It’s broader than one farm, my mom is obsessed with doodles too. But prior to that had a purebred Bernese mountain dog. They’re great dogs, but have largely been bred into tragically short lifespans. Her’s died at 4 or 5 years old and averages at the time were like 6-8 years. So there’s the thought/hope that mixing with a broader gene pool available in the poodles will help them live longer.
They are also supposed to shed less is a reason I’ve been given a lot, but they need grooming all the time so I think it’s bullshit. They are cute, but it’s mostly a bunch of online groups that are driving the trend.
Yeah plenty of well off liberal New Englanders have them around here. There are big Facebook groups about them and all kinds of online hype/bullshit (like everything at this point) about longevity, allergies, intelligence, etc.
They don’t shed as much, but the less they shed the more they need grooming, or they end up with mats and tangled.