We recently helped to get some of our puppies to their new owners in NYC.  We were quite frustrated with the lack of space to put a puppy down.  Because of all of the activity (traffic and human) and lack of grass (which is what our pups are raised to go potty on), there is really not a safe, peaceful place (with good parking - we need good parking to unload heavy crates).  We are considering discontinuing puppy deliveries directly to NYC.  After such a long car ride, we need a safe place to put the puppies down so they can 'do business'.  The grass and sidewalks in NYC we have been told is not safe for such young puppies - especially when we usually have a few of them at once and trying to guard them from random people coming up wanting to say hi to their cuteness, while talking with the new owners picking up, doing paperwork, and traffic and parking stress - ......as you can ascertain, we are quite frustrated.  We like going and visiting the city and also offering the delivery service.  We are doing some work with a map and trying to figure out a better option.  While it is probably a big inconvenience for everyone in the city, having to travel out and get a zip car and pay tolls and deal with traffic, etc. etc....we are just very stressed and concerned about not having a good location.  We also always appreciate the offers to use someone's apartment, but having the puppies run around and pee on someone's floor after such a long car ride (6 hours!), while I'm trying to answer questions and do paperwork, is just not my idea of giving everyone a good puppy picking up experience (and not a good experience for me).

In the meantime, I will put on my list to do - 'put together a page on tips for big city puppy owners' - how to care for them, a list of vets, things to consider, and the parks, etc.  For now, here is a link that I found that does a great job listing a lot of the rules and parks:  Guide To Owning a Dog in NYC

Louie has got into trouble in the past for jumping up on the furniture. However, this time it is a good thing he did, as he saved not only Janelle Giannetta's life, but also that of her unborn baby.
Janelle's husband, Richard Giannetta, became alarmed when he heard Louie barking incessantly upstairs in the room where his wife Janelle was sleeping.

“I heard the dog barking like crazy, like I’ve never heard him bark before,” he said. On entering the bedroom he found Louie on the bed, barking at Janelle. “Just an agitated bark like something was wrong. I could just tell.”

When Richard turned his wife over, he found that she was in the middle of a seizure and was foaming at the mouth.

Richard immediately phoned 911 and Janelle, who was 26 weeks pregnant, was immediately rushed to Nassau University Medical Center. Paramedics said that they had trouble pulling Louie away to take her to hospital.

Doctors diagnosed Janelle with eclampsia, a potentially deadly condition which causes seizures due to very high blood pressure and which can sometimes lead to a stroke. Reportedly eclampsia occurs in one in every 2,000 births.

Janelle immediately underwent a Caesarean section to save the baby, Charlotte Marie, who weighed a mere 1 pound 7 ounces.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/347238#ixzz3Cubfk0t5

The young girl "suffers from tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), lives in Suwanee, Ga., with LilyBelle. TSC is a rare genetic disorder which can cause seizures, developmental delays, and epilepsy."

Huffington Post, August 2013: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/goldendoodle-nut-allergy-meghan-weingarth_n_3727032.html


Do you know a Goldendoodle that has a 'helping' story to tell?  Let us know and we would love to do an interview and write up a story.  Email us at RiverValleyDoodles@gmail.com