Our Story
An unplanned adventure that began when my adult brother was seriously disabled as an archaeologist, led me to a woman who changed both our lives... A savvy poodle breeder six hours from our home and one of the first doodle breeders in the country.
Mary hand picked the chocolate Labradoodle who would give my brother a reason to get out of bed. And it was nothing short of magic when they were introduced.
Years later, I met three women with autistic boys, who were starting a charity to provide service dogs to other special needs families. But their kids had pretty severe allergies and they were struggling to find non-shedding or light shedding dogs to bring into the program. And I knew just who to call.
What began as a one-time effort to help the charity (with loads of mentoring from Mary!) is now Harrington Doodles. It's been 15 years.
NO SHAME IN VACUUMING LESS
COMPANION DOGS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
COMPANION DOGS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
There are times when we are asked, "Why create a designer dog when there are so many at shelters?"
Fair question.
For some people, a shelter dog works just fine. It worked for us before having children. But now, we need a well-trained dog who is friendly and predictable.
And, yes, whose shedding is greatly reduced.
COMPANION DOGS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
COMPANION DOGS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
COMPANION DOGS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM
We are proud to serve as an advisor to Blessings Unleashed, a national non-profit organization that provides uniquely trained service dogs and companion dogs for children with autism.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?
We learned about doodles from a documentary about 20 years ago that told the story of a family in Colorado in desperate need of an "allergy-friendly" dog for their young son.
A Labradoodle breeder from Australia (the only country breeding at the time) reached out to an organization in the states that then coordinated five dog lovers to help transport this puppy from an airport in Miami to their home outside of Boulder.
My brother Todd met the dog and owners (totally by chance!) when traveling cross county years ago. He had stopped to gas up near the Grand Tetons in Wyoming when a unique looking dog in the car next to him caught his eye.
He spoke up and commented to the owners, that their dog resembled this stunning dog he'd seen on a documentary years early called a Labradoodle.
To which the owners replied:
"This IS the dog from the documentary!"