Goldendoodle

I would like to introduce you to one of our dogs, Mortimer.  He's an 85 lb Goldendoodle, and as you can see, he is not a paradigm of the breed.

Mortimer as a puppy

My husband and I found him in a pet store.  I'm not a huge fan of buying dogs from pet stores, but in a way, I feel like he was a rescue dog.  We stopped at this place on our way to look at an English Sheepdog.  This was a store that specialized in birds and small breeds.  Think Yorkies, Westies, Pomeranians.  How a black Goldendoodle ended up there, I have no idea.  We saw him, laying in the back of his kennel.  Apparently he had been there a while, as no one came to this shop to look for large dogs.  We asked one of the attendants to let him out of the kennel, which really meant that we were going to take him home that day.  In the car we named him Mortimer.  I'd been reading Terry Pratchet's Mort, the story of DEATH's apprentice, and it seemed appropriate for a big, black dog.

What can I say about Mortimer (Moe for short)?   Goldendoodles are a cross between a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever.  Typically their hair is the color of a Golden with the texture of a Poodle, meaning they are not supposed to shed.  Mortimer obviously got the coloring from the Poodle.  He doesn't shed, but his thick hair can get pretty unmanageable, so we keep him trimmed pretty close.  Goldendoodles are also supposed to be very smart.  I think Mortimer has the potential, but I blame the crowd he runs with.  He's picked up too many traits from our wired-hair fox terrier. Sometimes it's hard to have an 85 lb lap dog with a tail that swings like a whip.  We don't have anything breakable on level with his tail, and I can't wait for Sam to grow just two more inches so his face will be above the line of fire.  Still, Moe's gentle and loving and a great cuddler.  My children hug him, climb on him, use him as a step stool, and he simply allows it.  It's hard to imagine our household without him.

Mortimer today