Lucy is a Goldendoodle, shown here with a 4th grade reader. Lucy and other Pet Partner® teams visit several elementary schools in Iowa City and will soon be volunteering in a program at the local library.

The Goldendoodle (sometimes called a “Dood”) gets its name because of its mixed parentage of two purebred dogs, a Golden Retriever and a Poodle. Many people consider them terrific family dogs, friendly, intelligent, affectionate, and easy to train. They can inherit a coat that’s wavy like a retriever or curly like a Poodle, but it’s usually something in between. They are likely to shed little, if at all, due to the qualities of a Poodle’s fur, and thus are a popular choice for people with allergies.