90-year-old Wally Conron recently spoke on an Australian podcast about breeding the Labradoodle and the following trend for the mixed-breed dog. In the interview, he discusses the origin of the breed and why he regrets creating it.
Why did he breed the Labradoodle in the first place?
Conron says his initial motivation for creating the Labradoodle was for a very practical purpose. He was working at Guide Dogs Victoria in Australia and got word of a blind woman in Australia. She wanted a guide dog to help her through her everyday life, but her husband was allergic to Labrador Retriever, the traditional service breed.
Poodles have non-shedding coats that don’t really affect those allergic to dog dander. Conron wanted to help this woman out and bred the Labradoodle as a way to solve her problem. She could have a well-trained pooch who didn’t make her husband sneeze every three seconds!
At first, people were very skeptical about the dogs because they were not purebred. Conron, in a stroke of marketing genius, decided to assign his dogs a new breed name: Labradoodle.
“It was a gimmick. They were a crossbreed, nobody wanted them, but everybody wanted a Labradoodle. Same dog, different name.”
~ Wally Conron
He soon realized that he started a craze and took the problem to his boss. He said that he has created a monster and that they needed to do something to control it.
Nothing could be done, however, and Labradoodles rose to popularity with incredible swiftness. It really shouldn’t be a surprise though. According to the American Kennel Club, Labrador Retrievers have been the most popular dog breed in the U.S since 1991. Poodles made it onto the top ten list ranking number 7.
Labradoodles did not make it onto the list, however, they are mentioned as being bred primarily for looks.
Why is Wally Conron upset with his creation?
“I opened a Pandora’s box and released a Frankenstein monster.”
“I’ve created a lot of problems.”
So what’s all the fuss about? The Hawaiian lady got a guide dog, and the world got an allergy-friendly family dog. How is this a problem?
Well…puppy mills are the problem.
For those who are not in the know, puppy mills are establishments that breed tons of puppies in unethical ways. The mothers are hardly allowed recovery time between pregnancies. Puppies are taken away from their mothers before they even open their eyes. All the dogs are kept in small, cramped kennels and are not given enough exercise. Many times, they are not provided with adequate food or water.
Puppy mills kind of suck…so why do they still exist? Unfortunately, many of these operations are perfectly legal, so there is really no way to shut them down effectively. Also, the puppies they produce are pure-bred and have a low price-point. They have a lot of customers who keep them in business.
Wally Conron did not know that Labradoodles would be such a big hit in puppy mills. Their wild success in the puppy-mill industry has left Conron feeling like he is responsible for the suffering of those animals.
“I released the reason for these unethical, ruthless people to breed these dogs and sell them for the big bucks – that’s my biggest regret.”
Conron has said that he believes these unethical breeders are the cause for a lot of the health problems facing many Labradoodles. The breed is predisposed to hip dysplasia and eye disease. Others are downright crazy or have an undiagnosed heredity problem. Of course, the breed is classified as “generally healthy” by the Australian Labradoodle Association of America.
Whether he regrets his decision or not…
There are so many families out there with a beloved Labradoodle pet. Conron is by no means calling your fur baby a monster. He just wishes that they were bred more ethically.
If you would like to learn more about puppy mills, visit the Humane Society’s website here.
If you are looking for a furry forever-friend, consider adopting from an animal shelter. They are just as happy, playful, and wonderful as any other dog.
If you have your heart set on a specific breed, make sure you research your breeder extensively. The Humane Society has this a great resource for finding responsible breeders. They recommend bringing this handout with you when visiting breeders to make sure they check ALL the boxes.
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