Florida rescue group has over a dozen doodles and other dogs in need of homes

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Hard to believe but there was once a waiting list to buy some of the most popular breeds of dogs.

Doodles were on top of a lot people’s wish list when it came to dog breeds. Think of the popular neighborhood dogs when you were growing up, add a poodle, and bam! Cuteness overload.

We’re talking Goldendoodles, Labradoodles , Assiedoodle, Bernadoodles, Sheepadoodles and more.

It was almost like breeders were producing teddy bears. What could be more comforting than having your very own cuddly creature during the pandemic?

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At the height of the pandemic, these doodles were selling for thousands of dollars, and a lot of families couldn’t wait to get one. Now, life is back to normal, and most people no longer want or can afford these popular pooches, which has left breeders with more doodles than dollars.

That’s where Florida Little Dog Rescue enters the picture. Shelters are not the best places for puppies, so they take in these dogs in hopes of matching them with foster families who show them the ropes until they are ready for a forever home.

Laurie Johnson is the director of Florida Little Dog Rescue and said her organization is seeing doodles surrendered more and more these days. She added that breeders who can’t sell the dogs don’t want to keep them because the upkeep is expensive.

“When you sell a puppy in the state of Florida, the law requires that you have to provide a health certificate when you sell the puppy, which means you have to go to the vet, and you have to get vaccines, and the vet has to certify that the puppy is healthy and fit for sale,” Johnson explained.

She continued, “Every four weeks in the state of Florida, you have to go and get that health certificate renewed if you’re selling puppies. So if the puppies don’t sell immediately, then it means repeated trips back to the vet for the people who are trying to sell them, and it just doesn’t become as financially profitable for them.”

Right now, her organization has 14 doodle puppies in need of foster families. These doodles are from four different litters that weren’t sold.

She said fostering is a good way for families to figure out what kind of dog they’re looking for or whether a particular breed is right for them.

Johnson said that just because you haven’t fostered before doesn’t mean you can’t do it now.

She said that if you’re not traveling for a couple of weeks this summer, fostering is something you could consider doing.

Explaining how it works, she said, “Our fosters take in the puppies like a member of their own family. We provide all the medical care and grooming for them. They spend two weeks getting to know the puppies, getting to know what their habits are like, things in Central Florida that are very important. Are they afraid of those 3 o’clock thunderstorms that are going to come every single day, or do they just sleep right through them? Do they bark a lot? So would they be okay in an apartment, or do they really need a single-family home without shared walls? And then we place them in forever families. Our fosters work really hard to make sure that we find the best fit for the pups so that their next home is their forever home.”

To find out if you’re a good foster fit, visit their website www.floridalittledogrescue.com.

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