Responsibly breeding Bernedoodles and Australian Mountain Doodles, since 2015.
ABOUT US
We are a Doodle obsessed family. How did we get there? We like to joke that we blame it on our son.
When our youngest son was looking for his Boy Scout Eagle project idea, he brought us a flyer about raising a puppy to be a future service dog. In the blink of an eye, we welcomed Luke, a shaggy Goldendoodle puppy, into our home and hearts. My son spent a year taking this sweet boy with us everywhere. This was our introduction to Doodles and we were smitten - low shedding, low allergen, affectionate and Muppet cute. When it was time for Luke to return to the non-profit to complete his training as a service dog, we knew this wouldn’t be the last Doodle to touch our lives.
We set about learning all we could about responsible breeding…canine health and longevity, genetics, inheritable diseases and their prevention and very importantly the best methods of puppy raising to shape future temperament. Having worked in and supported shelters, we had to think long and hard about adoption versus purposeful breeding. Educating ourselves on how and why animals are ending up in the shelter as well as what people were looking for in a future family dog, service dog or therapy dog, made the decision easy. While we couldn’t possibly predict what the future held in store for us we hoped to share some of these adorable dogs with other families and be able to donate puppies to a non-profit organization to continue our support of service dogs for Veterans.
During our deep dive into responsible breeding and all things Doodle, we prioritized health, trainability, intelligence and friendliness. And of course we needed to ensure they had the low allergen, low shedding qualities that would make them easy to live with and for other people to be around. It was essential to us to include a working breed that comes into their brains quickly as this would be an important trait for a service dog. To my knowledge, we were the first to do the Australian Shepherd/Bernese/Poodle cross which combined the good-natured, calm and strong attributes of the Bernese Mountain Dog, the smart, work-oriented attributes of the Australian Shepherd and of course the versatile, intelligent, low shedding, low allergen attributes of the Poodle. We created the name Aussie Bernedoodle for this new hybrid and also included the slightly better known Bernedoodle and Aussiedoodle for our program also.
This continues to be a family affair and we are devoted to our Doodles full time. This means no travel, no vacations, no out of town weddings, no being away for more than a few hours, and every day begins and ends with their needs being put first. Our life and home is entirely centered around the lives of our Doodles.
It takes a huge commitment and a lot of passion to devote ourselves so entirely to placing healthy, happy puppies with new families and to raise them in a way that they will easily fit into your home. We are always evaluating, refining and striving to improve our program. Seeing so many of our doodle families recommend us and come back for a second puppy, makes it worth while.
That very first idea brought to us by our son, to raise a future service dog, took us on a path we couldn’t possibly have foreseen. Funny where life takes you, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Luke the Goldendoodle & one of our donated puppies… service dogs in training
LOCATION
We have been raising these amazing Doodles since 2015. First on the West Coast in California and now on the Oregon Coast in the Pacific Northwest.
We began our Doodle journey in Southern California until late 2020, when we made the decision with extended family to re-locate to Oregon. We rounded up the Doodles and my coffee pot (okay there was a lot more involved but those were the essentials) and made the transition to the Oregon Coast where we continue to raise healthy, affectionate, family-friendly, hypo-allergenic Bernedoodles and Aussie Bernedoodles.
We are very proud to have such a large number of families coming back to us for a second puppy. This is truly a big compliment. And to be able to donate so many as future therapy dogs or service dogs has been an honor. In 2023, we were able to raise $18,000 for the Maui Humane Society to assist the dogs and cats displaced or injured in the Lahaina fires. Families sent a $3,000 donation directly to the Maui Humane Society, and chose a puppy from that litter with no payment received by us.
And you don’t have to live in Oregon to adopt one of our puppies. We have lots of options for you to consider. We have amazing flight nannies who will bring the puppy to your local airport, or we can meet you at our local airport in Eugene (EUG) if you are flying in and flying home with your puppy. If you choose to drive, we have options for that also. It’s a beautiful place to visit!
WHY SUPPORT A BREEDER?
Supporting an ethical, dedicated breeder means a healthier, happier, low shedding/low allergen puppy that is easier to potty train and transition into your home.
We believe in responsible breeding and would like to see every family pet come from a responsible source!
As a responsible breeder we have a greater responsibility to keep the bar high and raise the healthiest, happiest puppies possible. This starts with research, education and planning. With experience and knowledge we test for heritable health conditions and plan pairings with an emphasis on the puppies future health, temperament, conformation, coat and soundness. We prioritize the physical and emotional health of our breeding dogs as well. Healthy, happy moms that love being moms will result in healthy, happy puppies. We also ensure we don’t lose the desirable Doodle traits of being low shedding, low allergen and are education on the role furnishings plays in those traits. This is where having an experienced and intuitive breeder is essential.
We take great care, raising each puppy in our home, ensuring they have lots of enrichment and are exposed to household noises and other dogs so they are more prepared for their new life with you. They are crate comfortable and using an artificial turf potty at the time they go home for the easiest transition into your family. We provide safe and stimulating early life experiences that coincide with specific developmental periods. We include ENS, Rules of Seven and puppy Culture Protocols to start them off on the best path we can. Our website provides lots of guidance for before and after your puppy comes home and we are always available for questions.
We aren’t just raising puppies. This isn’t just a job, a hobby or an income. It is a life and one we are truly passionate about. We are raising your new best friend and family member. We know where you get them from and how they were raised impacts their future health, well-being and behavior. We take that seriously. Whether you are choosing a Bernedoodle or Aussie Bernedoodle puppy, you can be assured we have invested 24/7 ensuring the best possible start for them.
Our Puppies are Worth the Wait!
A NEED FOR BOTH
Better breeding goes hand in hand with responsible rescue. There is a place for both!
If you truly love dogs and want the best for all canines, you should also support the idea of responsible breeding. If the only dogs you deem acceptable are the messes made by irresponsible breeding or true negligence, and you demonize the practice of breeding or the expansion of healthier hybrids, then what you are saying is that the only dogs that should have a place in this world are those bred irresponsibly.
Better breeding goes hand in hand with responsible rescue. There is a place for both but if we vilify and discourage responsible breeding then there won’t be any diversity or healthy dogs left to enjoy.
There are ethical shelters to adopt from. Research them. Be aware if you are adopting a puppy that was living in the US or one that was brought in from the streets of Mexico or Costa Rica or abroad to “fill the shelters”. I’m not saying they don’t need homes also, but shelters need to be honest.
If choosing a puppy from a breeder is the best choice for your family then buy responsibly. Protect and support the ethical breeders. Do your homework. Get them on the phone and talk person to person. When you buy a puppy based on only a lower price, you are putting money in the hands of the ill-intentioned breeders. That is not helping the responsible breeders who put the time and resources into their programs. Good breeding is expensive and extensive.
If the price seems “too good to be true”, it probably is. Look twice at those websites. If there are five breeds or multiple breeders or they don’t give the details on the parent dogs or they won’t talk with you by phone…pass. If the puppy photos all have different backgrounds and locations, they may have been stolen from other sites. It can sometimes be really hard to spot the frauds.
And please don’t shame your friends or family who choose to buy from a breeder rather than buy from a shelter. And vice versa. Choose what works best for your family. You will have this puppy or adult dog for life and where you get it from matters!