I need to rehome my Goldadore

[foreverinbluejeans]

I have to rehome my Goldadore. I have become very allergic to her. There is no choice. I am taking 3 pills, nasal spray, and eye drops. I'm having sinusitis and this wierd burning skin reaction.

I found her a home with a very nice man with epilepsy. They were a nice gentle family. I was happy about the match. Once Leia was gone I started getting better. After a week his fiance's daughter was allergic to Leia and they had to return her. As soon as Leia came back to our house I started getting sick again.

Leia is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Lab. They sell puppies like her for thousands of dollars. She is really beautiful. She looks like a blond golden retriever. She is very gentle with babies, toddlers, & tiny kittens I have fostered.

She is shy at first and has some strange anxieties. She doesn't like wind. She is afraid of unusual doors. I can't take her to our animal shelther. She would be considered unadoptable and would be euthanized. Rescue organizations don't have enough foster homes. Most foster homes have lots of dogs and she wouldn't do well in that environment.

I have put her on Craigslist for a rehoming fee of $100. People have told me that I have to be very careful because people are buying dogs that can be sold for a lot are being bought by nice looking people and being resold. Sometimes they are resold just for profit but sometimes for fighting and other bad things.

We have an old minivan and don't drive out of our city. We can't take her to any special rescue organizations.

I can't think of what to do to make sure she gets a great home. She is only 2 and I want to find her a really nice home. It's not her fault I became allergic to her. I feel awful.

[honey-lilac]

Hmm... you're in Tuscon, huh? Maybe I can convince my DH to make the drive south and take her off your hands for you. You're not (that) far!

[Noelle C.]

Please don't make the mistake of thinking a "goldadore" is a rare breed. This is a "designer breed," a mutt witha fancy name, and what's so angering is that often the breeders of dogs like this pass them off as being rare and exotic to entice people into paying thousands. Offspring of my older dog (both my girls are blond purebred golden retrievers) and a lab wouldn't be worth thousands any more than the pups of Leia's breeder.

Your dog had no real resale value. Don't worry about someone buying her to resell for thousands for being a rare breed. She is NOT a rare breed. She is not a breed at all. Not that there's anything wrong with saying "mixed breed" or "mutt," but this is what she is. The breeder pulled the wool over your eyes about the rarity of this dog. A sign the breeder is out for profit? There's apparently no willingness by the breeder to take the dog back. Any good breeder would take a dog back, even years down the road, should the family become unable to care for the dog for any reason, no questions asked. But that takes money, and a sign of a bad breeder is that profit matters more than the lives of the dogs.

If you want to go the CraigsList rute, go right ahead. Question callers in depth. Where they live, how long they've condiered a dog, why they feel prepared, what experience they have, what about your dog appeals to them, etc. Don't automatically cut someone out for living in an apartment if there is a good plan for adequate excerise. But do cut out anyone who seems too eger to pick up the dog right that very exact second or who mentions anything about how the kids will be so thrilled when mommy and daddy bring home a dog, or how little Jills been begging and will be so happy with her birthday gift. Animals should not be gifts. Even if you don't ultimately visit a new prospective home, make sure you'd be allowed. Don't tell someone you may not, just tell them you want to, and are they willing to set up a time and date. No? Move on to the next one. Follow your gut. Anyone who isn't willing to be patient for you to make a decision also lacks the patience for a dog. And make sure you meet everyone from the household. Even after this, if youv'e got a good feeling, let them know you'll let them know within a few days. See how they react to having to wait a few days. If you still have a good feeling, call them back in a few days and see if they're still interested. Yes? There you go. It takes work, but it can be done.

[greenmagick]

Honestly, usually your best bet is a rescue....especially with her issues. A good rescue will be able to work on rehabbing her. They will be well versed in screening potential homes for her and will keep track of her. If the new home would for some reason didnt work out, they would take her back, etc.

Also, asking for a small rehoming fee on CL is the norm.....but dont think she is some rare, special breed. She is a mix of two very common (and pretty similar) dogs.

(and OT I really cant even believe this is a new "desinger breed" aka mutt....what is the point? )

[foreverinbluejeans]

Goldadores are being bred on purpose mainly for service dogs. There used to be a Labradoodle that lived across the street from us. It was the funniest looking dog I have ever seen. About as tall as a great dane. They make good service dogs for people with allergies. They are very rare and expensive.

[Carson]

I'm so sorry you became allergic to her! Just another idea on checking prospective new owners out - ask for a reference from their vet. I'm sure it's possible someone could be in collusion with a vet, but checking other things out suggested above should help as well.

