Marmalade Opaline
Opaline
Meaning: "A Sweet and Radiant Jewel of Precious Value"
HAVAPOO
50% Havanese -- 50% Poodle
Marmalade is joyful, charismatic, and confident!
Weight: 12 lbs / (5.44 kg)
Height: 12 inches at the shoulder
A little Marmalade thing:
Coming Soon!
Nickname(s):
Marmie, Jewel, Sapphire
Marmalade Opaline is our breathtaking, sweet red and white Havapoo girl. With her vibrant, warm coat and her striking, jewel-like double blue eyes, she is a remarkably rare and beautiful addition to our family. We intentionally selected Marmalade because a true red Havanese cross that is not sable-based is exceptionally rare to find in Canada. Even though we knew her stunning blue eyes indicated she was likely merle-based, stemming from the Poodle father her breeder listed, the opportunity to secure her clear, rich red and crisp white genetics was simply what we were looking to add. Because many of our Cavapoos are sable-based and our Havapoo Carob is chocolate-based, adding a beautiful new colour made the most sense to further increase the diversity within our lines.
We are incredibly excited to watch this sweet girl grow and to carefully plan her future litters. We will mainly create beautiful F1B and F2 Havapoos with Marmalade. By pairing her with Cracker, our handsome apricot abstract Havapoo, we have the perfect opportunity to produce stunning F2 generations. The specific reason we are pursuing this is to stick strictly to red-colour-based breedings—which includes cream, apricot, and all shades of red (sometimes called Ruby)—ensuring we preserve and enhance that striking, true red pigmentation in her puppies. While this is our primary direction, we may also do a litter or two where she is bred to a Cavapoo (also red-based) to create a thoughtful tri-blend of genetics.
Integrating a Havapoo into our lines is a deliberate and strategic choice to enhance the health and well-being of our puppies. As a blend of the Havanese and Poodle, Marmalade brings a secret weapon to our lines that goes far beyond just a beautiful coat:
Diversity Through Outcrossing: By carefully introducing the Havanese line, we are increasing the genetic diversity of our puppies. This thoughtful outcrossing helps to move away from breed-specific health weaknesses, creating a more robust and resilient dog that is built to achieve longevity.
Structural Soundness: While many focus only on size, we focus on substance. The Havanese influence adds a sturdiness and boning that complements the finer frame of the Poodle. This creates a more durable dog with a solid foundation, better equipped to enjoy an active family life.
A Breathable and Functional Coat: Pure poodle curls can sometimes become dense and trap moisture against the skin. By adding the Havanese influence, Marmalade's coat has a looser wave that allows better airflow. This helps prevent skin irritations while the silkier texture makes the coat much easier to brush and maintain.
A Balanced, Confident Temperament: The Havapoo cross creates a wonderful middle-ground regarding personality. You get the high intelligence and eagerness to please from the Poodle, balanced by the Havanese's famous sturdy confidence. They are less prone to nervous energy, making them calm, adaptable companions.
When we do pursue those specific tri-blend litters with our Cavapoos, our goal is to produce the ultimate family companion by focusing on these wonderful traits:
The Tri-Blend Personality: We are combining the Cavalier's famous velcro-dog loyalty and gentle, affectionate nature with the Havapoo's cleverness and sturdy confidence. The Cavalier brings a soulful, calm presence, while the Havapoo adds a brave and playful spark. This results in a puppy that is incredibly devoted to their family, but also smart, brave, and easy to train.
A Plush, Manageable Coat: We are aiming to achieve a coat that combines the Poodle's low-shedding quality, the Havanese's silky slip that resists matting, and the Cavalier's velvety softness. This results in a lush, wavy coat that is thick to the touch but remains highly functional to maintain within a busy household.
Marmalade came to us as a puppy from another breeder in Alberta.
Both her parents come from healthy lines!
Patellas: Grade 0 / NORMAL
Blood Panel: NORMAL
WISDOM PANEL: *pending summer 2027*
(TOP OF THE AVERAGE RANGE FOR HETEROZYGOSITY WHICH LOWERS THE RISK OF GENETIC DISEASE)
The heterozygosity test is SO IMORTANT for any dog intended to be bred to a Cavalier or Cavalier mix because of the inbreeding
present within the Cavalier breed; having good diversity will maintain the overall diversity and health within a line!
