ArborGate Labradoodles' Journal

I'd like to use this space as a journal of events that are going on here at ArborGate Labradoodles. There is so much puppy news to report that I hope to be able to journal it here for you to see. Please read and enjoy the happenings in our little corner of the world.

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Millie Now

"she is exactly what i hoped for and she has been progressing well.  we hope she can become a therapy dog in a year or so.  i will send pics because it think she has the look people love"

Dana, she is a stunning example of an ArborGate Labradoodle puppy! Give Millie a treat from me!

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Impromptu picture session when the pups were having some playtime in the living room.

The chocolate and cream puppies belong to Maggie's standard litter.

The black and red puppies belong to Willow's medium litter.

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Hi Gina!
Just wanted to say hello & pass along this pic of our handsome boy!  He is wonderful & loves playing ball.  Gets so much attention everywhere we take him, a sweet boy.  Took him on his 1st trail walk in KY last week, loved it!  Weighed him today & he is 28 lbs.  We were wondering if that's about the size of his siblings now?  He is in his 2nd training class, does real good, very smart!  Enjoys his classes & is the best behaved, the live wire dogs freak him out a bit, he doesn't like all the commotion & ones that bark a lot.  He is so laid back, we could not have asked for a better dog!  Will have one more training class after this one, then we hope to get him into therapy dog classes to work w/special needs children @ schools & take him around to nursing homes, etc. to show some love & bring some happiness.  Hope u all are doing well.
Take care,
Tara

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I recently received this from one of my puppy families:

Hi Gina!  I miss you and my sister and brothers but I am getting along just fine.

We arrived at my new place before dark last night.  You would be proud of me as I was really good on the trip.  I sat on Sue's lap and slept off and on all the way past the outskirts of Chicago.  Then we saw a great green area for me between a church and another green field.  I did the things I should do and then we played.  Then I took a nap in my travel crate for almost 3 hours.  On our second stop we found a Wells Fargo campus with picnic area next to a small pond with a fountain - They got food at Arby's to take to the campus and the people at Arby's let me go inside when we ordered the food.  Everybody loved me but Sue would not let me down so I could run around.  Darn!

I have two favorite toys - a small baby duck and the small rope you gave me.  Thank you so much for everything - the ropes, small towel that smelled so good and the great bed.  But most of all Thank You for treating me so well for the last 8 weeks.  You are the Best of the Best - a 10+!

I overheard Bob & Sue say how wonderful you are and that they are so glad they have you as their Breeder.  Bob mentioned that you and he spoke about someone wanting 'the perfect puppy' and that you both indicated that may not be possible - then Bob said "However, Gina provided us the Perfect Puppy".

Thanks again Gina.  Instead of adding the gold Breeder award yours should be Platinum.

Tabitha - 'Tabby'

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Millie is already settling in at her new home....

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Gina

Just wanted to send you a picture to show you a picture of  Rigsby just before his birthday.

As you can see, he is a stunner. I think the first few months were a bit of a learning curve for us but we could not be happier now. Truly. The boys adore him. He is ever so gentle with Archie and ever so boisterous with Alex.

It is almost shameful to admit we have not taken him to many classes but he just seems to know what to do. He sits, comes, stays. He loves running around the park, chasing a ball and interacts great with a huge range of other dogs.

Anyway, thanks again. Thanks for letting us have this great dog and thanks for helping us when we first had him and (quite frankly) were clueless. I wish we had a big garden so we could have another.


Peter

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This is Noah's birthday cake.....designed with all his favorite things including Maple, his Australian Labradoodle. Happy Birthday Noah!

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A collage from Chester's mom in California:

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Hey there Gina,
here are a few pictures of Niko right around 11 months.  Can't believe he is almost a year old!
Hope all is well with you and your family and all the canines.
All the best,
Guy, Kristin, & Niko

Niko is a parchment labradoodle. He's 11 months old.

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Puppy Palooza at ArborGate Labradoodles!

With the nice hot weather comes fun in the sun....

We have puppies available June 4.

If you're interested in adopting a puppy, please fill in our online Puppy Application.

