Southern Cove Labradoodles

Melissa M.

Breeder of Australian Labradoodles

  • Winter Haven, FL
  • Responds within an hour

Upcoming litters

Ozzy
Ruby

Planned Australian Labradoodle litter

Due June 2026

Ready Aug. 2026
Finn
Harley

Planned Australian Labradoodle litter

Due July 2026

Ready Sept. 2026

Meet the breeder

I'm Melissa M., the breeder behind Southern Cove Labradoodles located in Winter Haven, FL. Our dogs are bred for health, temperament, and structure. Both our breeding dogs and our puppies are raised and loved by our entire family. We utilize Puppy Culture for socialization and prepare all of our puppies for a great life with you!

Q. & A. with Melissa

  • Why did you start breeding?

    A friend of ours began breeding the Australian Labradoodle and we fell in love with the breed. We received our first puppy from her in 2015 and through her mentorship, our program was born. Having a home-based business that all my family could be involved in has been a win/win situation for us and we are grateful!

  • What makes your program special?

    We love what we do and I feel it shows. We are committed to raising dogs with excellent temperament and beauty and we believe staying close with our families and educating them is very important. When we place our puppies into homes they become part of the Southern Cove Labradoodles family and we treat them as such.

  • What are the different breed sizes in your program?

    Our puppies include miniature, medium, and standard sizes. Sizes will vary depending on the parent dogs.

  • What are the different breed coat colors in your program?

    Our puppies include caramel cream, caramel, caramel red, red, apricot, cream, chocolate, cafe, lavendar, and black. Colors will vary depending on the parent dogs.

  • Where do your breeding dogs live?

    They live in my home and guardian homes.

Matched dogs

These dogs are already reserved or have gone home.

Getting a puppy from Melissa

Melissa has been certified by Good Dog’s screening team for responsible and trusted breeding practices. When you’re ready, reach out to ask about the puppies or anything else on your mind. You’ll get to know each other through messaging, phone, or video and pay securely, all on Good Dog.

Melissa partners with buyers to find the best match as the puppies develop and their personalities take shape. Typically, matches are finalized when the puppies reach about 7 weeks old.

“We carefully evaluate our puppies and ask detailed questions on our matching/adoption application on our website. We also interview our families to get more information about the needs and desires in a new furry family member. At 7 weeks we have an evaluator come to our home and administer our puppy temperament test. Within 24 hours of the evaluation, we will notify our families by email regarding their puppy match.”

Price

Puppy prices include a $250 non-refundable deposit and $2,750 final payment, before taxes & fees.
Pay over time with Klarna.

“The price includes a 3 yr health guarantee, their certified health certificate from a FL veterinarian and their first round of vaccinations, microchipping and a take home bag of lots of puppy supplies. $250 deposit per puppy which is applied toward the purchase price. Refunds are handled on a case by case exception basis.”

Contract & health guarantee

Melissa 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 Melissa 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 Melissa directly.

All contracts are handled securely through Good Dog.

You’re protected
on Good Dog

When you pay and communicate on Good Dog, you’re covered by Payment Protection.

What's included

    • From Good Dog
      • Lifetime support from Good Dog’s Care Team
      • 10% lifetime discount on Figo pet insurance
      • Puppy Training Program & private community
    • Enrichment & socialization
      • Various sounds
      • Car rides
      • Surface & tactile stimulation
      • Socialized with children
      • Socialized in new places
      • Scent introduction
      • Daily handling
      • Socialized with other dogs
      • Introduced to people of different ages and appearances
      • Socialized with other animals
    • Puppy health practices
      • Vet check
      • First round of shots and deworming
      • Vet records
      • Microchip
    • Extras
      • Basic obedience & manners
      • Blanket with mom & littermates’ scent
      • Puppy starter kit
      • Initial potty training
      • Toys
      • Food & treats

Location & pick-up

You can drive or fly to pick up your puppy from Melissa.

Breeder's location

Meet in Winter Haven, FL

801 miles away

·

Other pick-up locations

Meet at Orlando Sanford Airport

741 miles away

·

Meet in Tallahassee, FL

708 miles away

·

More about Melissa

  • Club memberships

    Melissa is a member of Worldwide Australian Labradoodle Association.

  • Certifications & recognitions

    Puppy Culture Breeder.

  • Melissa has been a member of Good Dog for almost 6 years

    Melissa was screened for responsible practices and has been a member since 2020.

  • Melissa’s links

Melissa is a trusted Good Dog breeder

Southern Cove Labradoodles meets or exceeds our community standards in these areas:

  • Responsible breeding practices
  • Health of breeding dogs and puppies
  • Puppy environment and enrichment
  • Buyer education and policies

Litter and program updates

Parent dogs

Parent health testing

Breeder-Reported Testing

Excellent level

Southern Cove 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

    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 Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI)

    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.

  • Cardiac Evaluation (registered with OFA)

    Heart testing reduces the chance of passing down congenital heart disease, which can cause a range of symptoms ranging from trouble exercising to heart failure.

  • Patellar Luxation

    Knee testing reduces the chance of passing down Patellar Luxation, which results in the kneecap becoming displaced or dislocated and can cause mild to severe joint pain.

  • Brucellosis

    A breeder may perform additional tests on their dogs that do not fall into these general categories. These tests may be more uncommon or very specific to a particular breed.

  • Degenerative Myelopathy (DM; SOD1A), Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis (HNPK), PRA, Rod-Cone Dysplasia 4 (rcd4), Animal Genetics Panel, Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC), von Willebrand Disease I (vWD I), PawPrint Genetic Panel (Breed Specific), Cleft Palate (ADAMTS20), Full Embark Panel, DNA Coat/Trait Panel, Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures (NEwS), DNA Profile, PRA, Cone-Rod Dystrophy (PRA-crd), Standard Wirehaired Dachshund Type

    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).

Verified owner stories

Hear what other owners say about working with Melissa to bring home their puppies.

  • Josh P.

    Verified owner · Feb. 2025

      • +7

    From our first conversation with Melissa, we knew we'd be in good hands. She is truly an example of excellence in her profession. Melissa makes sure the dog you receive is the most compatible dog for your family and lifestyle. She also employs the highest breeding standards and practices, and her passion for the breed is apparent in everything she does. She makes the adoption process a breeze for the adopting families. She takes care of so many things you might not think of, or things you would normally need to do yourself. She is so informative, helpful, and proactive when it comes to caring for the puppies and preparing families for the go-home day. She keeps families looped in to everything going on with the litter, from the second the mama becomes pregnant, to the day the pups are ready to go home. She is incredibly transparent and interacts with her adopting families on a regular basis. Melissa was everything we wanted from a breeder, and then some. Her attention to detail and love of dogs shone through in her work. If/when we're ready to give our new puppy a sibling, we will certainly reach out to Melissa again.

Photos

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Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.

Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.

Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.

Health testing is one key piece of responsible breeding and is performed on breeding dogs to prevent the presence of heritable conditions in their puppies.

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