The original breeder of labradoodles says he regrets creating the breed andthe craze that followed.

Wally Conron, 90, first bred a labradoodle for a blind woman in Hawaii. Sheneeded a guide dog, but her husband was allergic to Labrador retrievers. Hebred the labradoodle for her.

The resulting litter of three was small, but one of the puppies didn’t triggerthe husband’s allergies and was sent to Hawaii to be her guide dog.

As no one wanted the two remaining puppies, Conron asked the PR department athis work to spread the message of this new breed. Labradoodles quickly becamepopular.

Conron says the invention is his “life’s regret” and he hasn’t “got a clue”why people are still breeding them today.

He says others are abusing the breed to make a quick buck.

“I opened a Pandora box and released a Frankenstein monster,” Conron said onthe Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s podcast “Sum of All Parts” lastweek.

According to Conron, the majority of labradoodles are “either crazy or have ahereditary problem,” with healthy examples of the breed “few and far between.”

He believes that people have now gone too far with cross-breeding, which canincrease a dog’s risk of congenital disease, particularly down thegenerations.

Designer breeds have become widespread, but so has criticism of theconsequences. Labradoodles, for example, can develop health problems common toLabrador Retrievers and Poodles such as hip dysplasia and eye disease.

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