[greenmagick]

My point is 1) they are not rare (and not a breed) and 2) what does combining a golden retreiver and a labrador retriever give you unique. I kind of understand it in a labradoodles case (though there is still really no need as a standard poodle would do just fine on its own). The reality is "breeders" are breeding mutts and charging unwary people a ton of money for them.

[North_Of_60]

The amount of work; genetic testing, time, GENERATIONS, it takes to create a breed goes so far beyond mixing a labradore and golden retriever that calling a mutt a "goldadore" is laughable.

Many studies have shown that it takes about 17 generations to start breeding true. The main one I'm thinking of is the fox study where they tried to domesticate foxes. There is nothing that happens by mixing one prebred labradore with one purebred golden retriever that suddenly makes the resulting puppies more desirable than what is already available. In fact, most reputable societies that breed, train, and raise service dogs don't use mutts BECAUSE of the unpredictability. When you have a responsibly bred purebred dog you can be fairly sure how it's going to turn out, temperament wise, than with mutts. Do you know how much it costs to raise and train a dog before it is homed as a service dog? 2-3 years. Spending that time on money on a mutt to find out the conglomerate of personality traits aren't desirable as service dog is a huge waste of time and effort, therefore mutts are not an economic choice for service dogs.

The exception is the small niche market of owners who WANT designer breeds to raise and train for themselves. But please, for the sake of this dog and whoever takes her, don't perpetuate the notion that she's being bred for any purpose other than to give a mutt dog a fancy name. That's all she is. Desiner "breeds" are not breeds, and anyone who is telling you that the mixed breed dogs they're creating are fulfilling some sort of unique purpose is either woefully misinformed themselves, or are telling stories to make their exorbitant price tags more attractive.

As for how to get her a decent home, if you absolutely can't keep her for however long it takes you to find her a home, find a rescue. Either a lab or golden rescue.

Give her a REASONABLE but not cheap price tag. One high enough to weed out the people who want her as a fighter or for lab testing, but low enough that you won't scare people away who are willing to take an adult mutt. I'd probably say $100 or $125. Max.

Ask to the see the home. Ask to see proof of fences (if they're in an area where it's necessary, like near busy roads). Ask to see her meet other pets. Make sure the WHOLE family comes to meet her. Not just one person, everyone has to be there. That kind of thing.

Where are you located? I used to do lab rescue a million years ago and keep in contact with a few people. I might be able to help.

[greenmagick]

Just thought of this.....one of the musts of a reputable breeder is that they will take the dog back if you can not keep it. Though to me the reptuable part is destroyed by breeding mutts, what does you breeder say. Are they willing to take the dog back or help you with finding a new home?

[sapphire_chan]

Especially with the problem with strange doors and fear of the wind, I'd stick with a golden or lab rescue. With a dog who is freaked out by ordinary things, you want the new home to be with someone who knows dogs.

Even with screening a ordinary sort of purchaser isn't going to put in the work needed.

What will happen instead is the dog will remain anxious, get worked up, growl, freak out the new family, and end up put down for "fear aggression."

[willowsmom]

Yeah, I'd contact a golden or lab rescue as well.

[betsyj]

They aren't rare and are only expensive because people don't know any better. Google lab and golden rescues. You bought her, it is your responsibility to do better by her then advertise her on Craig's List for $100. You are almost ensuring she is bought by someone crappy because you have no way of verifying anything about them.

Unless of course you are willing to do a home visit, vet check, and take every precaution. Rent a car so you can drive her to a reputable rescue if necessary. You owe it to her.

[crl]

Have you contacted a golden or lab rescue group? Often they will help you find a new place for a dog while the dog stays in your home. Sometimes they can arrange transport as well.

Here's a link to an Az Golden rescue: http://www.golden-retriever.org/about/

And here's a link to an Az Lab rescue (I noticed they have a contact for courtesy referrals): http://www.dlrrphoenix.org/

Catherine

[Noelle C.]

I'm sorry, but you do not have a rare breed being bred as service dogs. It's exactly the tripe breeders like that will say to get you to shell over thousands for a mutt. You've been had.

That's neither here nor there at this point though, but it does give you a possible slight advantage in that you can contact the breed rescues for TWO breeds rather than just one.

[Tizzy]

I've never heard of a "Goldadore"...interesting! And "Labradoodles" are far from rare, or always hypoallergenic for that matter! Much to the dismay of thousands of people who have purchased these dogs in the past few years.

It sounds like the OP's dog is a pretty nice dog, definitely contact a rescue. Sometimes they will even pick the dog up if you're in a tight spot. She should be fairly easy to re-home.
I'm surprised it's the dog and not the cats that is bothering your allergies.

