The world's first labradoodle

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2023

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1989, Australian dog breeder Wally Conron was tasked with finding a suitable dog for a blind woman in Hawaii whose husband was allergic to pet hair. By breeding together a poodle and a Labrador, he inadvertently created the world’s first ever labradoodle. More than three decades on, Wally believes he created Frankenstein’s monster. He has been sharing his memories of Sultan the labradoodle with George Crafer. (Photo: Wally Conron with Sultan the first ever labradoodle. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	From global current affairs, to art, science and culture,
0:05.0	the documentary from the BBC World Service tells the world's stories,
0:10.5	search for the documentary wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
0:21.0	Hello!
0:22.0	Thank you for downloading this episode of the Witness History Podcast
0:25.5	from the BBC World Service with me, George Crafer.
0:30.5	This week, we're bringing you stories all about dogs.
0:34.0	So today, I'm taking you back 34 years to Australia
0:37.5	when one of the world's most popular crossbreeds was created.
0:42.0	It's 1989 in Melbourne.
0:44.0	Dog breed of Wally Conor and looking down at a litter of puppies
0:48.0	that unlike anything you've seen before.
0:51.0	I went to our manager and I said,
0:54.0	we're going to have trouble with this.
0:56.0	And he said, what do you mean?
0:57.0	And I said, well, to be quiet, aren't we?
0:59.0	And I said, I've been to Pandora Box and I've reduced the Frankenstein monster.
1:05.0	Wally has been asked to create the perfect guide dog for blind women in Hawaii,
1:09.0	whose husband's allergic to long hair dogs.
1:12.0	It's been a tricky task, but after years of trying,
1:15.0	he thinks he's finally cracked it.
1:17.0	We only got three in that first litter.
	...

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