5 Best Goldendoodle Rescues In California

If you’d love to welcome a Goldendoodle into your home, but you really don’t fancy the challenge of taking on a fluffy puppy, why not consider taking an unwanted dog from a shelter or rescue?

There are many reasons why dogs are put up for rehoming, and there are thousands of dogs, including Goldendoodles, looking for new forever homes. So, your next canine companion could be waiting right now for you to come and take him home!

Read this guide to discover five of the best Goldendoodle rescues in California!

Why Are Goldendoodles In Rescues?

Goldendoodles are highly desirable dogs that usually make wonderful family pets. However, sometimes, a Doodle can find itself in a rescue. 

That could be that the dog’s owner has experienced a change in circumstances, such as redundancy or divorce, and they can no longer afford the cost of keeping a dog. Or sometimes, it’s just the case that the dog’s owner has passed away.

Temperamental Problems?

Unlike some breeds, Goldendoodles are not usually given up for rehoming because of poor temperament. Goldendoodles have a wonderfully friendly, affectionate nature and are extremely loyal to their owners. 

So, these loving dogs are not generally rehomed due to behavioral or temperament issues, which is good to know.

Heavy-Shedders

Some breeds such as German Shepherds and Siberian Huskies are heavy shedders, which can be a problem for some people. Goldendoodles are not. That makes the hypoallergenic Doodle super-popular with those who have pet allergies or who simply don’t want the additional housework that bucket loads of shed fur causes. 

So, if you’d love a dog that doesn’t shed all over your home or irritate your pet allergy, a Goldendoodle is the way to go.

End Of Breeding Career

Once a stud dog or breeding mom has come to the end of its career, many breeders offer their dogs up for adoption so that the dogs can enjoy a happy retirement.

Also, many dogs that have been used for breeding in puppy mills are rescued or seized by animal welfare groups and find their way into shelters. Often these dogs have never seen the outside of a cage, so they can take a while to adjust to freedom and normal family life. However, once the dogs are acclimated and rehabilitated, they make wonderful family pets.

Back To Work

Many people found themselves stuck at home, either on furlough or working remotely during the Covid 19 pandemic. The public were urged by the government to take more exercise, which led to a massive uptick in demand for bikes and dogs!

As lockdown eases and people go back to work, more and more dogs are left home alone after months of having constant company. Goldendoodles are very much family dogs that can suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for long periods. A stressed-out Doodle can become very destructive or resort to barking constantly, to the point where the owner can no longer keep the dog and hands it into a rescue.

Why Adopt A Goldendoodle From A Rescue?

There are lots of reasons why people choose to take a dog from a rescue.

Advantages

Do The Right Thing

The main reason that people adopt pets from a rescue or shelter is the feel-good feeling that you get from knowing that you’re giving an unwanted dog a second chance of happiness. All my dogs have come from rescues, and they’re every bit as loving as well-bred pedigree animals.

Cost

Goldendoodle puppies are very expensive to buy from a reputable dealer, costing upward of $2,000 for a well-bred animal.

If you’d love to have a Doodle but you don’t have that kind of money to spend, adopting from a rescue might be an option for you. However, you are still expected to make a sizable donation to the shelter toward the cost of caring for the animals in their care and to prove your commitment to the adoption. That fee varies between shelters, so remember to ask for more information.

Training

Many Goldendoodles that are handed into shelters for re-homing are already house-trained, saving you the hassle of going through that training process.

Also, your new furry friend will most likely already know his name and will be conversant with a few basic commands, so you can both hit the ground running. Goldendoodles are intelligent, highly trainable dogs that love to work with their handlers to learn new skills, but a dog that already knows the basics gives you a good platform to start from.

Put Puppy Mills Out Of Business

Unfortunately, the demand for dogs has skyrocketed since the Covid 19 pandemic began. More people found themselves furloughed or working from home and the companionship provided by a dog was suddenly more accessible to them than it had been before. That fuelled the demand for certain breeds, especially hypoallergenic ones such as Goldendoodles. 

Backyard breeding operations took advantage of the demand for puppies by producing as many as they could but without having the parent dogs’ health checked. Often a litter of puppies from these breeders are unhealthy, and the breeding dogs are kept in terrible conditions.