[lindberg99]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

My point is 1) they are not rare (and not a breed) and 2) what does combining a golden retreiver and a labrador retriever give you unique. I kind of understand it in a labradoodles case (though there is still really no need as a standard poodle would do just fine on its own). The reality is "breeders" are breeding mutts and charging unwary people a ton of money for them.

OT: You know, I've always wondered about the whole "goldendoodle" or "labradoodle" thing. What is wrong with just getting a standard poodle?? My neighbor had one and he was a really sweet dog. If I were ever to get a dog, I think I would get a standard poodle. Although my neighbor did say poodles take a little longer to settle down, maybe that's the attraction of the mixes, they are calmer?

Back to the regularly scheduled topic!

[blizzard_babe]

Originally Posted by foreverinbluejeans

There used to be a Labradoodle that lived across the street from us. It was the funniest looking dog I have ever seen. About as tall as a great dane. They make good service dogs for people with allergies. They are very rare and expensive.

Labradoodles SOMETIMES come out as hypo-allergenic. Sometimes they don't. It's a toss of the genetic dice as they are not an actual breed. Sure, 100 years down the road, if non-allergy producing animals are bred carefully and deliberately, they might be a breed. Right now, they're a mutt cross that occasionally produces a lab personality with poodle hair. You're just as likely to get a poodle personality with lab fur, or some combination of personality with some combination of hair/fur.

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

If you want to go the CraigsList rute, go right ahead. Question callers in depth. Where they live, how long they've condiered a dog, why they feel prepared, what experience they have, what about your dog appeals to them, etc. Don't automatically cut someone out for living in an apartment if there is a good plan for adequate excerise. But do cut out anyone who seems too eger to pick up the dog right that very exact second or who mentions anything about how the kids will be so thrilled when mommy and daddy bring home a dog, or how little Jills been begging and will be so happy with her birthday gift. Animals should not be gifts. Even if you don't ultimately visit a new prospective home, make sure you'd be allowed. Don't tell someone you may not, just tell them you want to, and are they willing to set up a time and date. No? Move on to the next one. Follow your gut. Anyone who isn't willing to be patient for you to make a decision also lacks the patience for a dog. And make sure you meet everyone from the household. Even after this, if youv'e got a good feeling, let them know you'll let them know within a few days. See how they react to having to wait a few days. If you still have a good feeling, call them back in a few days and see if they're still interested. Yes? There you go. It takes work, but it can be done.

Be very, very careful, because they might not turn around and sell it because it's a "rare breed," they might turn around and sell it for fight-training or *shudder* lab purposes.

Originally Posted by lindberg99

OT: You know, I've always wondered about the whole "goldendoodle" or "labradoodle" thing. What is wrong with just getting a standard poodle?? My neighbor had one and he was a really sweet dog. If I were ever to get a dog, I think I would get a standard poodle. Although my neighbor did say poodles take a little longer to settle down, maybe that's the attraction of the mixes, they are calmer?

Back to the regularly scheduled topic!

You know, I like poodles! A friend/colleague has one, and my husband once commented that, when they're not all primped up, they're quite, in his oh-so-unliberated terminology, "manly."

And anyone who says that labs "calm down" faster didn't meet ours. Labs are notorious for their extended puppyhood.

[mangopassion]

I am so sorry you have to re-home your sweet Leia.

As others have mentioned, I would try contacting a Retriever or Lab rescue organization. Also, let your vet know that you have to re-home her. She might know someone who is considering a(nother) dog or she can keep her eyes peeled for one. This is how we ended up with one of our dogs.

Good luck!

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by lindberg99

OT: You know, I've always wondered about the whole "goldendoodle" or "labradoodle" thing. What is wrong with just getting a standard poodle??

Unscrupulous people who decide to take advantage of people by claiming to have something rare and with unverifiable characteristics that may appeal to people. That's what.

There isn't really a lot of attempt to standardize these "rare breeds" either. http://www.goldendoodles.com/faqs/generations.htm has some info, and admits very few 2nd gens are bred because of the variations possible. Um, is that not why it takes over a dozen generations to develop a breed, to get to the point that variations are fewer and more predictable? So not breeding 2nd gens and further defeats the purpose. The most desirable mutts are the ol' first-gen crosses between two breeds. Not at all rare.

Just make people THINK they are, and rake in the cash.

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by mangopassion

I am so sorry you have to re-home your sweet Leia.

As others have mentioned, I would try contacting a Retriever or Lab rescue organization. Also, let your vet know that you have to re-home her. She might know someone who is considering a(nother) dog or she can keep her eyes peeled for one. This is how we ended up with one of our dogs.

Good luck!

This is a great suggestion, really. A vet won't recommend someone he/she doesn't feel comfortable with, probably as the result of a long-term vet/client relationship.