Am I a Bad Person for Wanting to Buy a Doodle?

Doodles are certainly adorable, but your friend is right: purposely bred hybrids like . So, people who breed so-called “designer dogs” have no health standards or guidelines to go on.

For over a decade, I’ve written articles encouraging people to  from animal shelters and rescue organizations whenever possible, or to a dog from a reputable breeder. To be honest, the Doodle craze has made me feel like banging my head against the wall in frustration.

I’m not alone. Wally Conron, the man who “invented” Doodles by crossing a  and  back in 1989, says his “” creation is his life’s . He had good intentions cross breeding them for a guide dog organization, but laments that he paved the way for unethical people to breed them to make money.

You’re not a bad person for wanting a Doodle. One of my neighbors adopted a Goldendoodle named Benny as a puppy from a rescue group. That happy fuzzball helped me get through the death of my dog Peach earlier this year by squirming excitedly whenever we ran into each other for cuddles. I love him.

Plus, I must admit that my husband and I inadvertently adopted a “

A quick Google search revealed there’s a goofy name for a Maltese crossed with a Yorkie.

We’d adopted a .

Tux is ridiculously cute—he even has a little “blep” with the tip of his tongue sticking out—and people ask me all the time what type of dog he is. Because I don’t want to contribute to the problem of people intentionally breeding Morkies, I usually say, “He’s a Yorkshire Terrier mix. We adopted him from the Dumb Friends League!”

The author and her husband adopted Tux, a 5-year-old Morkie who was relinquished to a Denver animal shelter for being an “escape artist.” from  Photo credit: Jen Reeder

So here’s the good news for you: you can adopt a “designer breed” like a Morkie or a Labradoodle from your local shelter or rescue. In fact, they’re increasingly available at shelters across the country, according to a new survey from the nonprofit which maintains a national database of animal sheltering statistics.

In the survey, more than 60% of respondents—which included 314 participants from animal shelters and rescue organizations in 45 U.S. states—reported they’re receiving Doodles and other intentionally mixed breeds, according to Stephanie Filer, executive director of Shelter Animals Count.

“Anytime that dogs are popular family dogs, we see them represented in shelters. In Doodles, there’s been a sustained popularity,” she told me. “There are a lot of shelters that are receiving them, and we are still continuing to see major busts involving them as well.”

For instance, this fall, nonprofits like the 

Animal shelters are getting both designer breeds and purebreds from puppy mill busts as well as owner surrenders, leftover puppies breeders can’t sell, moms that arrive with nursing litters, accidental litters, and breeder dogs who are no longer wanted, Filer noted. The survey found nearly 90% of shelters and rescues are receiving puppies, and nearly 60% are receiving surrenders and surrender requests of dogs that people paid a lot of money for and now can’t afford, or otherwise don’t want, to keep.

Respondents cited 45 different hybrid breeds recently received, including Goldendoodle, Labradoodle, you get the picture.