While I have, and still maintain that a soccer mom is rarely equipped to be a breeder of any sort, apparently doodlemania is not the blithe that I have suggested. Simply put, I was wrong.
This morning I brought our two Black Russian Terriers to the vet for standard stuff. He is a buddy and while he was poking, prodding, injecting, we were joking and catching up. The vet tech joined into our juvenile antics. The jovial environment was paused when the subject of doodles came up.
Understand, my vet is beyond excellent. People drive from several counties away to seek his counsel. When I brought one of my dogs to a highly touted specialist she told me the exact thing that he did, albeit at a higher price. As he said "she drives a nicer car than I do." His opinion is learned, well thought and sought after. Imagine my surprise when he said that doodles just seem to work.
When doodlemania started, he expected to have all kinds of problems pop up. Now that we are several years in, he reports that it just hasn't happen. They seem to have the "mutt-thing" working for them, diluting the issues that purebred dogs often have.
My jaw dropped when he told me that he has two.
What the actual hell?!?!
He said that the teeth and cataract issues that the poodle bring to the party almost always goes away and other issues are so rare that he couldn't think of any. Know that I cross examined him like Perry Mason. In the end, he convinced me that not only is doodlemania not the scourge that it seems to be a good thing. Why? Because he has seen an increase in healthy, well adjusted dogs.
Understand, that I stand by my position that breeding is difficult and should be done only by those with knowledge and dedication. And just because a poodle seems to be a vodka dog, one that mixes well with anything, does NOT mean that crossing just any breed is a good idea.
Still, I was wrong about doodles.
I stand corrected.