If you are looking for a new dog, it makes sense that you would consider a doodle.
These are some of the most popular dogs today due to their adorable appearance, loving and gentle temperament, and the capacity of some to be low shed.
However, you may not want to buy a doodle puppy.
Puppies are expensive and require a lot of training.
You sometimes won’t know how much a doodle puppy will shed until it’s older.
Adopting an adult rescue doodle can save you money, set you up to get a dog that has already gotten over some of the difficult puppy stages like teething, and lets you know exactly what their coat is like before you bring them home.
Finding a doodle rescue in your area is important, since many rescues want to do a home check and will not adopt outside of the area in which they operate.
People who can no longer care for their dogs will give them up to a rescue to be rehomed.
Here are some of the best doodle rescues in California to help you find your new best friend.
1.) NorCal Poodle Rescue (Grass Valley, CA)
NorCal Poodle Rescue is the third biggest rescue specifically for poodle and poodle mix breeds in the United States.
They have been in existence since 1985, making them one of the oldest breed-specific rescues for poodles and doodles as well.
NorCal Poodle Rescue specializes in the rescue of miniature, toy, and standard poodle and mixes.
They find homes for around 140 poodles and poodle mixes every year.
Dogs are saved from the county shelter system and Humane Societies.
NorCal Poodle Rescue also takes owner surrenders.
They maintain a hotline that makes it easy for people who know of a poodle in need to reach out for rescue.
Toy and miniature poodles and mixes are carefully groomed, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered as well as microchipped before they are put up for adoption.
Standard poodles are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and gastropexied either before or after adoption with the cost covered by NorCal Poodle Rescue.
Gastropexy is a valuable service for standard poodles since this breed can be prone to bloat. Bloat may be more likely in certain lines of standard poodles.
Since it typically isn’t known whether bloat is common in a given rescue standard poodle, performing the surgery is a good idea for any standard poodle that comes into the rescue system.
Mixes may or may not have the surgery performed depending on their body type.
Dogs are often fostered in homes, but a board and train program is also available for dogs that need it.
This is especially useful for unsocialized dogs that aren’t ready for a home environment yet.
NorCal Poodle Rescue maintains a return policy to take back any dog in case it doesn’t work out in the adoptive home.
NorCal Poodle Rescue is proud to use 97% of donations for the care of the poodles they rescue.
The other 3% goes to administrative costs.
They are able to keep operating costs low thanks for the dedicated efforts of volunteers.
All of the dogs that come into NorCal Poodle Rescue get plenty of love and support as well as socialization as they prepare for adoption.
Some of these dogs may have suffered abuse or neglect as well as having been traumatized by the shelter system, so giving lots of love and care for as long as the dog needs it to be ready for adoption is essential.
NorCal Poodle Rescue only euthanizes when absolutely essential, such as in the case of highly aggressive dogs or dogs with medical conditions that are not manageable to maintain a high quality of life for the dog.
They publish their statistics for rescue, adoption, and euthanasia annually.
Adoption fees range from $250 to $350 depending on age and medical conditions.
- You can view their adoptable dogs here.
Rescue and Adoption Details
- Address: 10126 Alta Sierra Dr # 282 Grass Valley, CA 95949
- Phone: (925) 322-0223
- Website: https://www.norcalpoodlerescueadoption.com/
- Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
2.) Standard Poodle Club and Rescue of the Desert (Indian Wells, CA)
The Standard Poodle Club and Rescue of the Desert rescues poodles and poodle mixes.
They are located in Southern California, a low desert known as the Coachella Valley.
The rescue was started in 2003 when two friends and poodle owners thought it would be fun to start a standard poodle club so that they could find other poodle lovers to go on walks with.
As time went on, the club expanded to also includes a rescue component as the founders realized that there were poodles in need.
The Standard Poodle Club and Rescue of the Desert rescues poodles that have been abandoned in shelters, surrendered by owners or breeders, or need medical treatment.
Each dog that they take in is carefully evaluated and given whatever medical treatment it needs.