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Here's a couple of pictures and a cute note from Sherry:

We're convinced we got the cutest, most lovable dog of the liter! Don't tell the others. Ha :)

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*News Flash* We are very excited to announce that this litter will be a "Donation Litter"   We will be donating $1000 from each puppy adoption to Bethesda Orphanage in South Africa.   www.bethesdaoutreach.org

Bethesda is an organization that is very close to my heart and I'm extremely excited to be able to support them in their efforts to care for AIDS affected orphans in South Africa.

I'm simply giddy with excitment that this is ArborGate Labradoodles' first ever "Donation Litter". I hope that families adopting a puppy from this litter will enjoy knowing that not only are they getting a fantastic puppy but they're also helping orphaned children in Africa.

We give because we have been blessed!

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Picture of Gus from Asia and RUE's litter:

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Here is a photoshoot that we just did with our new stud boy Zeus. He is just about to sire his very first litter and we couldn't possibly be more excited. This boy is one of a kind!! He is such a dark chocolate goof ball and his puppies are going to be beyond compare.

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We are holding on to a chocolate stud man from Willow and Vincent's litter but are having trouble coming up with the perfect name for our new boy.

Help us find Just the Right Name for this chocolate standard stud.

Email suggestions to:

contactus@arborgatelabradoodles.com

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Willow's pups experiencing snow for the first time....oh did they have fun!!

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Gina,
  We thought you might enjoy some pics of Teddy, aka "Rollo". When we first brought him home he loved jumping in the baby bouncer. He has gotten so big I think he might break it now! He is such a joy! He is very gentle and Ben's constant companion! Teddy loves playing in the snow. We thoroughly enjoy watching him romp around the yard!
Even though I know he is not related, don't you think he looks a lot like your Zeus?
 I hope your family had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you many Blessings this new year!

Thank you so much for your care and dedication to these amazing dogs!

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Penny and Santa!

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This is what I saw when I peeked in on my kids and the puppies...

What an amazing team of puppy socializers!!!

I truly believe that we have the most well socialize labradoodle puppies. Since I homeschool my kids, we're able to spend so much time with them. At first, it's just holding, snuggling, petting and playing but as they get bigger we love teaching them to "sit" and "down". We'll even do a bit of leash training with them. My kids love "walking" them around the living room with their leashes on.

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Fun in the snow! We harnessed Lacey up to my son's sled and let her pull him around the backyard. I've never seen her so happy. This was the first time Lacey has ever worn a harness and she took to it instantly. We let her pull the empty sled around for a few minutes and then Theo hopped on. Lacey pranced around the yard with Theo laughing and smiling behind her. I wish I had gotten a few pictures of the two of them. We'll certainly have to do this again!

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Thank you for sending such stunning pictures! Amazing!

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"Hey there Gina,
just wanted you to see some new pictures of Niko.  He is six months old and doing great.  He got his first full haircut before Thanksgiving and you can really see his lighter color now.  We are almost done with our novice obedience class and he is just super.  He has a really strong "stay", among many other behaviors.  As the trainer said in class last week, "Well, Niko, has been impressive ever since he was a little pup."  And we agree. He continues to bring us lots of joy. 
Hope you and your family are well. All the best."

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Not really dog related but here's a recent picture of us, the ArborGate Labradoodle puppy raisers:

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Here's Ms. Abi all grown up....

"...She loves the snow!!!  We are taking anadvanced class which is no leashes. We found a great trainer and Abi loves to go to class...."

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An update from Ms. Maggie's family:

She is 6 months old now,  and we thought that you might like to see a picture or two.
Our whole family has fallen in love with her. She isn't cuddly, but she loves to play! She also loves her doggie kindergarten and play dates.
We get many comments about how beautiful she is (we think so too). Several people have also asked for your name etc. and we have been happy to provide it.
So here she is in our family Thanksgiving photo..

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An Update from Milo's Family:

It's been a year since I got Milo (former Max) and I thought I would just say hi
and send you a few pics . He is a great dog. I love him so much.
A strong manly dog too that can keep up with the big boys and still be a charmer with
the ladies.

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Picture of sweet little Gus in his fleece jacket:

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Willow's pups arrived yesterday. I simply can't explain how wonderful it is to witness the birth of puppies. The mom's have such inate instincts....it's so remarkable. We now have a dozen standard puppies in our family. These first few weeks the pups spend their time nursing and staying warm. But it won't be long before they're romping in the house and filled with puppy sass!

