Hi Mary Ann,
First of all, thank you so much for such a wonderful puppy! We got him fixed at 6 months but I have to remember to bring his paperwork to the office so I can scan it over to you. Below is an update on our little Franzie, and I included information about our experience with Matt’s allergies. I’ve attached some photos of him. Two are from Christmas this past year at 6 months old. You can see his little shaved IV spot from getting fixed. The other picture is from our recent picnic at the park. He is the best dog ever! He has graduated from Obedience 2 and will begin Obedience 3 this summer and then scent tracking and urban hound in the fall. He is just so smart!
When we came to look at the puppies, we were so fortunate that our little Franz picked us. He followed us around the whole time and we couldn’t help but fall in love. As you know, my husband, Matt, and I agonized over whether or not to get a dog, even a hypoallergenic dog, because of my husband’s severe allergies to dog and cat dander. However, we made the plunge with my parents as the back-up family in case the allergy situation was unbearable.
When we first went to look at the puppies, we were with them in the fenced yard. Matt was fine, even with them licking his hands. We then went to see the mother and father who were in the boarding facility with a German Shepherd and a few other non-hypoallergenic dogs. A few minutes after being in the boarding facility, Matt’s throat started to tighten and get itchy from the dander in the air. Our plan was that if he didn’t have a reaction to where the puppies licked then we would go back and buy him. About 40 minutes later, little bumps started to appear from the puppies. I, of course, was devastated and felt so bad about not being able to take him home. We were thinking that maybe the allergic reaction was due to the fact that his system was overwhelmed by the dogs in the boarding facility. So Mary Ann was kind enough to let us come back and have Franz sit in our car with us. Matt still had a reaction but not as bad as before. I, again, was so sad because I did not want to get the dog if matt was going to be miserable. But after a few days, Matt surprised me by saying we could bring him home. We washed him in Mary Ann’s sink and took him home. After that, Matt had very minimal allergy issues to his coat, but he does get little itchy bumps from the saliva. With the puppy mouthing in the first few months, Matt had to wash his hands after playing with him. Also, we vacuumed a few times a week and regularly washed his bed and the sofa cover. But, now that Franz has grown out of mouthing and Matt has become a bit desensitized, the allergy issues have mostly subsided. Also at first, we limited Franz access in the house to the downstairs, but now he has access to the whole house and even the sofa (with a washable cover)with the exception of our bedroom. The only other time Matt has an allergic reaction is when Franz goes to the vet, daycare or to another house that has dogs, since he picks up the dander from the other animals on his coat. It has been a very easy fix though. I have a shower head attachment that allows me to bathe him easily, and he loves getting his weekly bath after daycare.
Based on our experience, I would recommend Mary Ann’s puppies for people who suffer from pet dander allergies. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at
Thanks again!
Holly Zajac
