Mixed-Breed 'Doodle' Dogs Are All the Rage
W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 11 -- Move over chocolate lab, the labradoodle has arrived. Why walk a corgi when you can have adorgi? Or coddle a poodle when you can cuddle a yorkipoo?
Mutts, by any other name, are all the rage.
Mixed-breed dogs, once the domain of U.S. animal shelters,are being sought by an increasing number of Americans lookingfor special pooches. Intentionally bred and cutely named,today's special-order mixes have new found status — and apurebred price tag.
"When there were a bunch of them around and a lot of themwere in the shelter, you'd call them mutts," said StephenZawistowski, science advisor at the American Society for thePrevention of Cruelty to Animals, about the popular mixes thatused to accidentally appear.
Sought-after mixes, some of which can fetch up to $4,000,are the labradoodle, a cross between the Labrador and thepoodle; the schnoodle, a schnauzer-poodle mix; the goldendoodle,a golden retriever-poodle mix; the cockapoo, a cockerspaniel-poodle match; and the yorkipoo, a cross between aYorkshire terrier and a poodle.
Even Britain's Queen Elizabeth is in on the mixing trend.She has owned more than 30 Welsh corgis since she was 18 yearsold and has bred several dorgis — dachshund/corgi mixes.
The bagel, a mix between a basset hound and a beagle, istypically found in shelters.
"Right now, there is a stronger interest in crosses than inregistered breeds," said breeder Jennifer Connell of Breezy HillKennel in Hartsburg, Mo.
The popularity of "doodle" dogs stems from the combinationof the poodle's non-shedding, allergy-friendly coat with theintelligence, temperament and size of Labradors, goldenretrievers, schnauzers and Yorkshire terriers.
Intentionally Bred
The labradoodle was first bred intentionally in Australia inthe 1970s and has its roots there as a guide dog for allergysufferers, according to Beverly Manners, founder of the RutlandManor Labradoodle Breeding and Research Center in Victoria,Australia.
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