Companionship, Connection and Community
We have never wanted to produce the most puppies. We want to do the most we can for each one.
We are Claire and Renald, full partners in Van Isle Doodles, a small, semi-retired Australian Labradoodle breeding programme in Deep Bay on Vancouver Island. Semi-retired means fewer litters, not less involvement. It gives us time to know our puppies well, prepare our families carefully and remain personally connected after each puppy goes home.
We were both widowed when we met. Renald had grown up with a family dog, but did not have a dog then. I lived on 50 acres with 13 dogs, four horses and approximately 27 barn cats. Loving me came with rather more animals than he had bargained for.
He did more than adjust. Renald moved with me to British Columbia and became fully immersed in puppy raising. He socialises our puppies, takes them outside, works with our Head Start puppies and helps us read each litter. I may be the voice you hear most often, but Van Isle is very much ours.
I began breeding dogs in 1981 and was among Canada’s earliest Australian Labradoodle breeders when I began working with them in 2004. Their teddy-bear appearance and low-shedding coats attracted families. What held me was their warmth, intelligence, intuition and extraordinary desire to connect.
Our Australian Labradoodles come from generations of intentional breeding, with traceable pedigrees and an established breed standard. A pedigree is not decoration. It helps us understand what stands behind each dog and make responsible breeding decisions.
Our ethical standards put temperament first, but never at the expense of health, structure or welfare. Our breeding dogs receive comprehensive testing of their hips, elbows, eyes and DNA. We also look for strong maternal instincts and breed Australian Labradoodles to the standard rather than chasing fashionable colours or the next trendy cross.
I helped create GALA to protect those principles and raise the standard of care. Remaining on its Board is one way I give back to a breed that has given me so much. I mentor breeders, serve on committees, give educational presentations and webinars and assist with mediation. This is not about another title. It is about sharing knowledge, supporting breeders and protecting the dogs at the heart of every decision.
My psychology education and approximately 25 years in family and criminal law taught me how families function, what stress can reveal and what people share when they feel safe.
A small black dog named Indigo brought those lessons together. He was the only surviving puppy from a litter found in a cardboard box and later came with me to a busy law office. Frightened clients reached for him and often found it easier to speak honestly. Indigo was not a trained therapy dog. He was simply a family dog who noticed people and helped them feel safe.
Indigo showed me how much can happen between a person and a dog. That understanding now shapes everything we do, especially how I match puppies with families.
Temperament First
Pretty is easy to spot. Temperament is what you live with.
We want biddable, steady dogs who engage with their people and want to work alongside them. They should be loyal and steadfast, but retain the goofy, joyful nature that makes Australian Labradoodles such fun.
Puppies are not blank slates and socialisation is not a checklist. A thoughtful puppy may need time and support before stepping forward, while the bold puppy may need to learn that charging ahead is not always the best answer. We adapt what we do to the puppy in front of us, using positive reinforcement and building confidence through trust and communication.
Chosen for Each Other
We are careful about the families we welcome. A Van Isle puppy is not a product moving to the next name on a deposit list. It is a life being entrusted, and we want both puppy and family to flourish.
Long before allocation, we learn about each family and every puppy. At about five weeks, families join us for Family Visit Day, then complete a questionnaire about their visit, preferences and home life.
Meanwhile, Renald and I are getting to know the puppies through daily life. We see who pauses to think, who charges happily into every adventure and who notices the person at the edge of the room.
At around seven weeks, we share our Allocation video and make each final match.
Appearance and preferences matter, but temperament leads. I listen for what a family’s real life requires, which is not always what first catches their eye. The right match often becomes the dog they cannot imagine having chosen differently.
By go-home day, a family has not simply completed a purchase. They have been welcomed into a relationship we intend to keep.
Even experienced dog owners benefit from current information. Dogs keep teaching us, research keeps evolving and so do we.
Families receive weekly litter videos, Puppies 1-2-3, articles, email guidance, Zoom sessions and our Puppy Handbook. Head Start and Premium Puppy Foundations provide additional preparation.
Operating Curated Canines from 2016 to 2025 added practical experience with canine nutrition, supplements and owners’ everyday questions. I continue studying behaviour, genetics, reproduction, puppy development, health and nutrition through education, mentorship and close relationships with canine professionals.
Connection is the relationship we build with each puppy and family. Communication is how we listen, teach and support. Community is what continues long after go-home.
If life changes and a family can no longer keep their dog, we ask them to contact us. We will help find the right home or care for the dog until we do. There is no judgement. Our responsibility is to keep that dog safe and loved.
Fortunately, most of what families share is joyful: questions, photographs and stories long after puppyhood.
Our community is not a marketing idea. It has grown puppy by puppy and family by family.
That is companionship, connection and community in real life.
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