Meet the Heart Behind Blue Denim Doodles

Howdy, y’all! I’m Karina Townsend, the breeder behind Blue Denim Doodles. My family and I live out on 20 beautiful acres in Valley Springs, CA, where we raise our puppies right in our home, alongside our kiddos and a barnyard full of friendly farm animals.

I often get asked how I got into breeding, and let me tell you—it’s been quite the journey! It all started 10 years ago when I struck up a friendship with a Yorkie breeder on Facebook. While most high schoolers were focused on homework, I was deep in conversation about pedigrees, whelping, and puppy care. After graduation, I packed up and headed to San Diego for college, still unsure of exactly what I wanted to do. But life had bigger plans—I met my husband, Kelly, a Marine stationed down there, and before we knew it, we were starting a family. When his service ended, we moved back up north, ready to put down roots.

Now, I’ve always had a dog by my side—even when it meant bending my mama’s “no dogs” rule with a little creative storytelling. When our son, Knox, turned one, I wanted to find the perfect pup to grow up with him. My mama had a poodle that Knox absolutely adored, and after some research, I knew I wanted a Doodle. That’s when we brought home our first, Bonnie, and y’all, we were hooked! Her loving nature, smarts, and playful personality stole our hearts, and soon after, we welcomed Winston, our big ol’ teddy bear.

We originally started out breeding Goldendoodles, and our program was thriving. But then, I stumbled upon the Australian Labradoodle—and everything changed. I found a breeder whose values and ethics matched mine, and that’s when Blueberry came into our lives. Let me tell you, that dog was a game-changer—especially for my husband. She’s his heart dog, through and through. Blueberry was unlike any pup we’d ever had—smart as a whip, eager to please, and downright easy to train.

After raising her, we knew in our hearts that Australian Labradoodles were the future of Blue Denim Doodles. Their intelligence, trainability, and sweet-as-pie temperaments made them the perfect fit for our vision. So, we made the tough call to retire most of our Goldendoodles and rebuild our program around Australian Labradoodles.

And that, my friends, is how Blue Denim Doodles came to be! Over the years, we’ve poured our hearts into raising exceptional family companions, and we couldn’t be prouder of the legacy we’re building.

If you love adorable puppy updates, behind-the-scenes fun, and a peek into ranch life, come follow along @bluedenimdoodles and @bluedenimfarms—we’d love to have y’all along for the ride! 🐾💙