Congratulations Willow and Vincent!

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INTRODUCING......ArborGate's Zeus!!!

Zeus is a DARK chocolate fleece dreamboat! I love running my fingers through his coat because it's oh so soft. This boy has a bulky build and solid boning. While his saber tail never stops wagging, it's his kisses that win over everyone's heart. His temperament is above and beyond anything we'd even hoped for. Zeus is goofy, mellow, easy going and he desires nothing more than to make you happy. He LOVES people with is whole heart and is always game to try new things.

Zeus is being trained as a service dog. So far, I couldn't be happier with how his training is going. At only 5 months old, he could have easily passed the Canine Good Citizen Testing. Zeus goes everywhere with me and he couldn't be happier with that sceanario. His favorite place to go is the library (where everyone knows his name!). But no matter where Zeus goes, Walmart, the Mall, grocery shopping, or on the bus, he's aways a big hit!

Zeus has passed his all of his health testing to date and we're excited to add him to our program!! His babies should be arriving in Summer 2011!

Here's some pictures taken a few days ago:

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Here's a picture of Ritz with his Guardian Family. They're best friends!

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Asia's Pups are 5 weeks old....enjoy the new video clip!

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Here's a picture of Boo and Sammy home from the groomers, they're sporting a nice shorter cut. These 2 are from Asia and RUE's first litter together.

When asked about their coats, the owner explained:

"When I let the fur grow out, they have tight curls and not very easy to run your fingers through.  However, if brushed out, you can run your fingers through and they feel very soft and silky. It does bounce back when pressed on it after a good brushing and/or grooming.

When groomed, they feel like SILK!!  It is beautiful!!  I love this length on them. (ex. the pictures I just sent you) Their coats are amazing!!!!  Oh, also, they are so shiny!!

Hope this helps!  Feel free to ask as many questions as you like.  I love talking about them!"

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Here's a picture of a Maggie and RUE puppy at 2 years old.

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Maggie has cycled and is going to be bred with our newest stud boy! I can hardly wait to see what these two will produce! We're expecting medium red, apricot and cream fleece puppies due at Christmas and ready for their new families for

♥VALENTINES DAY♥

We've never had puppies ready to go for Valentines Day before so I'm excited to see the fun surprises that puppy families will be doing on this most romantic day of the year.

We have 4 reservations already but since Maggie typically has large litters (10+ pups!), we'll be accepting 3-4 more reservations.

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Below is a picture of Willow with her new Guardian Family.

Willow enjoys playing with her new goldendoodle pal, Charlie but she also loves hanging out with her new best friend, Julie.

A friend of the family's, Brianna Smith, will be walking in support of Julie in the Indiana Down Syndrome Foundation's "2010 Buddy Walk ". Please consider sponsoring her.....Brianna's goal is to raise $300 and she's only half way there. We can help her reach her goal and support a wonderful organization. To donate, click: http://www.firstgiving.com/juliesjoggers

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Asia is enjoying mothering her brood of 7 sweet as pie minis. She is my best mom....always very attentive to her puppies. Her pups were born last Wednesday and will be a week old tomorrow. It's amazing how fast the time flies by. We have a couple of puppies still available from this litter.

Often, black puppies aren't people's first choices, until they see them in person. We've had a number of families come by and meet the pups and once they've seen the blacks....they often change their minds and want a black over the other colors. Blacks may not photograph as well but Man Oh Man!...they're breathtaking in person.

We also have one Phantom Mini Australian Labradoodle in the litter. Here's an example of what he'll look like in a few weeks. He's going to be a charmer....

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Well....the time is fast approaching when our Ritz will leave for his new Guardian Family. Things are going to be quiet around here without his silly antics! We've enjoyed many laughs with this little man. We did a photo shoot in the yard today to say "Goodbye". He is sporting his shorter haircut and I think it makes him look all grown up. Ritz just turned 1 year old and we're looking forward to seeing his puppies soon.... "We'll miss you Ritz!"

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Ahhh.... my new camera! I am in love with thee. I've been dreaming about a new camera for a long time and the day has finally arrived. Given all the puppy pictures I take, I needed a camera that could keep up. Well, it arrived a few days ago and I took it to the Purdue football game with me today and was able to get some great action shots. I can hardly wait to use it for a doggy photoshoot!