So, by adopting a dog from a rescue, you’re indirectly helping to put puppy mills out of business.

Disadvantages

There are a few disadvantages of adopting a dog from a rescue.

• Some dogs come with an uncertain history, and you don’t always know exactly why the dog was surrendered.
• There can be training issues that will be ongoing, so you need to be prepared to make that commitment of time to train or even retrain your rescue Doodle.
• Often, rescue cases are nervous around strangers, which can be an issue if you have young kids who are boisterous. However, rescue dogs settle into their new home, they generally relax and become one of the family pretty quickly.
• Some rescue dogs have existing health conditions that you will need to manage.

All that said, if you choose a reputable rescue center, they may allow you to take the dog home with you on a trial basis. If the dog doesn’t settle in, the rescue will take him back and try to match you with a more suitable canine companion and the dog with a home that’s a better fit for his needs.

5 Best Goldendoodle Rescues In California

So, now that you’ve decided to take a Goldendoodle from a rescue or shelter, you’ll need to know where to begin your search. To get you started, we’ve compiled this list of five excellent rescues in California where you might just find your perfect furry friend!

Doodle Rescue Collective Inc.

The Doodle Rescue Collective has been operating successfully to find new forever homes for different types of Doodles since 2008. The Collective isn’t based exclusively in California but works across the US with a huge team of volunteers who work tirelessly to rehome unwanted Doodles of all kinds.

There is a Doodle rescue located in Southern California that will gladly help you to find your perfect pet. Once you’ve rehomed your Doodle, the charity will provide you with all the support you need to make a success of your adoption.

Dogs Without Borders

Dogs Without Borders works with rescues and shelters across Southern California to find foster homes for all small breeds of dogs, including Goldendoodles. 

The rescue holds adoption fairs every week, and you can apply to foster a dog through their website. Also, the charity welcomes volunteers to help at their site. This successful organization has helped to find homes for over 6,000 dogs since its inception. Browse the profiles of dogs awaiting adoption on the website and indicate your interest online.

Lovebugs Doodle Rescue

At Lovebugs Doodle Rescue, all kinds of breeds are catered for, including purebreds and random mixtures. However, you’re sure to find the perfect pet here, whether you want a large or small dog.

With over ten years of experience, this rescue has plenty of experience finding homes for unwanted dogs, and they often have owner-surrendered Doodles to rehome. To ensure that none of their dogs ends up back in a shelter or rescue in the future, the charity has an extensive adoption process, which you need to go through to be permitted to adopt.

Sugar Pines Doodle Adoption

Sugar Pines works with all kinds of Doodles, although they mostly deal with high-quality Australian Labradoodles. This is primarily a Doodle breeder, although they do sometimes take in unwanted dogs and offer to adopt them out to those who are looking for a canine companion.

Contact the breeder through the website for more information and to find out if they have any adult Doodles for adoption rather than puppies to buy.

Adopt-A-Pet

Adopt-A-Pet is an online portal that works rather like a dating site! 

Basically, you enter your location into the website’s search engine, together with basic details of the ideal dog you’re searching for. The site then presents you with profiles of all the dogs available for adoption that fit your criteria. 

Once you’ve found your ideal canine companion, enter your details, and you’ll be connected to the shelter or rescue that’s currently caring for the dog.

As well as dogs, you can adopt cats, rabbits, and even horses through Adopt-A-Pet!

In Conclusion

If you’re looking to adopt an adult Goldendoodle, a rescue or shelter could be a great place to begin your search. So, go ahead and share this guide if you found it helpful.

Although Goldendoodles are extremely popular dogs, some do end up in rescues through no fault of their own. Finding a dog might be a time-consuming challenge, but you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve saved a lonely dog from living its life in a temporary foster home or kennel.

You might also want to check:

• Best Goldendoodle Rescues in Colorado
• Best Goldendoodle Rescues in Texas
• Best Goldendoodle Rescues for Adoption in Minnesota (MN)

Did you rescue a Goldendoodle? Tell us your furry friend’s story in the comments box below.