In early April 2023, after searching for a rescue for 2 years - and feeling challenged by the urgency of decision making, and potential behavioral challenges of that avenue - we had the opportunity to speak to Janet about the needs and wishes of our family, and ask pointed questions about how a Victoria Creek Australian Labradoodle would suit our lives. From our first call, the love and passion Janet and Daryl devote to their dogs, and the care they take into placing pups with families was evident. In our call, we learned about generational health outcomes, projected sizing, haircut needs, and everything in between. The time they took to answer our questions, combined with the genuine kindness in the call, made us feel confident in not only our breed selection, but certain that we found the kind of compassionate breeder we wanted to give our business. So we scheduled a visit.
On April 23rd, we traveled to Arlington to meet the male puppies from Evie’s 4th litter, and fell in love. While all of the little gents were darling and playful, we knew that “Book” was our soulmate. The runt of the litter; his gravitational pull to us, and loving nature had us melting. So, we left that visit with an investment committed, and a comprehensive supply list to prepare for puppy pickup the following day. The resources we were sent home with were incredibly helpful for first time dog owners (outside of family dogs in childhood). We were so grateful to have resources at our fingertips, and set out to prepare for our new buddy.
The next day, on April 24th, “Book” came home with us, and became “Woody”.
In the last 4 months, I can’t begin to describe how much joy this little soul has brought to our lives. As an admittedly selfish person, who was apprehensive about getting a dog, I humbly concede that our gift from Victoria Creek has been the greatest joy of my life. We happily feel that the financial investment pales in comparison to the value he has brought to us.
Woody’s temperament has been largely unchanged since the moment we met him. He is sweet, and empathetic, but has grown a playful and feisty confidence as well. His strikingly handsome features have truly stopped traffic (3x to be exact), and made us very popular. He greets every human and critter with docile and happy affection; especially loving kids, and playing with our neighbor’s English Lab.
His natural intelligence, combined with his food motivation has also made him an incredible student to our training efforts. In the first few weeks alone, Woody could sit, lay, shake, high five, turn, touch, wait, go to his crate, and more. He became crate, and bell trained nearly immediately and was free of bathroom accidents after just a few weeks. Since then, he has learned to fetch, come, and more on command. He also walks, and runs on a leash like a pro, and loves exploring our mountainous neighborhood in Issaquah. His calm nature and obedience to us has made acquaintances hardly believe us when we tell them “yes, he’s a puppy”.
I could go on forever singing the praises of our Woody - but he wouldn’t be what he is without the thoughtful creation, and loving care that nurtured him before coming to us.
We are so grateful.
Maggie, Jake & Woody