(Ottawa Dog of the Week for August 6th, 2012)
“Meet Dexter and Lenny – these two are the loves of our lives!
Dexter is the older half brother (3 ½ years old – born December 2008) and Lenny is the younger trouble maker (1 ½ years old – Born November 2010). The story about how we came to get both of these pups tells me that they were meant to be with us.
My partner, Gareth, is a dog lover but unfortunately he is allergic to most breeds (we have to be careful even when they say hypoallergenic). His parents always had Airedale terriers and this was his breed of choice or something similar to this.
I, Kathy, am a dog lover too; however my penchant was towards the misunderstood bully breeds. I worked at a dog rescue for years while living in Colorado Springs and the most common breed we would encounter were Pit Bulls. At the time (2000-2004) the threat and ultimately passing of the breed ban legislation meant these dogs stayed in the shelter longer or had to be put down. That was what are rescue aimed to stop.
Dexter and Gareth enjoying a bite of dragon, Lenny enjoying a bite of carpet…..
When I met Gareth one of the things that I loved about him was his love of dogs. After (only) 6 months of dating we decided that we wanted to get a dog together. We both had a lot of experience with dogs and knew exactly what we were getting in to – but there were to be some compromises. I wanted to find a dog in the shelter (I couldn’t get my pit bull due to the allergy situation) and Gareth was open to that but the allergies stood in the way of our selection. Months of looking and we never found “our dog” so I relented and started looking for suitable breeds through local breeders. Due to my experience I was hesitant to say the least. There were a lot of conditions for me to even consider a breeder. I wanted to ensure these dogs were treated like family members and that they were healthy and happy. I had no qualms about walking in and walking right out (and reporting breeders) if I didn’t feel these were met.
So I started researching breeds and came to the Golden doodle. Everything I read on this breed I liked, I determined that for our lifestyle this would be the perfect breed for us. Although the size concerned me just a little – but we love big dogs so 70 pounds of dog would be ok, I thought to myself.
I looked through Ottawa ads and various breeders and was turned off by a few – then I found one ad that had pictures of the cutest puppies I have ever seen. The write-up sounded to me like these were nice people who loved dogs, of course I wouldn’t know until I saw them and talked to them.
Baby Dexter
I gave the breeder a call right away as there was only one pup available from this litter. After speaking to the breeder I realized these were actually “mini” Golden doodles he said that they can be anywhere from 25 pounds up to 50 pounds – I told Gareth and the word “mini” concerned him for a minute – he relented. This was a Friday.
On Saturday, we hit the road to a little town just outside of Cobden. This is where we met Dexter. He was the last pup to be picked and I have NO idea why he was left – those cute ginger curls and adorable face! He was ours from that moment on.
Dexter and Wylie meet (my parent’s dog)
Dexter’s Disneyland – Bruce Pit
Dexter turned out to be the best dog ever – perhaps my memory is short as this breed is very high energy and as a puppy he would get into massive amounts of trouble (little did we know at the time there would be a round two x10) – from ripping toilet paper all over the house to destroying brand new high heels (anyone who knows me would realize this could very well be a death sentence at least it would be for a human counterpart. Good thing I happen to like dogs a little more 
however with the proper exercise, training and discipline he turned into one very well behaved Dood.
Cute, sweet, loves everyone and everything (except OC Transpo buses – these scare him a bit). So by Dexter’s 1st birthday we thought about getting another one.
We took a visit to some breeders, met some dogs at the humane society but none of the dogs we met were “our dog” again was the conundrum of finding a dog who was hypo allergenic, not too small and now would easily adapt to another dog in the house. I wasn’t worried about Dexter getting along with another dog because he pretty much loves every dog he meets. We took a 6 month break for really looking – I still kept my eyes open but stopped the intensive search until the fall – just before his second birthday.
My big search began for another poodle mix – I was really hoping for another mini golden doodle but gossip at the dog park about the couple who sold us Dexter lead me to believe this was not an option anymore.
I looked and looked and the only mini doodles I could find seemed to be in the GTA or the US and incredibly expensive. By chance I found a breeder with mini doodles that were just born in Pembroke. I sent e-mail via Kijiji and when the reply came back I had an instant recollection of the e-mail address and name. So I searched through my old e-mail and low and behold it was in-fact the same breeder who sold us Dexter! I knew it was fate!
I e-mailed the women back with this news and she was so happy to hear from us – we set up an appointment to go for a visit and pick our puppy – lots of choice this time around. Dexter would be the deciding factor. It was a hard decision – I had it narrowed down to two pups and I am not sure what ultimately made me decide on Lenny but I know I waffled for about a week after we picked him – that is until the 23rd of January.
They told me that Lenny would be ready to be picked up on January 23rd. Proving again fate intervened. January 23rd was my 30th birthday!
I could not have asked for a better present. It was the coldest day of the year (-35 if memory serves) so we loaded the car with blankets and made our way to Pembroke. Aside from a bit of vomit on the ride home it was smooth sailing.
We introduced Lenny to Dexter and he ran under the coffee table. Stayed around here for about 2 hours
Lenny’s first day home
He became increasingly brave and by the late afternoon it was very apparent that Dexter and Lenny were a match made in doggy heaven – playing and frolicking together like, well, brothers.
Later that 1st day……
Gareth and I were so happy with this new addition and although it is substantially more work (and money) with the addition of the second dog. It was well worth it and has provided numerous laughs and great “family” moments.
Favourite past time – fighting on the bed while Gareth tries to sleep
Lenny can be a bit of trouble maker – see Dexter trouble making activities but increase the amount of occurrences and level of destruction (yes new shoes were chewed – BUT I can still wear them, take heed Dexter, although Gareth’s dad’s shoes were not so lucky). However, I will stand by him when someone mentions how much of a trouble maker he is but stating “Dexter was worse at his age, don’t get it twisted.”
Lenny “borrowing” another dog’s toy at the park
Lenny is my little shadow and I love him to bits! He is the smartest dog I have ever owned which as most people with really smart dogs know – is both a blessing and a curse. However, we just keep him occupied with toys and incredibly long walks (we try to go for an 18k walk every other Sunday with the boys). He is more than I could have hoped when I thought about getting a second dog.
Playtime at Grandma and Grandpa’s in Manotick
It’s so much fun seeing how similar and yet how incredibly different they both are. We like to compare the two of them to Gareth and myself. Gareth is Dexter’s human equivalent – smart, goes with the flow, friendly, STUBBORN – if he wants to do something he is going to do it – knows EXACTLY what he can get away with and what he can’t, likes to cause trouble (without anyone realizing it was him all along).
Whereas Lenny and I share similar tendencies of not trusting strangers, having a MUCH bigger bark than our bite, too smart for their own good (maybe just Lenny , listens very well and respects authority, tenacious, focused and a little bit of a S%&! disturber from time to time, loveable despite all of that.
Yes we are the crazy dog people who love our dogs as though they were our children…..and I love every minute of it!
After run shake down!” Dexter and Lenny the Goldendoodles’ Humans, Kathy and Gareth
This dog is NOT up for adoption. The Ottawa Dog of the Week posts feature a family dog in Ottawa. Each week an Ottawa dog gets to be a star.
The Ottawa Dog of the Week dogs are from loving homes and are not available for adoption.
alt="Ottawa Dog of the Week"/>
Liz Bradley is a dog lover who lives in Ottawa, Ontario with her husband,
2 Users Responded in " Dexter and Lenny the Goldendoodles "
I LOVE these guys. Especially the puppy pics and the pic of them at your parent’s place.
Pingback & Trackback
Leave A Reply Here