Meet Dougal.
Dougal is a Labradoodle.
He was born on 19th June 2008 and came to live with us about 12 weeks later. His mummy was a choccy Labrador, and daddy was a HUGE black poodle.
We had ummed and ahhhed about getting a puppy for a long time, and eventually when our working hours suited it, and Little Mac was just about big enough to understand the do's and don't's of looking after a puppy, we decided to take the plunge!
Once the decision had been made we then had to decide on a breed. It was always going to be a small dog ... small dog, much more manageable. Springer spaniel, jack russell, border terrier, beagle, westie ... we considered the lot ... then settled on a labradoodle.
A labradoodle is never going to be a small dog, what with two 'big dog' parents and all that. But they look so cute and fluffy, and we were seduced by the fact that, by all accounts they have an excellent temperament and don't moult.
Yeah right!
Temperament wise Doug hasn't got a nasty bone in his body BUT he does like to play ... given the opportunity he will bounce on any other dog he meets ... spaniels in particular, he has a thing for spaniels! And he has no sense of doggy etiquette: If another dog growls or barks at him he just sees it as an invitation to play, rather than a warning.
We should have realised a few days after he arrived with us. I took him to a 'puppy party' at the vets where he could meet other puppies. Within seconds he had chewed through his lead, charged across the room and pounced on another puppy about a third of his size! Soooo embarrassing. All the other puppies behaved themselves .. why couldn't he?!?
He hasn't improved.
And he most certainly does moult. You could build a whole new dog with the amount of fluff he sheds each day.
We love Doug ... but he doesn't half cause us trouble!!!
Check my side bar for a Dougal button to put on your blog ... if you fancy a bit of doggy randomness!!
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