Longer and Longer...

So one of the biggest challenges that we faced with Petunia was what to do with her fur...or is it hair? Regardless of what we call it, it has been the topic of discussion and given us many hours of work. Before we got Petunia, when I researched Labradoodles online, most had beautiful long, wavy fur. It's one of the things that made me want one so bad. They can look almost like teddy bears...fluffy and cuddly. When we were searching for a Labradoodle I knew I wanted one with a curly coat.

I apparently didn't do enough research beforehand to truly understand the differences in the hair types nor did I realize that the coat can change with age (ie the fur can get curlier as they get older). The breeder was honest with us and said she would have a curly coat. But I guess I was under the impression that her coat...or hair...or whatever you want to call it...would stick with her and continue to look just like it did when she was 12 weeks old. Little did I know, her hair is curly..really curly. Just as the breeder said it would be. Not wavy as it looked when she was pup and how I had imagined.

Not only was it curly...it also grew...and it grew quickly. I loved the look of her fluffy coat and wanted to keep her hair long. But as she got older, her fur got longer...and longer...and longer. So long that it eventually looked like this:

Looking back at it now, I can't believe we ever let it get that long. Even with regular bathing and brushing by a professional groomer, we still had the challenge of maintaining this coat. We spend hours and bought countless brushes, combs, and other grooming gadgets trying to keep it from getting matted and tangled.

Sadly, we were forced to not only cut her hair, but shave it when she about 10 months old...that will be a story for another post. Nevertheless, I am happy where we are today. With the help of an amazing Groomer we have come up with a happy middle ground...short enough on her body that she doesn't get mats and long enough on her face and tail that she can still be the fluffy, cuddly Doodle I wanted:)

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