Paddington is the pride of Robin Dalton who along with David Dorn take the 1 year old Labradoodle for walks in the neighborhood or in Lincoln Park. Dalton got Paddy from Seattle Labradoodle, a breed that is a combination of Labrador and a Standard Poodle. Paddy is hypo allergenic. She has fur not hair. Consequently everyone wants to pet her soft curly apricot colored coat.

Dalton said," I went up to the breeder to see the puppies when they were about five weeks old and I was holding her then. I picked her out of the whole litter. She was the darkest and curliest and was just a chewing little thing at that time and I kept going back up there to see her. I was really drawn to her but the funny thing is, the third time I went up there to see her (...) she was being a little pistol." Dalton had second thoughts about Paddy thinking she might be a problem dog, "So David said, 'You need that one. But I almost chickened out. But I'm so glad that I did not."

Dorn noted that she is very smart too. "She just learns everything really fast," he said. They have plans to put her into a training class. She has good instincts too about taking care of her owners. "She rescued my hat in the North Cascades. We lost it on the hiking trail and she found it."

Paddy seems to express care about other animals, "She's very sweet when she plays with other dogs. If she chases a ball, she'll make sure that the other dog retrieves it," Dorn explained, "She's very polite when she plays. Even when she is playing a little roughly with other dogs she's careful not to bump into them." Paddy is a very athletic animal and walks with a very self assured gait.

Dalton said," She's just been a super dog. She goes everywhere. She goes on boats with us and canoeing. I lost my job in November so she was my make lemonade out of lemons so it's been great to have her as my little buddy."

Dalton related that, "I forget her toys when I went down to my parent's house who live on the coast so we took a sock and tied a knot in it and one of her things is that, though she's never chewed a single thing in the house, she's a sock thief. She takes them and flips them in the air and throws them about. If you see a sock and you don't have it on your foot, she'll steal it."

Paddy gets a lot of her food and other dog accessories at Pet Elements.

How to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Animal Hospital at 5261 California Ave. S.W. and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online.

Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.