A Few Words About Health Testing
We understand that our puppies aren't for everyone. But who they are for are people who value honest and ethical breeding and who want to invest in a puppy who has been brought into the world with every effort to prevent unwanted and unnecessary disease and suffering. We are also for those people who value transparency and who won't promise you that your puppy will be perfect in every way but who go to great lengths to provide our puppies with the best possible start in life through careful breeding selection, very small number of litters produced each year, and a thoughtful ever-evolving system for raising puppies in a way that allows their best selves to shine through and sets them up for success with their new families. It all starts with testing, DNA, OFA, and/or PennHip certifications to ensure we are only producing puppies whose parents are free from heritable disease and orthopedic conditions. As a buyer, if you are researching breeders and puppies, please know that it's perfectly okay to request PROOF of health testing and know that "fully health tested" does not mean only a DNA/genetic panel. We save you the trouble of asking by sharing links for all of the health tests on all of our breeding dogs.
Meet the Parents
FIONA
Fiona, our OG mama to our first three litters is sweet and easy going and does not need to feel like the boss. She prefers being outside or lounging on our bed. She loves playing with her daughter, Norma, and her pal Vinny, chasing her favorite orange ball, swimming, hiking, and all the doggy stuff, but she's content entertaining herself too without needing to be right by our sides all the time. Fiona is one of the sweetest and easiest dogs we've ever had and reminds us a lot of the Golden Retriever we had when the kids were growing up. She was a fantastic mother, and she loved being with her puppies right up until they left. Fiona is an F1 Goldendoodle. She weighs about 62 lbs., has wavy coat and a shorter, stockier build. She is finished having puppies and has embraced her new role of Grandma to Norma's pups, helping out as much as she's allowed. We are proud to have her in our puppy pedigree moving forward.
NORMA
Norma is the daughter of Fiona and Vinny, born in 2020. She is a 65 lb. "multi-gen", and her genetics are 60% poodle/40% GR. Norma is mild-mannered and even tempered. She is happiest playing with any friends--dogs or human. She is adaptable and agreeable to just about anything. Unlike her parents, she couldn't care less about chasing a ball, but she LOVES chasing whomever is chasing the ball and hanging on to their tail while they chase the ball. She loves going on hiking and swimming adventures or just a walk on the trail. She greets everyone she meets with a smile. Norma has clear genetics, a wavy coat, OFA "good" hips, clear elbows, eyes, and heart, two copies of furnishings, as well as her parents' "low/no shed" gene. She had her first litter in 2023, and she will be having her last litter in Feb. 2026. She and Howard have produced three fantastic litters and their former pups are bringing smiles to lots of families.
Bernadette ("Bernie")
Bernadette is our third generation Dood Ranch Doodle, a beautiful mix of every dog you see on this page. Sweet Bernie lives with our daughter and son-in-law along with her dad, Howard, outside of Pittsburgh. She's the most petite of our dogs, weighing in at 50 lbs. She's very much a mini-me of her mom, Norma, in terms of her sweet and easy going temperament. Bernie is boss of no one and that's just fine with her. Bernie LOVES to swim, and she is a nice mix of affectionate and independent. She definitely loves being with her people and being included in any adventure or laying on under her mom or dad's desk while they work. She adores Howard, and where you find him you usually find her tagging along. Bernie is 80% poodle, has a wavy coat, two copies of furnishings, and a clear DNA panel. She has passed all of her Gold level health testing including hips (PennHip .41/.37), elbows, patellas, heart, and eyes.) She was born in May 2023 and we welcomed her first litter in Dec. 2025.
Bernie's Health Testing:
View Embark DNA testing here
View OFA eye, patella, and cardiac testing here
View Penn Hip certifications here.
HOWARD
AKC Standard Poodle "Gulla's How Do You Do Howard" aka Howard, is the Dood Ranch Doodle stud dog. He lives with our daughter, Laura, and her almost-husband outside of Pittsburgh where he earned hometown celebrity status in his neighborhood for his head-turning hairdo and magnetic personality. Howard is quirky, fun-loving, smart, and extremely bonded to his #1 fan, Laura. He strolled the streets of the city before moving to the suburbs and has adapted well to both apartment and house living. Not a day goes by that Laura isn't stopped on the street to answer "What kind of dog is he? I love him!" He loves road trips to the Dood Ranch where he and Norma play in the yard til they just can't play no more! He loves socializing with their friends, going for ice cream, and any activity that involves Laura. Howard is tall and lean, about 60 lbs. He's got clear genetics, OFA preliminary "excellent" hips, clear elbows and eyes. And yes, he's a full-blooded poodle. Many people don't realize that poodles without the traditional poodle groom look a lot like a doodle. He can produce black, cream, sable, and apricot puppies when bred to Norma. He's sired six litters for us with Fiona and Norma, and his puppies' owners adore his pups as much as we adore him.
Norma's Health Testing:
View Embark DNA testing here
View OFA hips, eye, patella, and cardiac testing here
VINNY
Update: We lost Vinny unexpectedly in 2024. I'll miss him forever. I can't bring myself to remove him from the website--he inspired this whole crazy adventure.
Vinny has been making us laugh since the day we brought him home. He is what you would call a big goofball. He LOVES to cuddle, and he will fetch a ball until you make him stop. He can catch fly balls from a Chuck-It, loves to swim, and he loves people immensely. He's super affectionate (as in sits on your lap or lays on top of you) and he's as quirky as they come. We've never had a dog as animated and in love with his people as Vinny. Vinny, our F1B and first ever Goldendoodle, has all of his health clearances. He was the sire to Fiona's first litter in which he produced 8 beautiful puppies. We made the hard decision to neuter him in 2021 after he suffered GDV ("bloat") and required emergency surgery to save his life. We decided it was best for him to not be under the stress of being an in tact male living with two females. He continues to live his best life at home with us.
The Future Looks Bright...
Duffy and Pip are busy being puppies and keeping the Dood Ranchers hopping! Once they are all grown up and pass their health testing, they'll be the next generation of DRD parents. Duffy is the son of Norma and Howard. He's a giant teddy bear with a very sensitive soul. Pip is from a fellow Gold level GANA breeder in Colorado, and she's been wagging her tail and bringing smiles to everyone she meets from the moment she stepped off the airplane. While we are excited about the future, we are enjoying their puppy days right now and they both are a huge help with entertaining little puppies too.
Doodle Puppy Adventures
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