Celebrities love Labradoodles
The Labradoodle is across breed dog that is not yet recognized by the AKC. Developed first in Australia in the 1980’s as a low shedding guide dog for people with allergies to dogs, it was originally a cross of the standard Poodle and the Labrador Ret
riever. Later miniature Poodles were added to mix so the Labradoodle now comes in all sizes. They not only come in all sizes but in all colors too. They come in solid as well as two tone colors. Their coats also vary from wavy to very curly.
There has been much debate whether the dogs are the beginnings of a real dog breed or just a fancy mutt. The breed in the USA has not been standardized yet to date but there is a standard in Australia. Indeed there is a lot of debate regarding the Labradoodles. Regardless of the debate the breed has many fans.
Just recently the breed was thrown into the spotlight when President Obama was deciding on the type of dog would become the family pet. The choice was between the Labradoodle and the Portuguese Water dog. We all know which breed won but at the same time the Labradoodle ended up with much more publicity than it had gotten in the past.
Among their followers are many big name celebrities. Henry Winkler, who also breed them, was one of the celebrities that hoped that the Labradoodle was chosen by the Obamas. Henry is not the only celebrity owner of this breed of dog. Tiger Woods and his family have 2 Labradoodles.
Other celebrity owners are:
- Joe Biden
- Neil Young
- Barbara Eden
- Dustin Brown
- Lance Bass
The Labradoodle certainly has garnered a following among the rich and famous. I wonder with a following like that can standardization for the breed be far behind? I fear that if the breed becomes too popular too fast there would be many people that will just take unregistered Poodles and Labrador Retrievers and just breed them and call the off spring Labradoodles with little regard for genetics or inherited disorders. With many reputable breeders that are striving to standardize the breed characteristics it would be a shame that money hungry backyard breeders could undo the breed before it has a chance to become a purebred breed.
Where does the American Kennel Club stand with regards to the Labradoodle? A search of their website only brought up one mention of the Labradoodle and it was only in reference to the dog search conducted by the Obamas. The AKC is ignoring the mix breed so far.
