2022 Labradoodle family reunion: Over 60 dogs and a hundred families together at the breeder’s house!

The 2022

Van Isle Doodles

Reunion

The Annual Reunion started in 2018. We invited our families to come to our place for an afternoon social with their dogs. The first reunion was a simple affair with 30 people and 15 dogs. Renald made BBQ pulled pork, everyone else brought side dishes, desserts and we had dog treats too!

In 2019 the Reunion grew to 60 people and 34 dogs. At the time those numbers seemed overwhelming to me. I stressed about feeding everyone, getting things ready, what if it was too hot, or poured rain; most importantly, would the dogs all get along?

The spirit of the reunion also grew in 2019. Some of our families brought agility equipment to keep the dogs entertained. We had people ready to man the gates; we even had our photographer come to capture the memories.

It was a huge success. There wasn’t a single problem. The dogs enjoyed themselves as much as our families did.

Renald and I enjoy hosting the reunions. We have watched life-long friendships develop at local Doodle Romps where families who live close to each other get together for meet-ups. Seeing the photos from Romps on our private owners’ Facebook page is a real treat, but we don’t always get to join in. The reunions have been a great way for us to participate.

Due to the Covid pandemic, we couldn’t host a reunion in 2020 and 2021, but in 2022 we were ready to roll! 2022 was a bittersweet year for us. While the effects of the pandemic were winding down we also lost my mother in April.

My Mom was living with us during the first two reunions. She loved to see all the puppies who were born here come back as adults. She had favourites and remembered them vividly. Being part of the event and the Van Isle family was something my Mom really enjoyed.

She was the inspiration behind my love of dogs. She taught me how dogs enhance your life and bring a special joy. Growing up my home always had more than one dog and cat as part of the family. I brought home many “rescued” kittens and added dogs that just had to come home with me!

Luckily my Mom and Dad both tolerated this. Truth be told, while they outwardly expressed dismay, secretly they enjoyed the furry additions as much as I did.

My Mom generously allowed everyone access to her entire living space for the first two Reunions. It was her living room, kitchen and washroom everyone used. People congregated on her patio or in her living room to feast on the potluck goodies.

I was so excited for 2022 becasue we could hold our Annual Reunion again now that Covid restrictions were lifted.

But…

When the guest list grew to 118 people and 61 labradoodles I started to panic! We have a rural property but it was still going to be A LOT of dogs at one time. The preparation and logistics seemed overwhelming. I was in panic mode.

Where would everyone park? Where would we lay out all that food? Then there was going to be all the primping and preening of the house and garden, not to mention managing 61 dogs!

Luckily I have one of the best assistants a breeder could ever ask for, Taylor.

Taylor took over getting family volunteers organised. The response to our call for help was overwhelming. So many people put their hand up and said, “Whatever you need, let me help.” It makes me smile whenever I think of our generous Van Isle Doodle community.

By the time the big day arrived, we were well supported by volunteers. We had people helping inside the house, helping direct parking and, most importantly, watching all the gates for accidental escapes.

The level of caring and support in our community is amazing. Whenever one of our families needs assistance, the community is right there to help. It just shows how the saying that dogs bring out the best in people is true.

The whole event went off without a hitch. Not a single dog fight, not even a single bark! Just a lot of tails going crazy, dogs bounding about enjoying the freedom of lots of open space. Our families do an incredible job raising their puppies

I love watching the connections dogs help develop. They emanate so much positivity. They fill us full of joy, laughter and love. I had many tears in my eyes watching how the dogs impacted people.

I watched a father with his son enjoy an intimate moment with their dog. When the father applied, he told me he wanted to bring his family closer together. Seeing them at the Reunion showed me how much that had happened.

I saw a family whose daughter struggled with social anxiety and poor self-esteem before having a dog. That same girl had blossomed and happily chatted away with anyone fueled by that shared experience of her dog.

I saw a woman with mobility challenges discard her assistance device. I asked her if she needed a chair or help. She told me her dog filled her with positive energy enough to allow her to walk unassisted.

The most compelling transformations are with people on the spectrum. Labradoodles use their incredible intuition to build strong relationships with autistic individuals. One of our families has an adult child who would not make eye contact, had to wear noise-cancelling headphones and could not stand physical touch before he had a puppy. Seven years later, the headphones are gone, he touches his dog, and enjoys being touched by his dog and people. What a transformation!

I took away many powerful memories I will cherish forever. I love my job. I am so grateful to be part of so many personal moments and a member of such an amazing extended family.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. The dogs also managed to wipe away my anxiety about hosting the reunion. There was so much good and positivity that came out of the event. I can’t wait for 2023. I bet I worry again though lol.

Extra Pictures!