COVINGTON, Ind. —

Chris and Kelli Pinkerton have always liked the friendly, personable golden retrievers, except for the shedding. After a lot of research, the Covington, Ind., family found the perfect blend of personality and low shedding — the Goldendoodle, a cross between golden retrievers and standard poodles.

Two Goldendoodles now romp around the house with their son Logan, 9, and the family couldn’t be happier with their choice.

“We did our homework,” Kelli said. “We wanted a low-shedding, intelligent family pet that’s easy to train. Goldendoodles are devoted to their family and want to be with people.”

The two dogs in their household are Isabella Rosa Mae O’Doodle (Bella for short), 3 years, and her son, Squeaky Vancouver O’Doodle (Van for short), 9 months old. They love to chase Logan around the house and then rest in the evenings with the family.

The Pinkertons had always had goldens, as well as other breeds. They did research on Goldendoodles, but the price was too high.

They found two families — one with a golden retriever and one with a chocolate standard poodle — and arranged for the dogs to be bred. Bella — an apricot color — was born from that union in February 2009.

Bella has brothers, Mowgli and Bolt, who live in Covington.

“We didn’t think we could get a better dog,” Kelli said of Bella. “She just fit right in with us.”

Later, the Pinkertons decided to breed Bella with a standard black poodle named Stanley. On June 5, 2011, she had 14 puppies; 12 survived.

Vancouver — a dark chocolate color — was the first to be born, and he squeaked when he was born (hence his nickname Squeaky). Logan named the puppy after a guest from Vancouver, Canada, who was staying in the home.

All of the puppies were adopted by good families; three remain in the area, including Frank Ghirardelli, who is a shade lighter than Vancouver.

“Raising 12 puppies was a lot of work,” Kelli said, “but timing the birth for summer made it somewhat easier with warmer weather.”

Vancouver especially has been fun, Kelli said, adding, “We’ve just had a ball with him.”

However, the young dog had a close call last November when he was hit by a car just a block and a half away from home on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

Somehow, the gate to the back yard had come open, or someone had opened it, and both dogs escaped.

A neighbor saw Van run into the street, and into the side of a car, which kept going. He was bleeding profusely from the head, and the family rushed him to West Central vet clinic at Veedersburg, Ind.

Amazingly, he had no broken bones, but Dr. Mike Meade kept him overnight due to the head injury.

The dog seemed fine until Wednesday, Nov. 23, when he stopped moving. Meade cleaned out the sinuses and put Van on pain medication and three types of antibiotics.

Van was jumping around as usual by Friday.

“We’ve been given a second chance,” Kelli said. “It was hard. It was sad.”

Overall, the dogs bring life to the house. While they love to be with people, they do get in trouble when left alone, Kelli said; for example, Bella figured out how to open the trash can.

They also “counter surf,” so the kitchen counters are free of food that the big dogs might sniff out. They also like to tease the family’s two cats.

A friend told Kelli: “Get used to saying ‘No. Don’t. Stop!’”

The dogs are groomed every six months, and go to Turner & Pooch north of Veedersburg.

The Pinkertons would recommend the Goldendoodle to others, describing them as intelligent, obedient, devoted, and friendly with children and animals. Because they don’t shed or don’t shed much, they’re ideal for families with mild allergies.

The Pinkertons don’t plan on breeding Bella again, but they will consider the possibility of breeding Van because his color is unusual.

When the family isn’t playing with the dogs, Kelli is a nurse at Covington Elementary School and Chris works at the Danville Correctional Center. Other family members are big dog lovers, as well: Rachel Hannah, 16, a sophomore at Covington High School, and Scott Hannah, a freshman at the University of Southern Indiana at Evansville.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s obvious that Bella, Van and the Pinkertons are meant for each other.

The Pets column runs every other Sunday. If you would like to have your pet featured, 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.