We could not be happier with the older puppy we adopted from Arrowhead this August. Having just gone through the very fun, yet tiring very young puppy phase with our first dog last year, we knew we wanted to adopt an older puppy or adult Australian Labradoodle as the second dog for our family.

As I researched prospective breeders, my visit to Arrowhead cemented that this was the best choice for us. I was so impressed with the care the dogs received and the obvious love that the Erb family has for them.

When we considered adopting an older puppy, we worried about early socialization. Would our older puppy be good with adults and kids? Would our older puppy be good with other dogs? I probably should not have worried so much! Our puppy, adopted at eight months, is wonderful with adults, kids and other dogs.

When I visited, Luke was able to talk about the puppies' personalities and how they would fit with our family, including our adult dog already at home..

His description of Mesha, a daughter of Maggie and Thunder, has proven spot on. He said she has a therapy dog personality and she certainly does. As a dog walker in our neighbourhood said to me this week, "she is one of the calmest eight-month-old puppies I have ever met!".

She came to us beautifully leash-trained, with a great recall and was reliably house-trained within a couple days of joining our family. I think that speaks to both her personality and the care and work that the Erbs put into their Australian Labradoodle Cobberdogs.

I've been asked how we were able to adopt such a lovely older puppy and I honestly don't know. How could another family not have snapped Mesha up months before we even met her? She was clearly so loving, kind and gentle when meeting people who came to Arrowhead.

She feels like she has always been in our family. She has settled in beautifully. She is the most loving companion -- always wanting to be beside one of her humans -- yet she is also a world-class wrestler with our other dog. This girl loves to play! She really enjoys long walks and, despite being raised in the quiet peace of the country, is doing great in the city.

She brings great joy to our family and we would not hesitate to adopt an older puppy from Arrowhead again. She has settled in so beautifully and quickly. We are so lucky to have her in our family!