In celebration of Beau’s 3rd birthday, I’m answering our most-asked question on Instagram: Where did we get Beau?
First, I will give the backstory: Around 3.5 years ago, I was heading into work and stopped at the grocery store to grab a few items on my way in. As I entered the store, I saw a dog sitting at the front of the store near the exit door, patiently waiting for his owner to finish grocery shopping. Immediately, when I saw the dog, I fell in love with it! I couldn’t believe how calm and patient the dog was (and, how cute he was!). I finished my shopping, and realized the owner of the dog was in front of me in the check out line. I followed him out of the store, and as he getting ready to walk off with the dog, I stopped him to ask what breed his dog was. He went on to tell me that it was an Australian Labradoodle. I remarked on how calm the dog was, and he told me that the breed was known to serve as therapy dogs. I remember that I wasn’t having the best day prior to entering the store, but after seeing the dog, my day was made!
After that, I started searching for Australian Labradoodles in our area. I found several breeders in the upstate South Carolina area, along with a few in North Carolina, and started inquiring about the process. One of the breeders out of North Carolina was Swinging Gate Labradoodles. The owner, Jenny, was extremely helpful and patient with answering all of my questions. After that, I knew I would adopt one from her, it was just a matter of when. There was a waiting list that I had to join, but fortunately, I did not have to wait too long. Jenny sent me photos of baby Beau, and I immediately fell in love with him! I sent photos of him to my family members, and they felt the same.
We picked him up a few weeks after, and our lives have not been the same since, in the best way! Beau has the sweetest, silliest personality. While he is not ‘calm’ enough now to serve as a therapy dog, we are hoping that he will be able to train to be one in the future! In the meantime, he keeps us busy with lots of frisbee – we’re amazed at his skills! He is very loving and hates being apart from us. He is truly a family member and best friend!
Beau has been featured quite a bit on my Instagram and blog, and because of that, by some of our favorite retailers! A few our favorites have been from the J. Crew website and Instagram page:
We couldn’t imagine our lives without Beau! Today, we are celebrating Beau’s birthday with all of his favorite things: car rides, a boat ride, lots of frisbee time, and fun at grandma and grandpa’s house!
If you are considering adopting a labradoodle, please feel free to ask any questions in the comments below! 🙂
