A Frankenstein monster': Why the Labradoodle creator regrets breeding the dogs
The original breeder of the popular crossbreed Labradoodle says he regrets creating the breed – and the craze around it that followed – which he now calls "a Frankenstein monster."
Speaking with Australia's ABC News in a podcast released last Friday, Wally Conron described how the Labradoodle and hype around the dog have veered far from his original purpose in mixing a Labrador retriever and a poodle.
"I released the reason for these unethical, ruthless people to breed these dogs and sell them for big bucks – that’s my big regret," Conron said.
The Labradoodle was first bred not for its cute face or scruffy hair, but to solve a problem.
Conron was breeding guide dogs in Australia in the 1980s when he received a letter from a blind woman in Hawaii. She wanted a guide dog, but her husband was allergic to Labrador retrievers, the standard service dog, Conron told ABC News.
He tried to breed a poodle to become a service dog because some people with allergies can tolerate their nonshedding coats, but nothing worked. Soon, time was running out to get the woman her dog, Conron said, so he gave it one last attempt – this time with a cross.
Conron struggled to find the right poodle to breed with one of his Labradors, but eventually he settled on his boss' poodle after other pure breeders scoffed at the idea of breeding a mix.
The two dogs – Brandy the Lab and Harley the poodle – mated one afternoon, and weeks later, three Labradoodle pups were born, Conron told the Australian broadcaster.
Although Labradoodles technically aren't hypoallergenic, the woman's husband could tolerate one of the three puppies. So, Sultan, one of the Labradoodles, was sent to Hawaii, and Conron had two more dogs to find homes for.
They were good guide dogs, Conron says, but the hopeful service dog owners on his waiting list didn't want them because they weren't purebred. He turned to the media for help and branded them as the "Labradoodle." Then everything changed.
"It was a gimmick. They were a crossbreed, nobody wanted them, but everybody wanted a Labradoodle. Same dog, different name," he told ABC News.
Calls from around the world started coming in for Conron to breed more – and not just from people seeking guide dogs. He was stunned.
"I realized what I had done within a matter of days. And I went to our big boss at the time and I said to him, 'Look, I've created a monster. We need to do something about it to control it. We need to put a patent on the name to stop people from getting on the bandwagon,'" he said on the podcast.
The breeders couldn't patent the dog breed, Conron said, and eventually, other breeders joined in, crossing Labs and poodles and poodles with countless other types of dogs.
"I opened a Pandora's box and released a Frankenstein monster," he said of the hype.
Labradoodles are just one of the many "designer dog" breeds commonly available today.
While Labradoodles are not recognized as an official breed by the American Kennel Club, Brandi Hunter, the group's vice president of public relations and communications, says they and other "designer breeds" can be "loveable companions."
"However, when it comes to dogs breeds, there is a reason why we emphasize the time and research that goes into breeding purpose-bred dogs. It matters in the long run," she said.
John Goodwin at the Humane Society of the United States says one of the biggest problems with "designer breeds" is that many puppy mills focus more on maximizing the number of dogs they sell rather than the well-being of each dog.
"We've seen puppy mills cash in big time on these 'designer breeds,'" says Goodwin, the senior director of the group's campaign to stop puppy mills. "A lot of these breeding dogs are kept in miserable, inhumane conditions in these puppy mills."
Goodwin says the group has seen a proliferation of breeds like the Labradoodle in recent decades, like the Pomsky (Pomeranian and husky mix), the Cavapoo (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and poodle mix) and the Morkie (Yorkshire terrier and Maltese mix). Many are coming from puppy mills, he says.
"I don't have a problem with people mixing two dog breeds, particularly if the offspring are healthier than the purebred," he added, but "with puppy mills, where the dogs are seen as livestock and agricultural products, profit comes before the dog."
The Australian Labradoodle Association of America, which represents Labradoodle breeders, says the animals are "generally considered healthy dogs" but do have some common problems, like hip and elbow dysplasia.
That's still Conron's biggest concern. He told ABC News he worries about the quality of parents and health of the pups.
"I find that the biggest majority (of Labradoodles) are either crazy or have a hereditary problem," he said. "But I do see some damn nice Labradoodles."
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