Dogs are brought up-to-date on vaccinations, spayed or neutered, and given other medical care.
They are also groomed as necessary.
Adoption fees vary depending on the cost of medical care required for the dog.
If you would like to adopt a dog from the Standard Poodle Club and Rescue of the Desert, it’s a good idea to fill out an application even if you don’t currently see a dog available that you are interested in.
As dogs become available, your application will be considered.
About six times a year, the Standard Poodle Club and Rescue of the Desert hosts a group walk with around 50 to 75 standard poodles that come from all over the world.
This event is a great way to bring publicity to the rescue and educate about the poodle breed.
The Standard Poodle Club and Rescue of the Desert is happy to take owner surrenders.
Simply fill out their surrender form.
They don’t charge a fee for surrendering to their rescue.
The Standard Poodle Club and Rescue of the Desert only euthanizes dogs that have behavior that may pose a safety risk to the community or makes the dog unable to be placed as a pet, or dogs that have a medical condition that doesn’t improve with treatments such that the dog can have a high quality of life.
Rescue and Adoption Details
- Address: 74923 Highway 111, #168, Indian Wells, CA 92210
- Phone: (760) 424-8343
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://spoodles.org/
- Social Media: Facebook
3.) Poodles and Pals (Nuevo, CA)
Poodles and Pals is a small rescue based in Southern California.
It was created by volunteers who love poodles and poodle mixes.
They take in dogs that are in shelters, particularly dogs at risk of euthanasia, and also take owner surrenders from the community.
They also make it their goal to educate the public about the poodle breed, which is so frequently misunderstood.
Poodles and Pals Strive to discourage the misconception of poodles and doodles as frou-frou breeds and instead help the public to understand what loving and fun companions they are.
While Poodles and Pals is primarily a breed-specific rescue, they sometimes take dogs of other breeds as well.
When a dog comes into the rescue, a veterinarian addresses any medical concerns they may have and the dog is brought up-to-date on vaccinations and spayed or neutered.
Each dog is also microchipped and comes with a collar.
Poodles and Pals carefully matches each dog to the perfect family for them, considering lifestyle, previous experience, etc.
If for any reason an adoption doesn’t work out, Poodles and Pals is happy to take the dog back and find a new home for it.
A home visit is conducted prior to every adoption.
Poodles and Pals volunteers can’t travel long distances to do these home visits, so only adoptions within Southern California and the counties of Western Riverside and Northern San Diego are considered.
If you are interested in adopting a dog from Poodles and Pals, it’s best to fill out an application even if you don’t currently see a dog available that you’re interested in.
Poodles and Pals receives many applications and may match a dog to an existing application before they make it available on their website.
- If they have any dogs available for adoption, they will list them here.
Rescue and Adoption Details
- Address: PO Box 1389 Nuevo, CA 92567
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.poodlesandpals.com/
4.) TWEH Poodle Rescue
TWEH Poodle RescueIs a small woman-run poodle and poodle mix rescue based in California.
They have been rescuing poodles and poodle mixes from shelters and taking in poodles that can no longer be cared for by their owners for over 15 years.
Each dog receives medical care and then is placed into a foster home so that they can get the individual attention that they need for as long as they need it before they are put up for adoption.
Medical care includes a complete veterinary exam, spaying or neutering, microchipping and vaccinations, and any grooming that is required.
TWEH Poodle Rescue has demanding adoption requirements to ensure that each dog receives the care that it needs.
Adopters must be over 21.
TWEH Poodle Rescue doesn’t adopt out dogs as gifts.
TWEH Poodle Rescue asks that adopters take their new dog for a complimentary vet exam within a week of receiving the dog.
The cost of this exam is covered by TWEH Poodle Rescue.
Some of the dogs that TWEH Poodle Rescue adopts out have specific medical or behavioral requirements.
These needs will be discussed with a potential adopter.
If you are not sure whether you are ready for a poodle or poodle mix ownership, fostering is a great idea.
