Happy Feet....a Goldendoodle Tail

On a recent afternoon, I was sitting in the waiting room at my doctor's office waiting to be seen.  As usual,  there were plenty of people sitting around either watching the television or reading magazines that were out of date.   I picked up a meaningless magazine and began to thumb through the pages when I heard a woman behind me say to another,  "Look at this ad! What is a golden doodle ?"  Appearantly the woman had picked up a local newspaper and had come across some goldendoodle advertisements.  I couldn't help but smile as the two women were discussing what a Goldendoodle dog was.  These were old women and it was just funny listening to them chat away about a dog they'd appearantly never heard of.

The other woman replied,  "I have no idea! I reckon that's a dog mixed with a poodle or somethin'".  I softly chuckled to myself and I did want to turn around and begin telling them all about the Goldendoodle, but this time,  I just kept quiet and to myself.  Their southern slang was killing me as they discussed what the heck a Goldendoodle dog was,  I reckon!  After the women left the room,  I turned around and picked up the newspaper they had been looking at.  It was a Charlotte observer listing tons of various dogs available for sale.  I saw that three breeders in the Charlotte area were advertising their pups.  I shook my head as I read their advertisement!  "Never shedding, hypoallergenic,  Golden doodles for sale".  Oh how the sales tactics never end.

As I waited to be seen by my doctor,  I pondered about all the opportunities my Goldendoodles have afforded me since creating my first litter in 1999.  I thought about all the funny kids and happy moments I'd witnessed in all these years.  I recalled driving my truck around where ever I went. It was, after all, like a roaming billboard!  People would literally stop me at redlights just to ask me what a "Goldendoodle" was.  The funny thing was,  my truck had an actual Goldendoodle photo on it and it was pretty self evident what this type of dog was.  I think when people asked,  they meant....what was the dog mixed with.  There are plenty of companies that don't grow when it comes to the dog industry....but I've watched my own company grow over the years in a very  personal way.

Unlike most websites which seem to be operated by spectral forces rather than by human beings,  I started my website back in the late 90s with very little computer knowledge.  I will be the first person to tell anyone that I am technologically challenged.  My website at least offers the information that took me years to learn and come to know.  I am literally hands on when it comes to my dogs, the website, the advertising, responding to emails and I work with the customer from beginning to end.   Very few people stop to think about the actual process that is involved when it comes to breeding dogs and placing them with their new families.  One very seldom even wants to think to closely as to why a person would get so involved with dogs in the first place.  After 13 years and with my 14th year coming up very soon,  even I now wonder what it would be like to go back to having a normal life with very few, if any,  dogs.   I have come to realize,  in the end,   that not just my Goldendoodles...but even my articles..have now become my legacy.  Why?  Because you either own one of my dogs or you are reading my material.

I thought back to how my dogs have actually afforded me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people over all these years.  I thought about various phone calls I've received over the years and it brought me to recall a time I had taken a call that lasted a record 5 hours, twenty five minutes and thirty one seconds in length!  The call was from a woman on the west coast who was interested in the Goldendoodle.  Somehow we also discussed her sister,  her job, her life.  How she was a woman afflicted with various issues but someone who was desperately seeking the companion of a loving canine friend.  She told me childhood stories and things like that.  Now,  I am not sure how many breeders get phone calls like that,  but these are the phone calls that mean a lot to me.  It means that people find it easy to confide in me and trust in me,  even though I am merely a perfect stranger on the other end of the phone.  It means that we were able to connect in a more meaningful way other than my just being a breeder who had dogs for sale.

In 2008,  the dog industry surpassed a billion dollars in gross sales.  Out of those billions of dollars taken in,  breeders have seen little to none of it.  Non commercial breeders, that is.  It always amazed me...and still does...that so many people believe that breeders do nothing more than sit back collecting money for dogs that they help bring into this world when that such a fantasy in itself. As I said earlier,  so few take into consideration how expensive it is for a breeder and how time consuming the job is.  The only thing I will say is that as a breeder,  it has afforded me a lot of opportunities to meet so many people around the globe.  My dogs  have also  brought me great joy, sadness and misery all wrapped into one.  The happy wags that come from the tails of our Goldendoodles, that oftentimes seem endless, bring lots of laughter to so many people.

My Goldendoodles have afforded me to hear so many different doodle stories as told to me by our dedicated customers.  A lot of people would describe our doodles as "happy go lucky"; "Beautiful";  "Intelligent"; "The best dog I've ever had".  One of our customers has even taken up writing about her Goldendoodle, Jack.  His romps on a long, winding trail;  his penchent for chasing lizards.  Her stories make me laugh.  Jennifer,  a local customer who has one of our Goldendoodles named Charlie,  calls me off and on and I love hearing her stories about this adorable boy.  There are literally so many stories that come from our doodle customers that it is hard to name them all...but each one has made me laugh and lighten my heart when I hear them.   I do think of myself as an idealist in a field of cynics;  an enthusiast amid the cult of blas'e.  It is impossible to hear about our Goldendoodles as told by our growing doodle following without encountering the word,  "tomboyish".   I chuckled the other day when "Jennifer" described how her Goldendoodle World doodle, Charlie,  loved splashing in the mud puddles!  So "boyish" and so full of himself!  It has always been my hope as a breeder,  that my knowledge and expertise in the field of Goldendoodles would give back and to try and help people of all ages...especially young children...in an indirect way.

Few realize how much of myself goes along with the dogs themselves.  With every doodle created,  a little piece of me goes with them.  Our Goldendoodles seem to offer a certain peace.  They are somewhat nurturing and they offer an abundance of love.   I think in this dog industry,  there is a certain expectation of cold,  austere, arrogant breeders.  When I was looking for my own dogs for my breeding program back in 1996,  I ran into many of them.  I always thought there were other ways of doing things.  There are different sides to all of our characters.  It always makes me happy when I am able to show my warmer, caring, empathic  side.

 My Goldendoodles have what I like to call, happy feet!  Many people who own them will agree that they love to prance and bunny hop all over the place!  Their personalities radiate through every twinkle inside of their eyes.  They always seem to be smiling.  Given the chance,  they will outshine the sun through their antics!  Few things please our Goldendoodles more than being given the opportunity to kiss a face.  Yes....it only took those two older women browsing through a newspaper advertising Goldendoodles and speaking loudly enough for me to overhear them,  to fill my head with so many doodle memories.

I remember almost rehearsing to myself what I wanted to say as the women pondered about what a Goldendoodle dog was...but I thought better of it and kept my memories of happy feet and Goldendoodle tails to myself.

**About the author:  Dee Gerrish became a private, professional hobby breeder in 1996.  She began her Goldendoodle breeding program in 1999.  Dee has written extensively about the Goldendoodle dog.  More can be discovered at http://www.goldendoodleworld.com

**This article is copyright protected Nov. 14, 2009 as all rights reserved.  The content and images in this article may not be copied, redistributed without the expressed written permission of its author, Dee Gerrish. **