Tegan Park Cool Dude was born at Tegan Park Labradoodle Breeding and Research Center in Australia in December 2000 and was one of the first Australian Labradoodles to demonstrate the emerging attributes of intuition and an incredible perception of, and response to, human emotion.

From the time Dude was a small puppy, his wise intellect and connectedness to human beings was apparent in the way he continually sought  eye contact with people. While other puppies were playing and tumbling around in the grass, this grandson of an Irish Water Spaniel infused bitch would  leave the group to come and sit at your feet, shaggy little face uplifted, eyes keenly seeking your own and tail softly wagging.  He knew even at ten weeks of age, when you were happy and when you were sad. 

 

Cool Dude became a prolific and pre potent sire and several different lines of Therapy Dog temperament sprang from his loins.  A son and grandson went on to become equally as influential Therapy Dog sires, being Rutlands Magnum and Rutlands Kelby.

 

In 2003 Wayne in Melbourne Australia contacted Rutland Manor with the tragic news that his lovely young wife Lisa, was suffering from a rare congenital disease which was debilitating and fatal.  There was no known cure, and it wasn’t known how much longer Lisa would have with her husband and two teenage daughters. The family’s Australian Labradoodle Chloe had been adopted from Rutland Manor three years previously and was a much loved pet, but she was big and bouncy, and could no longer be allowed inside the home with Lisa who was becoming frail.  Wayne told us that Lisa was badly missing a doggy companion, and asked if we had an adult Labradoodle available who would be a more gentle companion for Lisa.

 

After much soul searching and prayer, the decision was made to desex Dude and give him to Lisa.  Wayne told us that we would need to move quickly because Lisa would not be able to travel by car for very much longer.

 

The day that Wayne brought Lisa and one of their daughters, Kaylinda, to Rutland Manor was one none of us will ever forget.  Lisa was sitting on the sofa in the kennel kitchen when I brought Dude in on the leash.  As we entered, Lisa was experiencing an episode and was screaming and punching the air whilst Wayne held her protectively and lovingly in his arms.  Kaylinda stood nearby.

 

Dude walked unhesitatingly to Lisa, put his front paws up onto the sofa, and pushed his head underneath Wayne’s arms.  To avoid Lisa’s flailing arms he buried his big head in her chest and shut his eyes.  He stood there in this position without flinching until Lisa eventually calmed down and then he lovingly licked her cheeks.  From that moment on he was her inseparable companion.

 

Wayne kept in close contact with us over the next two years and relayed many heart stirring stories of Dude’s faithfulness to his self imposed duty of soul mate and protector of Lisa.  One of the most memorable was an occasion when Lisa had an episode inside the house while Dude was outside in the yard for some time out.   Dude trotted agitatedly up and down for a few minutes, and then unhesitatingly launched himself through a plate glass door, and ran whimpering to her side.  As always, his close presence calmed her as he knew it would.

 

Lisa spent her last few weeks on this earth in a major Melbourne hospital.  Wayne visited her daily, and she was weak and not always coherent and she seemed restless and unhappy.  She communicated to Wayne that she needed to see Dude.  In Australia hospital visitation of dogs is not as prevalent as it is in America and some other countries, and Wayne had to get permission to take Dude into the hospital to see his dying mistress.

 

The following day, Wayne and Dude went up to one of the higher levels of the hospital in the elevator.  As the doors opened, Dude pulled the leash out of Wayne’s hands and went skidding and running down the polished floors of the long winding hallway, his leash wrapping itself around his legs and tripping him up as he went.  He had never been in the hospital before but he ran unerringly down several corridors and straight into Lisa’s room, where he put his front paws up onto the bed, just as he had done on that first day, and kissed her cheeks, his tail gently wagging.  Wayne told us that Lisa wrapped her arms around his big shaggy body and that the first smile anyone had seen from her in many days lit  up her whole face.  The following day she passed away.

 

Several months later, Cool Dude disappeared from Wayne’s back yard whilst he was at work.  He posted the sad news on the Labradoodle chat forums, but Dude was never found again.  Was he stolen?  Or did he set out on a journey to try and find his beloved mistress.  We will probably never know.

 

In 2005, Wayne called us once again with tragic news.  One of his two daughters had the same illness that killed her mother.  His other daughter Kaylinda  who so recently lost her mother and would now lose her sister, badly needed a canine soul mate.   Did we have another wonderful adult dog who would be her friend?  Dude’s grandson Rutlands Magnum  was still in his prime as a Stud Dog at Rutland Manor.  But we were also raising his son Rutlands Kelby, so history repeated itself.  Magnum was desexed and given to Wayne where as at August 2006, he is the comforter and friend of Kaylinda and kisses away the salt tears that flow.

 

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