Hello, lovelies!
Take is Brady’s “gotcha” anniversary! A year ago today, my friend, Rachel, and I drove 10 hours round way to pick our little bundle of fur and attitude.
Readers of Blessed and a Mess and Brandi Amanda, have followed my journey since the day I got him. The time in my life I got Brady was hectic, to say the least, so since then, I have learned quite a few lessons I wish I knew as a new time doodle owner. Since doodles can come in many shapes and sizes, this may or may not be the case for other doodle owners, however we’ve had to learn these truths the hard way.
No doodle is truly hypoallergenic.
When starting to look to buy a goldendoodle, I came across many breeders that would advertise puppies that were “hypoallergenic.” Since I had lived with a goldendoodle in the past, I knew this was NOT the case. Although goldendoodles are mixed with poodle, a true hypoallergenic dog, a part of their DNA is golden retriever. There are doodles that experience less shedding than others, but even my F2B goldendoodle (who is predominately poodle), leaves little poofballs of hair floating around on the floor from time to time.
The fur is a lot of maintenance
“I only wash my goldendoodle once every two months!” is a common comment I came across while researching the goldendoodle breed. If I only gave Brady a bath once every two months, he would be one big matted hairball! Not to mention the smell… Perhaps because Brady’s coat falls more on the curly/kinky side, I find that to prevent matting, I have to stay on my brushing game. And of course Brady hates brushes more than anything.
You feel like a bad dog parent when they have to get shaved.
If you are the type of doodle owner that love to keep their coats long, then prepare yourself. There is going to be a time in your dog’s life when that cute curly hair that you love, gets matted beyond repair. At first you may be in denial. After trying for days to brush out the mats, you resign yourself to the fact it’s time to go to the groomer again. When seeing your baby, the groomer will “tsk” and cluck over the state of your doodle. There may be a disapproving mm-mm-mmmm here or there. Grimly, your groomer tells you that she’s going to have to shave him. You will leave wondering how you can even live with yourself, and when you pick him up four hours later, the rat dog that walks out of the door is not the baby you walked in with.
Matting is inevitable with doodles, given the nature of their hair. No one tells you that the immense feeling of guilt that comes with a shave is also just as inevitable.
You will never be alone again after owning a doodle.
Cody and I are 90% sure that Brady believes he is a human. He follows us everywhere we go, so he won’t miss anything. It doesn’t matter if I go from the living room to the kitchen, Brady is bound to be on my heels, especially if it is the kitchen (free crumbs? yes!!!). I go up stairs, he goes upstairs. I go to bed, he goes to his spot in the room.
Your entire camera roll will be of your dog.
I hope you enjoyed that all of that unused storage, before you got your doodle!
Doodles have attitudes.
When Brady doesn’t like something, he lets you know. The smallest things will set him off. I take away something he shouldn’t be chewing on, he snarls. I bring out the combing brush, his lip curls. I kick my feet, he paws them to stop. I teach middle school, and sometimes he acts just like a teenager! Currently, Brady is shredding up some mail, because I’m writing this post instead of paying attention to him.
People will stop and take pictures of you.
When you take your doodle out, make sure you look cute! I’ve made the mistake plenty of times to take Brady out in leggings and a tee shirt. Big mistake. There always has to be someone that asks if they could take a picture of him. In fact, Brady has gotten good at sitting and posing for the camera. What a ham! Meanwhile, I’m praying I’m not in the pictures!
They grow so fast.
“Wow he’s so big!”
“I can’t believe he’s huge!” Are common phrases we hear from our guests. If you have a standard goldendoodle, here’s a heads up: They grow faster than you realize! First you start out with this cute teddy bear puppy, and then suddenly you’ll have an 80 pound goldendoodle that thinks he’s still a baby.
They have so much energy
I hope you like to walk or run…otherwise they’ll spend their energy getting into stuff they shouldn’t.
They’re so cute, it’s hard to be mad at them.
“Brady, please don’t go in the only muddy spot of the dog park…awwww man…”
“Brady please don’t chew on my shoes…dang it…”
How can you stay mad at a face like this though?
The doodle community is strong.
With owning a doodle, there is some kind of camaraderie with fellow doodle owners. I’m signed up to join the Facebook group Goldendoodles Friends and Family, and have gotten to know so much about the breed. Others on the chat have watched Brady grow, when I voiced my concerns: from his first groom, to when he ate a sock and almost died. The thing about other doodle owners is that we all love our dogs like crazy, and would do anything for them!
The Quirks of Brady
There are so many little quirks about Brady. Like how he loves to shred tissues, and how when I get home, he likes to jump up, put his paws on my shoulders, and look me in the face. I’ve only heard Brady howl once, which made me laugh for hours. He is the burp-iest dog I have ever seen. He LOVES my sister, to the point when she’s on the phone, he’s looking for her. He’s spoiled rotten, and gets excited when I say: “Wanna go to Pet Smart?”
The bottom line is…
When you get a doodle, they take a big place in your heart. You will love them like you would a person.
“Happy Gotcha Day, Brady!”
This weekend, I’ll be posting a lot of photos and videos on my Instagram of Brady, so if you want to see me, scoot on over there!
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