Shawn and Mindy Mallady’s three sons never thought they would own a dog.

The youngest has allergies, and all three have had bad experiences with overzealous dogs who jumped and scratched.

“It was the last thing we needed in our lives,” Mindy said, adding that their household was busy enough.

The family already had a rabbit and fish, and, she said, “We were happy to keep it that way.”

But, then D-Day — that is, Dog Day — arrived on Labor Day 2008, when the family went to a home in Muncie to just look at a litter of 11 puppies. They came home with a curly black bundle.

Today, the Malladys can’t imagine not having Fletcher in their household.

“He’s just part of our family,” Shawn said.

The boys are Jackson, 12, Kevin, 10 and Carter, 8.

Fletcher is a Labradoodle — that is, a cross between a poodle and a Labrador retriever. His mother is second-generation Labradoodle, while his father is a black standard poodle. He was born on July 17.

Of all the puppies, he had the curliest coat, and the owners called him Curly Boy. He also was the most laid-back, which the family wanted.

When the family arrived at the kennel, they had no intentions of actually bringing a puppy home that day. In fact, Mindy said, “In a year, we’ll be ready for a dog.”

But it was four against one, and she relented.

They were unprepared, and didn’t have a collar, leash, food or a crate. Since then, she said, “We’ve purchased everything known to man.”

Then came the issue of a name.

Stanley was the favorite name; however, Carter was very much against it. He liked the name Fletcher.

So, the pup’s full name is Fletcher Stanley Curly Boy Mallady.

Although she was hesitant at first, Mindy admits that the dog has worked out well, adding, “He’s a really good dog.”

She likes the fact that he doesn’t shed, especially considering Carter’s allergies and asthma.

When he gets groomed, Fletcher’s coat has to be sheared, like a lamb’s. It feels like crushed velvet after he’s groomed, Mindy said.

Fletcher has turned out to be an excellent playmate for the boys, and has gone tubing and boating with them. He likes to run along while they ride their motorized scooters or bikes.

And, every morning, he accompanies Shawn on a 2- to 4-mile run/walk — no matter what the weather is like.

Shawn and Fletcher meet up with other dog owners, and that’s given both owner and dog a chance to socialize. In fact, Shawn said he was told that Fletcher should meet 100 dogs and 100 people in 100 days so the dog can develop strong socialization skills.

He thinks they’ve accomplished that.

Also, having a dog has made Shawn aware of the importance of a dog park. He sees how Fletcher enjoys running off-leash and playing with other dogs.

Sometimes, Carter comes along on the walks, and he calls that experience “dog heaven.”

“That’s enough reason to understand how great a dog park would be,” Mallady said.

When Fletcher joined the household, the Malladys did a lot of research on raising a dog. They also followed advice from their mentor, Dr. David Dillman, whom the Malladys call their dog whisperer.

Mindy and Shawn took Fletcher to Potomac for canine training by Chuck Leverenz. By 12 weeks old, Fletcher had learned the basics — sit, stay, come and shake.

He also gets along with the two rabbits in the household: Cookie, a Holland lop-eared, and Chewbacca, a dwarf angora.

At 6 months old, Fletcher weighs about 50 pounds, and probably will hit 80 pounds when he’s full grown.

Owners of Labradoodles agree that the dogs have the best traits of both breeds — the low-shedding coat of a poodle and the temperament of a Lab. They’re also considered to be highly intelligent.

Some reports say that the Obamas are considering a Labradoodle.

Although the Malladays are happy with their Labradoodle, Shawn said he knows a lot of people who have adopted dogs from shelters. The next time, the family will look at adopting from a shelter, he said.

Shawn is owner of Chittick Family Eye Care and Mindy works in the office there.

DOG PARK PLANS

Plans are moving ahead for a dog park, which would be located at the new Espenshied Park. Five acres would be set aside in the park so dogs could run off-leash in a fenced area.

The park is located at the end of north Kimball Street, west of Bowman Avenue (turn at MH Equipment Co.).

But first a fence is needed. If you’d like to help buy a fence, make your check payable to: City of Danville/Dog Park and mail to: Gayle Brandon, finance director, 17 W. Main St., Danville, IL 61832

For more information, e-mail Dr. John Mason at jcmjr1506@aol.com or Darrel Jacobs at darreljacobs38@yahoo.com

The cost of the fence would be about $18,000.

If you would like to have your pet featured in this column, contact Mary Wicoff at 477-5161, send an e-mail to mwicoff@dancomnews.com or write to Commercial-News, 17 W. North, Danville, IL 61832.