Beyond the Fluff

Doodle Dogs and Puppy Mills

Quinn, my four-legged bestie, and I encountered 16 doodles during a recent three-mile loop around a popular Bay Area reservoir. In case you’re unfamiliar with doodle dogs, here’s the scoop. Doodles happen when you mix a poodle with another breed of dog. For example, a goldendoodle is a cross between a poodle and a golden retriever. They, along with Labradoodles and Aussiedoodles are the most popular of the 40 plus versions of doodles currently on the market.  

My relationship with doodles is complicated. On the one hand, I can’t help but smile when I see one. With their colorful, curly-haired coats and Tigger-like joie de vivre, doodles are the epitome of adorable. 

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

But along with the smile comes a sucker punch to the gut because I can’t escape the heartbreaking fact that the vast majority of doodles are born in puppy mills. These are large commercial breeding kennels (think factory farming of dogs) where profit is prioritized over animal welfare.

Puppy mill breeding dogs serve life sentences in small, crowded, often filthy enclosures with little to no positive human interaction. They’re bred on every heat cycle, meaning at least two litters per year. With minimal veterinary care and inadequate nutrition, it doesn’t take long for breeder dogs to outlive their reproductive usefulness. When this happens, some — let’s call them the lucky ones — go to rescue organizations that attempt physical and psychological rehabilitation. The unlucky ones are discarded or killed.  

The doodle craze has created a feeding frenzy for opportunistic puppy millers. People wanting doodles line up to pay, on average, $2,500-$3,000 a pup. The more exotic the mix, the more expensive the pup.

If you have a doodle dog, please know I’m not criticizing you. I choose to believe you would not knowingly do business with a puppy mill. The problem is, it’s just so darned easy to get hoodwinked because puppy mill breeders, puppy brokers (the middlemen), and pet store employees (99 percent of pups sold in pet stores come from puppy mills) are masters of deception.

Every year, the Humane Society of the United States publishes “The Horrible Hundred,” a list of known, problematic puppy breeding and puppy brokering facilities — ones to be avoided at all costs. Keep in mind, this is only a tiny fraction of the number of puppy mills in the United States. Take a look at the 2023 report and visit the kennel websites. To the untrained eye, they don’t look like puppy mills do they?

On that three-mile, reservoir hike, I spoke with 10 of the 16 doodle people. In less than a minute of conversation, they all dropped clues that their dogs came from puppy mills. Here’s an example:

Me: Cute dog! What kind?

Doodler: A goldendoodle. Quinn and I also met Labradoodles, Bernadoodles, Aussiedoodles and one Sheepadoodle.

Me: Super cute. Where’d you get him?

Doodler: From a breeder in ______. None of the locations were within the Bay Area and most were from out of state.

Me: Did you actually go there?

Doodler: No, we didn’t need to. The breeder sent us lots of photos and videos and answered all our questions.

Me: So, how did the process work?

Doodler: We paid a deposit and when he was eight weeks old, we drove and met the breeder halfway. The deposit amounts mentioned were as high as $500. Two people said they picked their pup up at the airport. One picked their pup up at the kennel, but weren’t allowed to see facility, littermates, or the mama dog.

Me: Sounds super convenient.

Doodler: It was. What kind of dog is yours?

Me: Same as yours — a mutt. No, no, no! Of course, I didn’t say that! What do you take me for?

Me, take two: He’s a mixed breed. Not really sure what kind. Quinn came from a rescue group that gathers dogs from a high-kill shelter in Bakersfield.

Did you spot the red flags in this conversation?

- None of the doodle people observed kennel conditions or met their pup’s mama. The very last thing a puppy miller wants is for a potential client to witness the horrors they subject their breeding dogs to.

- The thought of an eight-week-old pup flying solo in the baggage compartment of an airplane makes me cringe. How about you? For a huge fee, many puppy mills offer “nanny flight deliveries.” At least this way, the youngster gets to ride in the cabin.

- Before the pups are ready to be delivered, buyers must ante up a hefty deposit. This money is rarely if ever refundable.

Are there any ethical doodle breeders out there? Sure, but they’re the exception.  

Do you know someone who is thinking of getting a Doodle dog? If so, PLEASE share this information with them.

My next blog post that will describe how to spot responsible breeders.