dogs and they simply couldn't have a dog. Guide Dogs Victoria first thought was to try Poodles, so they sent coat and saliva samples from 33 different Poodles to Hawaii and all the samples were tested on the husband, unfortunately he was allergic to all the Poodle samples so they really couldn't have a Poodle.
The vision impaired wife still needed a Guide Dog and why Guide Dogs persisted in looking for a solution and it was 2 years later that Wally Conran came up with the idea of trying a Labrador Poodle Cross. One such litter of 3 puppies was born and their coat and saliva samples were sent to Hawaii, ONE of the 3 puppies was successful in NOT allergy aggravating her husband, that particular pups name was Sultan who was then brought up and trained as a Guide Dog for that lady. The other 2 puppies that were UNsuccessful and DID allergy aggravate her husband still went on to lead very useful lives but with other people who were not allergic to dogs, one as a Remedial Dog and the other as a Guide Dog
So you see there was no delimna and everything turned out great for everyone, and since then that organisation has provided over 100 Labradoodles as Guide Dogs and Assistance Service Dogs, this whenever there was a requirement for such dogs. Now we are talking about breeders at Guide Dogs with many years of experience in breeding for function as guide dogs, and where allergies are concerned I feel that today they still would allergy test similarly like they did so in the past, and where the intended allergy recipient was being attended to by their doctor or allergy specialist.
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Originally Posted by Ginny01OT How many labradoodle breeders do you know who are breeding their dogs specifically to be service dogs?
How many people pay breeders for these labradoodles to be used specifically as service dogs?
Not many |
Many people with disabilities do not obtain Service Dogs from "breeders", and those that might probably do NOT have the knowledge or the required skills to train Service Dogs. BUT then there is a very small percentage of dog trainers who already have trained dogs before to high standards who probably would, and they might like to train their own Service Dog but this tends to be the exception rather than what generally applies.
Anyway, my suggestion to many people with disabilities is to contact their nearest organizations that breeds and provides Service Dogs for FREE, yes fully trained $38,000 dogs at NO COST and with backup advice and extra training whenever required. Here is one such organization called "Guide Dogs of America", and some brief info below from their website at this address:-
http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org
Q: What is the cost of providing a guide dog?
A: Approximately $38,000 or more, which includes the cost of training the dog and providing instruction for the guide dog user.
Q: How much does it cost to get a guide dog?
A: Nothing. We provide our guide dogs free of charge to blind and visually impaired men and women.
Q. Where are the Guide Dog puppies born?
A. G.D.A. has a new Whelping /Breeding facility lovingly called the Puppy Nursery. The puppies are born in this facility and will remain there until they are eight weeks old. At eight weeks old the pups are placed with pre-screened, volunteer foster families, called Puppy Raisers, who provide care that is necessary for the development of future guide dogs.
Q. Do you accept donated puppies or adult dogs?
A. On occasion we accept puppies or adult dogs from breeders. This is usually done a donation basis. Acceptance of any outside stock into our program is reviewed based on pedigree, temperament, and joint and eye clearances. Any adult dog accepted into our program must pass all physical and temperamental tests required by Guide Dogs of America. Please refer to donating a dog for more information.
Also I noticed this on their website, and the below from this address:-
http://www.guidedogsofamerica.org/partners_12.doc
New Dogs To Match With – More Choices Than Ever
For many years, the breeds most often used for guide dogs were German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers. But GDA and other guide dog schools have recently begun to accept Standard Poodles, and strategic crosses between breeds.
Two of our first cross-breeds just recently graduated as guide dogs. One was a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Standard Poodle – a “golden-doodle”. The other was a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Labrador Retriever—a “goldador” or a “golden-lab.” GDA is now raising about 20 mixed-breed puppies.
The goal is to increase the range of dogs available to become guide dogs. A key concern for some people is allergies and like the general population, a portion of people who are blind are allergic to dogs. Poodles and many crosses with poodles don’t produce as much dander as most dogs, which greatly reduces allergy concerns.
Other crosses are an attempt to merge the best traits of two breeds, such as the responsiveness of a Golden Retriever and the confidence of a Labrador. While every breed has a range of personality types, there are some general trends among the breeds bred to become guide dogs.
