I'm the breeder behind Nutmeg by the Sea Australian Labradoodles located in Darien, CT. We want to help you find the best future furry family member, and we are dedicated to providing a positive, helpful environment for our buyers and their future puppies. We practice responsible breeding and offer ongoing communication and support for our puppies and their families.
About Katharine
A lifelong dog lover, I grew up with Labrador Retrievers, including a wonderful Lab puppy I fostered for a year for the Seeing Eye Inc. in Morristown, NJ. My husband and son's allergies prevented us from choosing a Lab for our family, so I began the search for a breed of dog with a loving, intelligent, people-focused temperament and was delighted to find the Australian Labradoodle.
What makes Katharine’s program special
Our puppies are hand-reared in our home, receiving kisses on their tiny heads from the moment they are born. We are a small program, typically offering only 4-5 litters per year so that we can be highly focused on temperament matching for our puppy families. We are so grateful that our puppy families come to us looking for the right dog for their life stage, activity, and experience level.
Katharine is a member of a club
Australian Labradoodle Club of America
Katharine’s certifications & recognitions
Gold Paw Breeder
Katharine has been certified by Good Dog's screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you're ready to reach out, feel free to ask any questions about the breed, their program, or specific puppies. You'll also have the chance to share a bit about yourself and what you're looking for in a new companion. Together, you'll choose the puppy that's right for you, stay in touch with regular updates, and plan how to bring your new puppy home.
Puppy prices range from $3,500 and include a non-refundable deposit of $500.
“The purchase price includes our health guarantee against genetic diseases and life-altering hip dysplasia, registration with ALAA, first round of vaccinations and vet visit, deworming, extensive puppy socialization and enormous amounts of love in our home. All of our puppies go home with their first vet exam with vaccinations and microchip included.”
Katharine may provide a written contract or health guarantee when you purchase a puppy. This helps protect both you and your breeder, ensuring that you both have a clear understanding of the terms of your puppy purchase. If Katharine offers a contract or guarantee, the details will be personalized by them. If you have any questions or want to know more, don’t hesitate to reach out to Katharine directly.
Our puppies are raised with love in our home and are acclimated to a variety of household noises and experiences. Our puppies receive early neurological stimulation and are trained to use a litter box beginning at four weeks of age to develop puppies that are easy to potty train. When owners decide on a name, we begin to work on name recognition. Puppies spend time outdoors in a safe environment when age and temperature appropriate. I utilize the following enrichment methods: Socialized with children, Socialized with other dogs, Daily handling, Surface & tactile stimulation, Introduced to people of different ages and appearances, Various sounds, Name Recognition, Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), Outdoors, e.g. rain, Chew, e.g. Bone, Toys, e.g. Ball, Grooming Desensitization, Household Desensitization, Sound Stimulation, Socialized with Adult Dogs, Socialized with Children, Litter Box Trained, and Potty Training.
All puppies receive preventative deworming, an initial vet examination, and their first round of vaccines while in our care. Buyers are supplied with veterinarian records.
We send our puppies home with Puppy starter kit, Food & treats, Basic obedience & manners, Initial potty training, Toys, Vet records, Registration, Microchip, and Blanket with mom & littermates’ scent.
Katharine offers options to help you easily get your new puppy home.
If you’re nearby, you can visit in person to pick up your pup. If you’re far away, you can travel by car or plane.
“We will not ship a puppy under any circumstances. We welcome you to our home to pick up a puppy or we will meet you at an airport for handoff for an additional fee.”
Work with a trusted flight nanny or transporter to get your puppy comfortably dropped off at an airport or meeting point close to home.
Why Katharine started breeding
We started as Australian Labradoodle lovers. For our second ALD, we became a guardian family. Our whole family fell in love with the breeding process we saw in our mentor, Carol Lindley, the breeder behind the original Nutmeg Labradoodles, who raised her puppies with such thoughtfulness, care, and devotion. We wanted to share our love for these dogs and this breed in the same way.
Katharine has been a member of Good Dog for over 3 years
Katharine was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2021.
Katharine’s program has two sizes
Katharine’s Australian Labradoodle puppies include medium and miniature sizes. Sizes will vary by litter based on the parent dogs.
Katharine’s program includes five colors
Katharine’s Australian Labradoodle puppies include chocolate, caramel, red, caramel red, and apricot. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.
Nutmeg by the Sea Australian Labradoodles meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:
Australian Labradoodle
Excellent level
Nutmeg by the Sea Australian Labradoodles reports to performing the health tests below on their breeding dogs. Ask your breeder about the tests performed on the parents of your litter. Learn more about health testing for Australian Labradoodles.
Hip Dysplasia (Preliminary)
Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint.
Elbow Dysplasia (Preliminary)
Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg lameness.
Eye Certification (CAER, registered with OFA)
Eye testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide range of hereditary eye illnesses including retinal dysplasia, lens luxation, and glaucoma, which can cause impared vision or blindness.
DNA Profile, Degenerative Myelopathy (DM; SOD1A), von Willebrand Disease III (vWD III), PRA, Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRA-prcd), Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC)
Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).