Marmalade will be DNA tested through Wisdom Panel to establish that she has good genetic diversity for the Havapoo mix, as well as, GENETIC HEALTH TESTED through Wisdom Panel for a total of 267 diseases and traits which covers all bases and uses another testing laboratory to cross-confirm the health and the healthy genes passed down through Marmalade's parents.
Malibu
Havanese
Owned by Grant Gillott.
MOM
Miniature Poodle
Mr. Darcy
Owned by Grant Gillott.
DAD
Marmalade's Poodle and Havanese parents were health tested through their breeder, and so was the descending line of Havenese and Miniature Poodles behind Marmalade's parents, providing 3+ generations of Health-cleared dogs in Marmalade's lineage.
The Genetics Behind the Blue Eyes: Our transparency and honesty are the foundation of our program, and our detailed explanation here serves as a prime example of our integrity. Marmalade’s brilliant blue eyes stem from the merle gene. While the merle pattern is undeniably beautiful and is definitely within Poodles now, it was originally bred into the lines decades ago, tracing back to roughly the 1980s. Today, Poodles with the merle trait will genetically test as full Poodles and are effectively purebred in their DNA profile. This happens because the original breeds used to introduce the pattern were bred out through multiple generations, yet the striking merle colour remains. It is a genetic fact that merle is not a historical colour for the Poodle, but it is very much a part of the breed now.
Furthermore, it is incredibly hard to find Havapoos without them being crossed with a merle Poodle, unless they are chocolate, black, or sable-based. We already have that gorgeous foundation in Carob with his ability to produce the Chocolate and Sable shades as well as with our Cavapoos, therefore, we simply did not need it in Marmalade. We are not fad breeders, and we have absolutely zero intention of intentionally creating merle puppies.
Marmalade will only ever be bred to fully health-tested, clear red dogs. We will be pairing her exclusively to these red-based colours, which includes cream, apricot, and all shades of red (sometimes called Ruby). When the merle gene is bred to a recessive red dog, the merle pattern remains completely cryptic and non-visible on the coat. The only potential visual expression in the next generation will be the possibility of more beautiful sapphire eyes, either in whole or in part.
Our Commitment to Safe, Responsible Breeding: In the canine genetic world, the only dangerous combination is breeding a merle to another merle, which carries severe health risks and must always be avoided. All other colour crosses are completely safe when paired with proper, comprehensive colour screening to ensure no hidden merle is present in the desired mate.
We rigorously screen the merle gene, and we do not have any merle genetics present within our existing lines. Because of our strict testing protocols, there is absolutely zero risk of ever creating a double merle here.
Furthermore, every single one of our puppies is sold on a strict, legally enforceable spay and neuter contract. We deeply care about our extended puppy family, and we actively follow up with all our families to ensure this procedure is completed at an age-appropriate time. This guarantees that there is absolutely no risk of the merle gene ever being unknowingly bred to another merle once our puppies join their permanent homes.
A Warning to Other Breeders: We are making our genetic journey with Marmalade fully public because we value truth. Let this transparency serve as a strict warning to other breeders: do not sneakily inquire about purchasing her puppies if you intend to use a merle dog in your own lines. We meticulously vet our homes, and our genetic lines will be protected. All puppies are sold under a strict spay/neuter contract.
Looking Toward the Future: Because the merle gene is passed down randomly, only fifty percent of Marmalade's future puppies will have the genetic potential to inherit blue eyes. To ensure the absolute integrity of our future generations, our ultimate goal is to keep a female puppy from Marmalade that is genetically and verifiably non-merle. Because blue eyes are the only visible feature of the merle gene on a red pigment coat, we will comprehensively DNA test her entire future litter before making any selection. We will select a puppy that tests one hundred percent clear of the merle gene to carry on her gorgeous red and white lines, which will effectively eliminate the necessity of this genetic disclaimer in all future generations.