| Westwood Labradoodles and Goldendoodles Visitation Policy |
| Information about Westwood Labradoodles |
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| Many people doing reading about choosing a Labradoodle breeder or Goldendoodle breeder from which to purchase a Labradoodle puppy or Goldendoodle puppy will encounter articles and websites that contend that visiting a breeder before making a decision is imperative. The implication is that breeders that do not allow visits are lower quality, provide less customer service, or have something to hide. I believe most of those opinions were arrived at decades ago, and have not been adjusted to the current state of canine health. Parvo virus did not even exist until the late 1970's, and became epidemic in the last 10 years. This virus is deadly to young puppies, who are in the delicate process of being weaned from their mother's immunity to this contagion, and developing their own immunity to it. There is a period of time during which they are very vulnerable, and exposure to this virus causes vomiting, diarrhea, and ultimately death. It is impossible to treat in young puppies and uniformly fatal....whole litters are usually lost if one puppy contracts it. (Here is another article I authored about Canine Parvovirus.) One thing that makes protection from this virus so difficult is that it is extremely hardy. It can live in an outdoor environment, even among blistering or freezing temperatures, for up to 7 months. Practically the only thing that can kill it is bleach, and it is easily carried on clothing and shoes. So any Labradoodle breeder or Goldendoodle breeder that allows visitors at any time is risking infecting their puppies. Someone could walk through a parking lot at a mall with a pet store the week before visiting, pick up the virus on their shoes and then bring it into the breeder's environment. This event could even occur months BEFORE the puppies are born, and the puppies could still be at risk when they reach that vulnerable age. Everyone needs to weigh the risks and benefits, and some breeders do choose to allow visits. Obviously it is impossible for any breeder to completely eliminate their risk, but we do the best we can. We don't wear shoes in our house or yard, and our dogs wear booties when they leave our house or yard, in order to avoid, as much as possible, bringing anything in. We try to minimize the traffic in an out of our house by limiting visitors to those that have deposits down on puppies, and then, only after the puppies have had their initial immunization, so they at least have a start on their own immunity. If a visitor determines, after a visit, that for some reason they are not comfortable working with us, we will refund their deposit. This has never happened, but we want people to feel that they have that option when they make the deposit. So, instead of indicating something to hide, or an uncaring attitude, a breeder that limits visitation is just putting the health and welfare of their puppies first. We hope families considering working with us will see that as an attribute! One of the reasons people sometimes cite for wanting to visit a breeder is that they have never met a Labradoodle or Goldendoodle. We highly recommend meeting some doodles before making a decision to get one! We feel the best way to do this is to attend a 'Doodle Romp.' This is a get-together for doodles, doodle owners, and doodle enthusiasts. We host them regularly, and so do others all over the country. If you would like information about our romps, or want help locating a romp in your area, please email us. |
| Information about Labradoodles |
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| Westwood Labradoodles: Dogs and photos |
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