TWEH Poodle Rescue runs entirely on foster homes.
Having a foster available is necessary before dogs can be taken in by this rescue.
If you need to surrender your poodle or poodle mix, TWEH Poodle Rescue is happy to help.
They understand that you may need to find a new home for your poodle because circumstances in your own life have changed or because of the medical or behavioral needs of the dog.
They ask that you thoroughly disclose all the information you have about the dog and take some time to talk with them about the dog and why you need to find it a new home.
- You can view their available dogs for adoption here.
Rescue and Adoption Details
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.twehpoodlerescue.org/
- Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
5.) Dogs Without Borders (Encino, CA)
Dogs Without Borders rescues all kinds of dogs, but there are often poodle mixes included in their adoptable dogs.
They take dogs from animal shelters in the Los Angeles area and also work with international rescue partners to find homes for dogs that may not otherwise find them.
Since it was founded, Dogs Without Borders has found homes for over 6,000 dogs.
They specialize in dogs that have extensive needs, particularly medical needs.
This makes Dogs Without Borders particularly well suited to rescuing poodle and poodle mixes, since these dogs often have severely matted coats when they arrive at shelters.
These dogs need considerable care in order for them to be healthy again.
Dogs Without Borders operates entirely utilizing foster homes.
They don’t have a facility.
They hold adoption events at two local Tailwagger locations so that you can meet all of the available dogs easily without having to arrange to meet each one that you’re considering.
You can even bring your own dog to meet the available dogs to see if they will get along.
Adoption fees vary considerably depending on the age, breed, and medical needs of the dog you are considering.
If you would like to adopt a dog, fill out an adoption application for the individual dog that you’re considering.
You can then meet your new dog either at an adoption fair or a private meet and greet.
Dogs Without Borders gives each dog a week long trial adoption to ensure that it’s a good fit before the adoption is finalized.
This can take a lot of the pressure off of you if you are considering adoption of a doodle.
You can also choose to foster through Dogs Without Borders if you are not sure whether adoption is right for you.
This is a great way to save lives while you decide what kind of dog you would like to adopt for yourself.
- View their available dogs for adoption here.
Rescue and Adoption Details
- Address: PO Box 17344 Encino, CA 91416
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://dogswithoutborders.org/
- Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
What Your Doodle Rescue Needs From You
Taking in a rescue dog is very different than buying a puppy.
Rescue doodles have specific needs.
Rescue doodles often have not had good grooming for some time, occasionally for their entire lives.
Your rescue doodle may be unaccustomed to grooming and may be very fearful.
Sometimes rescue doodles have severe matting, although generally the rescue that you adopt from will have gotten your doodle’s coat under control.
You may need to take time to slowly desensitize your dog to being groomed.
Plenty of treats, cuddles, and praise are a good way to get your doodle used to being groomed.
For doodles that are very reactive to grooming, it may be a good idea to have your dog sedated at a veterinarian’s office for essential grooming while you get them used to being groomed.
Forcing your doodle to tolerate grooming before they are ready can set back your training.
Doodles tend to be sensitive, people-centered dogs.
However, their temperament can be unpredictable since this is a mixed breed dog.
A doodle might take time to warm up to you and their new home.
Just know that there are phases of a rescue dog that they will go through before they feel comfortable and at home.
Furthermore, since Doodles are so popular, they are sometimes bred without much concern to temperament.
Indiscriminate breeding can result in overly fearful dogs.
Doodles that have been poorly bred, neglected, or abused may require a lot of patient, gentle handling before they become the confident, loving dog they are meant to be.
Some doodles may always be timid in some situations or with strangers.
Your rescue doodle needs you to be gentle and understanding as they learn to exist in your world.
Adopt Your Next Dog From A Doodle Rescue In California
If you would like to adopt a doodle, California is a great place to look.
There are a number of breed specific rescues in this area to help you find your perfect match.
If you get started on your search by filling out an application with some of these rescues, you are sure to find the perfect doodle for you.