“I wonder, in my retirement, whether we bred a designer dog — or a disaster!” These words come from none other than Wally Conron, creator of the widely popular Labradoodle dog breed in 1989. Conron originally bred a poodle and a Labrador for a blind woman in search of a guide dog whose husband was allergic to dog hair. The result was a new, “hypoallergenic” mixed breed.
Conron had a difficult time finding a home for the two remaining pups from the litter. He reached out to the public relations department at the Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia, where he was working at the time. He asked them to notify the media of this new “special” breed.
The result was a remarkably popular designer dog. People fell in love with this unique looking, curly-haired pet. Unfortunately, so did many inhumane dog breeders. It didn’t take long for them to take advantage of this new money-making machine. Labradoodles quickly became a global phenomenon and there was going back for Conron.
Wally Conron, the creator of labradoodles, said it was his “life’s regret,” in an interview with ABC News in Australia. “The biggest majority,” he added, “are either crazy or have a hereditary problem.” https://t.co/hx2XyrFOGh
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) September 26, 2019
Conron openly admits to the damage that has been caused as a result of his seemingly harmless actions nearly 30 years ago. He claims he “created a monster,” and even compared his invention to that of Frankenstein. He recognizes the hereditary and behavioral issues that many of these innocent dogs are facing. He also discloses the various mental and physical problems affecting these dogs.
At 90 years of age, Wally Conron says that inventing Labradoodles is his “life’s regret.”
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