Let me say right off the bat that our Labradoodle is the smartest, fastest, most energetic dog I have ever had - 5th in my lifetime, first purchased from a breeder. I am the grandson of a veterinarian and have been around dogs, cats and other animals my entire life.
Recently I spoke with owner of Hudson Labradoodles, Curtis Rist, who was greatly saddened by some negative reviews and negative press about his business and was thinking about closing. I told him in no uncertain words that he was producing great dogs. He needed to take these reviews with a grain of salt.
If you are reading reviews of Hudson Labradoodles, whether on Google, Facebook or Yelp, note the following:
* 10% are from people deeply unhappy about their dogs.
* 10% are from people who are not clients of Hudson Labradoodles, but simply people opposed to dog breeding.
* 80% are from people who love Curtis' dogs and give 5 stars.
Of the 10% in the first category, often times people are upset because the dog was supposed to "solve" another "problem," and Curtis decided he didn't want to work with those people. Buyers need to understand that the interview process is a two street. The breeder is trying to determine if you will be a good owner as much as you are trying to understand if the breeder's puppies will be good dogs.
In a couple of reviews, the buyers were upset that the dog did not grow to a specific size. Please understand that you are not buying a manufactured product like a TV. Variability in DNA is a fact of life. I am 5'10". My two children are 5'4" and 6'4". We wanted a 30-35 lb red Labradoodle. Based on his parents, and size and color at 6 weeks, that's what we thought we would get. Instead our dog grew up to be blond and 25 lbs. As far as we are concerned, he is perfect! If your heart is set on a specific weight and color, Labradoodles may not be the right dog for you.
Some reviews mentioned dogs that had health problems. That I can't speak to. Our dog has had no health problems in 18 months. One reason may be that we paid an additional fee to pick up the dog at 14 weeks instead of 10 weeks, which is the equivalent of adopting a child at the age of 3 instead of 2. I just feel that the extra month of nursing with the mother dog really lets the puppy's immune system develop to avoid problems later.
I have no interest in reviews from people who have not actually purchased a dog from Hudson Labradoodles and are simply trying to destroy his business. If you don't like dog breeding, don't buy dogs from breeders. However, please understand that not everyone wants to adopt a "rescue" dog, who often have behavioral and medical issues. Not every family that wants a dog is prepared to deal with those issues.
Every other review about Hudson Labradoodles is 5 stars from families who love their dogs.
As the grandson of a veterinarian, I knew that I could never buy a dog without first meeting the breeder, meeting the parent dogs, and seeing the facilities. I met a great Labradoodle in Riverside Park and learned about his breeder from the owner. That was the second positive recommendation I had heard in a month. We drove up to Hudson NY, met puppies from the current cycle and were satisfied that Curtis and Lynn take dog breeding very seriously. We happened to meet other owners stopping by with their dogs to pick up supplies, and all was good. Then, we put ourselves down on a wait list for 9 months because, as I said before, puppies are not manufactured products.
Dog breeding is a business of psychic rewards, not financial rewards. People breed dogs because they love dogs, not because they went to business school and wrote a business plan. If you are patient and thoughtful, you will be rewarded with a great dog. If you are aggressive and difficult, you won't. We're very happy with our dog, and happy to serve as a reference. read more