We have an up and coming stud boy named Zeus. He is going in for some prelim health testing on Tuesday so keep your fingers crossed. If he passes, we'll be adding him to our breeding program and I'll use my fancy new camera to get some shots of him for the website. He is the most stunning Australian Labradoodle that I've ever seen.... absolutely breathtaking!

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Asia is here! My daughter couldn't be happier! She loves Asia so much and has been waiting for her to come. Our sweet Asia has a tummy full of pups that are due in a week. She had a stunning litter last time and I expect these pups to be just as stellar.

Our Asia has the cutest smile...yup, I said smile. Teeth and everything. I'll try to catch a picture of her grin so I can post it but she honestly does smile.

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I'm both happy and sad to report that Ritz and Willow have each found wonderful Guardian Families. I'm only sad because I'm going to miss them terribly....

Willow was born here..... I raised her, I did her puppy socialization class and obedience training. I remember receiving the repots that she had passed her health testing with flying colors. I watched her grow and mature. She was a perfect mother to her first litter, I was like a proud parent! She is a goofy, warm hearted, playful dog who loved to nudge my hand while I was typing. Willow is a very obedient dog who lives to please. I know her new Guardian Family will love and protect her. She'll bring them much joy, laughter and smiles. Willow will have a canine friend to play with, kids to enjoy and parents who'll provide for her and love her. She really stole my heart and I'm counting down the days until she'll come back to whelp and raise her next pups. It's been a sad but wonderful day.

Ritz too has found a Guardian Family but he won't be headed out for another week and half so we have some more time with him before he heads off to live with a very loving family. I'll write more on that when the times comes.

Thank you Carol for giving Willow such a wonderful forever home. Give her a hug from me!

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Below is an email from a happy puppy family. They adopted "Miracle" from Maggie and RUE's litter. "Miracle" was oh so tiny from day 1 but always full of spunk. Here she is pictured at 8 weeks. As you can see from the picture below, she's grown into a beautiful young lady.

Gina,

I've attached a picture of Miracle/Zoey Belle that was taken about a month ago.  She is the sweetest little girl and we love her so much!!  She has grown into a big girl; 21.5 lbs. and about 15-16 inches tall to the wither.  And her COAT!!! She has the most beautiful fleece coat; soft and curls galore.  My husband has referred to me as a "Dog Hog" because it seems as though Zoey Belle is always with me.  Dave and I can't get over the fact that she is such a good girl.  She graduated from two classes: Puppy Kindergarten and Obedience training.  Every where we take her, people comment on how adorable and cute she is.  She is definitely the center of attention in our home and we can't thank you enough for entrusting our family with her.  We had her picture taken with the Picture People at Petco a couple of weeks ago.  I would have sent one of the pictures, but I'm not computer literate and I was having issues with scanning…..But the picture below is to die for!!!  Thanks again, Gina.

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Tuder, our new stud boy, arrives tonight. We're so excited. He is a medium red boy who's unrelated to all of our girls. I know he'll give us some wonderfull puppies.

His parent's are: Oregon's Waldo and Rutland's Redd Elu

His grandparent's are:

Tegan Park Surpise Pac, Tegan Park Flickering Fire, Majestic Ultra Redd and Rutland's Clementine.

Here are a few pictures of some of his past pups....

above photos courtesy of Country Labradoodles....thanks Liz!

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Asia is expecting her litter in about 3 weeks! I can hardly believe how quickly the time has gone by. Her Guardian Family is going to pick the naming theme for her litter and name all the puppies for their official paperwork. The family is so excited! They've been such a wonderful Guardian Family and I value them so much. Thank you guys for being so great and providing both Asia and RUE with such a loving home! You're the best!

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We're back from a summer hiatus! And we have news....

We're looking for Guardian Families that live close to West Lafayette Indiana.

A Guardian Family is similar to being a foster parent. The dog would live with you forever as a member of your family but I would retain breeding rights. Once he/she is done with his/her breeding career, he/she will be spayed/neutered and full ownership would be transfered to you. You would be responsible for all normal pet expenses such as food, vet visits, grooming, training, toys, heartworm/flea preventitive, ect. I would retain breeding right and would pay for any breeding related expenses.

