Labradoodle Creator Says It’s His ‘Life’s Regret’

When Australian breeding manager Wally Conron first thought of crossing a labrador and a poodle for a blind woman in Hawaii, he had no idea what would follow. Working for Royal Guide Dogs Association of Australia (now Guide Dogs Victoria), Conron made the breed to avoid the wiry hair of a labrador, while keeping the temperament which makes them such good guide dogs. He now says he “opened a Pandora's box and released a Frankenstein's monster", citing the many crossbreeds that came from his initial breeding, and the health and hereditary problems the dogs can face.