Miniature Labradoodle

Adding a dog to our family (finally!) has had a positive impact on everybody. Roger, our Labradoodle, is just amazing! Our youngest has a slew of allergies, so we'd never brought a furry pet into the house. But my husband and I were both raised with dogs and really wanted to do the same with our kids. We talked with our pediatrician, and he suggested that Wheaton Terriers, Poodles or Labradoodles might be o.k. and not trigger Kyle's allergies. These breeds don't spend a lot of time licking themselves for grooming purposes, so there is a lot less dander, and they don't shed, so there's no dog hair floating around either. Well, we checked out Poodles one year and Wheatons the next, but neither breed really made an impression on us. This past Spring, we went to a pet website, found a local Labradoodle breeder and off we went. The connection we felt with these dogs was instantaneous. Maybe it's that they are half Labrador; we'd each grown up with one of those. Or the fact that they have the energy of a Poodle, along with that curly fur. Whatever it was, it was a winning combination. We brought J.J. home that very afternoon.

J.J. (rather than pick either kid's name choice, we went with both but didn't have the heart to saddle the pup with Jermaine JRod so he's J.J. for short!) First off, in a house with two small kids, there is plenty of playtime for J.J. and he really thrives on that. Surprisingly, I have to say that it's nice having a small dog, as compared to the big lugs I grew up with. J.J. fits right between the kids in the backseat of the car, which means we take him along most of the time.

For all that playfulness and running around, J.J.'s not frenetic. In fact, there are times he really acts like his Lab ancestors. When my Mom visits, he attends to her constantly, and even paves the way for her to walk down our hallway with her cane. You'd think he was a handi-care dog if you didn't know what a goof he can be with the boys!