| Hello and thank you for visiting our site. Over the last few years I have learned most people looking to adopt a puppy have many of the same questions. To inform you and explain how I do things I thought I would add an informational page. The purpose of the page is to answer the most commonly asked questions before you even have to contact me. If after you have read the information and you would like to be considered for one of our puppies, please feel free to write or call me. I will gladly talk with you either by email or phone. If you have a question that I have not addressed, please ask, I am here to answer them. First, there is no reason why you would have to ship an Australian Labradoodle from Australia. We have the same wonderful lines right here in the United States. My girls were born at Rutland Manor in Australia and joined our family when they were babies themselves. From the moment they arrived they became part of our family. They are in our home 100% of the time. They do not live outside or in a kennel. My boy, Sparkie is from Australia's Tegan Park. He has only been part of our family since July, 2007, but honestly, I cannot imagine my home without him. He joined our family with no issues at all. No one would ever know that he wasn't raised here by us. He has a wonderful calm disposition that I know for a fact has been passed down to his puppies. Sparkie sired Maci's first litter of pups and I look forward to him passing down his wonderful qualities with our other girls as well. It is true that the Australian Labradoodle is an exceptional breed of dog. I have placed puppies in families who have children with special needs and have gotten wonderful feedback. One of our puppies is already a certified therapy dog at the age of 1. Our Madison, who lives with her guardian family, will be entering therapy training in the fall of 2007. Australian Labradoodles are smart, intuitive, and a great family dog. Remember, they aren't perfect. They look to you for direction, discipline and exercise. They love being with their family. Walks and car rides are my dogs favorite things to do. People who suffer with allergies have had success with the breed. Our dogs are non-shedding and thankfully all our past puppies have also been non-shedding. We breed medium size dogs, but have had puppies mature to be large miniatures and standards. Grandparents play a part in the puppies too! Because we are a very small breeder and do not always have puppies available, I do not believe in holding deposits for a puppy that hasn't been born yet. Sometimes, nature doesn't work the way I plan it to and cycles start later than anticipated or breedings aren't successful. I do like to get as much information from families as possible. I work closely with families regarding the placement of a puppy. I ask all families to share with me as much information as possible. I need to know if you have children, what their ages are and if they have special needs. Are allergies an issue for any family member? Will this be your first puppy/dog? Will the puppy have someone home during the day to help train him/her? What are you looking for in a puppy? What size, gender and color? If you are on a list for one of our puppies before a breeding takes place I will keep in touch via email. I check-in with you to be sure you are still interested in waiting. Sometimes, families find a puppy from another breeder. If that is the case, that is great, but I like to know so I have an idea of how many families are waiting for one of our puppies. Once a breeding takes place, I contact the families listed and check again. When the pups are born I review my list and the various wishes. If I think there is a puppy born that will meet those wishes, you will be contacted. At that point I will ask for a deposit of $350.00. This deposit is non-refundable unless, for whatever reason, I cannot place a puppy in your family. The deposit is applied to the total price of the puppy. All puppies, no matter the color or gender are $2,500 + NYS tax + shipping if necessary. The final payment is due when you take your puppy home. All the puppies are socialized from the day they are born. The socialization and health of the puppies are my priority. The first couple of weeks my job is to take care of Mom. She is in charge of her babies. She feeds and cleans them. The pups will be monitored and watched closely by me to be sure they are growing the way they should. As mom slowly releases them I will take over a little at a time until she has fully weaned them. Luckily for me, our girls have weaned the pups all on their own. I haven't had to keep them from their babies. As the pups mature, I expose them to age appropriate experiences. When weather permits they will go outside in our yard. The entire litter goes outside together with their Mom. She will let them know if they are doing something she doesn't approve of or is wandering too far away. The feel of grass or cement under their paws are new feelings and need to be a positive experience. All the outside noises such as birds, planes, sirens, etc., are all important things to their development. When the pups are 6-7 weeks old, I bring them into my kitchen when I am home. By this time they have been trained to potty in a "litter" box. The kitchen is also a great place for them to be exposed to different sounds. Pots and pans, the phone ringing, someone knocking on the front door. Individual time is taken with each pup by all our family members. One of us may take a pup and cuddle him/her while watching TV in our living room. Socialization is very important!!! Our puppy room (area) is cleaned MANY times a day. It is important for their health to remain clean. I also believe this helps in training them to potty in one specific area. By the time they are 5 weeks old they are using a wee-wee pad. Within a very short amount of time all the pups know exactly where they are suppose to potty. It is amazing to watch their progress and see how quickly they learn. When it is time to supplement their feedings. I make my own formula daily using goats milk and organic baby cereal. As their bodies adjust I slowly add ground kibble and eventually move on to solid kibble. I only use high quality kibble. Sometimes it may take contacting a few stores until you are able to find a distributor in your area, but it is worth it. If you are adopting one of our puppies, you will receive updates including pictures. Each milestone they reach, such as opening their eyes or wagging their tails, I will include you. Families have always told me how much they looked forward to hearing about all the puppies and I love sharing their progress. These are more than puppies to me. I've always thought of this as placing my girls' babies with families. It is very important to me that you and I agree on which pup will fit your family the best. I am also here to help you prepare your home and family. Adopting a puppy is a lot of work and takes a great deal of commitment. All puppies are cute, but all require a great deal of work and dedication. When the pups are approximately 6 weeks old, families can schedule a visit to meet me, all the puppies and their parents. At approximately 7 weeks of age the pups will be allocated to their families. All pups will have had a health check and age appropriate vaccinations by our veterinarian, been dewormed twice and started on Sentinel by me. Sentinel is a heart worm medication given monthly. All family pets are desexed between 7 and 8 weeks of age. The pups will remain with me until they are between 9 and 10 weeks of age. Every family will receive puppy training information, news articles that I feel are informative, a home made blanket that the puppies have all slept on, health certificate, and at least 3 days worth of food. If for some reason you are not able to pick up your puppy at the allocated time and it is possible for me to keep the puppy there will be an additional charge of $17.00 per day. I believe I have addressed many of the common questions I receive. If you are interested in adopting one of our puppies, please email or call me. I would love to talk with you. Although I do not take deposits, I do review my families wish lists in the order I receive them. If you would like a reference, please ask. I can send you a list of families you can contact. Thanks again for inquiring into our dogs!! Best, Pat Abigail, Maci, Nikki, Madison & Sparkie goldcoastdoodle@optonline.net 516-921-7132 |
Board Member since 2005
Member since 2007