The first ever labradoodle wasn't a designer dog, he was a guide dog
ABCThirty years ago, Wally Conron was asked to breed a non-shedding guide dog. Wally Conron bred the labradoodle while working for Guide Dogs Victoria but now says it's one of his greatest regrets. Temperamentally, Sultan was considered the best of the three labradoodle pups, so Wally says he was trained up and sent off to Hawaii to begin work as the world's first labradoodle guide dog. A gimmick that caught on With Sultan in Hawaii, Wally says he still had two other labradoodle pups that would make great guide dogs — except no-one wanted them. The labradoodle legacy Even though Wally still regrets creating the labradoodle, his science experiment back in the late 80s led to numerous successful labradoodle guide dogs, as well as kickstarting the entire "oodle" trend.
History of this topic
They didn't make it as guide dogs, but these Labradors have been retrained to support veterans and first responders
ABC
Man who created labradoodle describes it as his 'life’s regret'
The Independent
Guide dog puppies prepared for training by high school students in world-first program
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