This is a wonderful program and a great opportunity to get a trained adult labradoodle.

Many of our Guardian Families love the arrangement so much that they get a second Guardian Dog!

We're currently accepting Guardian Applications for the following fabulous dogs:

Ritz is a 1 year old medium red fleece F1b labradoodle male.Ritz is a wonderful family dog with perfect house manners. He is playful and always keeps us laughing. Ritz loves playing in the yard with my son, he's fabulous with children.

Willow is a 1.5 year old standard fleece Australian Labradoodle that was born and raised in our home. She is my love bug! :)She enjoys going for walks and laying on my feet. Willow is sweet and gentle and she loves being part of the family. She always cuddles up with my daughter for story time and will do anything for a treat. Willow has passed Advanced Clicker Training.

We are looking for just the right forever Guardian Family for our new stud Tuder. He is a 3 year old large medium Australian Labradoodle boy with an allergy friendly wool coat.

The Female

She would come visit my home for a week to be bred when she cycled. She would then return home and you can enjoy watching her progress through her 9 week pregnancy. Once she is close to her due date, she would come back to my home to deliver and wean her pups. This usually takes about 7 weeks and then she would return to your home. Guardian Families are welcome to schedule visits with their dog while she is with us.

The Male

The dog would come visit our home when our girls need to be bred. The visits would be about a week in length.

The benefits of being a Guardian Family:

-the very best Australian Labradoodles that our program has to offer

-knowing that your dog has had extensive health testing done

-being part of our breeding program and seeing your dog's pups brighten the lives of families all over the country

-our Guardian Families pay a reduced adoption fee that will be earned back over the course of the dog's breeding career and fullfillment of the contract

In order to be considered as a potential Guardian Family, you would need to:

-reside within close proximity to West Lafayette Indiana

-have a physically fenced yard for the safety of the dog

- be willing to train the dog

-be willing to transport the dog to me when needed for breeding purposes

-be willing to part with your dog for a time (breeding, whelping, weaning)

-have someone home often so that the dog isn't left alone for long periods

-keep the dog as an indoor dog

-keep open lines of communication with us at all times and respond promptly to call and emails

Here are pictures of Asia and RUE. They both live in the same Guardian Family...

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I know this is off topic, it has nothing to do with puppies but I know many of my puppy families have asked for details about my recent trip to South Africa.

A group of us spent two weeks volunteering at an orphanage for AIDS affected orphans.

It just so happened that the World Cup Soccer Tournament was on while we were there.

Here's our group at the front of the orphanage. If you'd like more information about Bethesda, you can visit their website: www.bethesdaoutreach.org

They make it easy to donate online so if you feel like supporting an amazing organization that is making a huge difference in the lives of orphaned children.... you can visit: http://www.bethesdaoutreach.org/getinvolved_needs.htm

The children at Bethesda live in family units with a "mom", "dad" and "siblings". We enjoyed meeting each of the 5 families and of course we had a great time playing with the kids.

We did a number of work projects around Bethesda's property. We painted one of the families homes, scrubbed the floors at their school on the property, installed a sprinkler system and installed a basket ball hoop (see below).

The kids loved playing hide and seek in the holes before the baketball posts were put in. We painted the backboard to be the South African flag. It turned out real nice if I do say so myself! :)

The kids loved playing on the playground and could not get enough soccer. They would play morning, noon and night if they could.

We had a "taste" of the local culture. These are mpone worms....yum!

A trip to South Africa wouldn't be complete without a safari!

We also spent some time helping orphaned children in Stinkwater. We prepared 72 lunch kits for the kids there. Many of the children didn't want to eat all their lunch so they could save some for tomorrow. These kids are hungry and mostly living in child headed homes.

We spent the day playing games with them, singing, reading and just having a good time. These kids loved the attention and you could see the joy in their eyes.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip and I plan on going back. Next time I'll bring my husband and kids along. It was such a lifechanging experience for me and I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to go.

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In other big news, I am heading to South Africa on Tuesday! I'll be spending 2 weeks volunteering at an orphanage. While I'm away, our puppies will be in the capable hand of my husband, David. Good Luck Honey!

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Raising Australian Labradoodle Puppies for Your Family
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