They are cute, cuddly and — all right, let's get this out of the way — they offer oodles of love.

They are Labradoodles, of course, a cross between a Labrador retriever and a standard poodle, a breed that has found its place in the hearts of many people and spawned way too many puns because of the name. But they are much more than a friendly animal companion. They've become a fast-growing segment of the service-dog population, sought after not just because of their retrieving abilities but also for their hypoallergenic qualities.

Two Labradoodles will be among 11 service dogs graduating tonight through Assistance Dogs of the West, the nonprofit organization that links highly trained dogs to people with disabilities. The ceremony, which starts at 6 p.m. tonight, May 19, at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy St., will be presented by student trainers, said Carolyn Clark Beedle, the group's executive director.

"It's really what it's all about," Clark Beedle said. "A celebration of all our efforts — the staff and all the kids. It's joyful learning, growing and sharing."

Four student groups will demonstrate the learning curve for the assistance dogs, Clark Beedle said. The students will explain how the puppies build on what they learn and eventually reach graduation.

Sometimes those dogs take an interesting journey to graduation. Claire Ganz, an accomplished athlete, first understood she would need a service dog more than three years ago, after she lost most of her mobility. She had contracted the Epstein-Barr virus, which led to the Guillain-Barré syndrome and a host of autoimmune problems.

"I went from being a triathlete to within 48 hours my life was completely different," she said. "I had to accept crutches and walkers."

But with two young boys and a household to organize, Ganz said she quickly realized she didn't have the energy to keep up. A service dog was the answer, and her husband, Tom Singer, agreed to the concept.

"I realized that it would be much easier for me to accept help from a dog rather than asking my husband or kids, 'Can you do this for me, can you do this?' " she said.

The only problems were that Singer is allergic to dogs and Ganz's youngest son suffers from severe asthma. So Ganz researched breeds and hit upon a Florida Labradoodle breeder who had success raising the hypoallergenic dogs as service animals. Ganz and her son flew out to bring home the 8-week-old puppy the family calls Blitz.

She initially worked with longtime dog trainer Katherine Bryce. But Bryce died of cancer, and Ganz was in and out of the hospital. She turned to Assistance Dogs of the West 18 months ago and enrolled as a client-trainer.

"I was at the hospital for another visit, and I put my application in," she said. "I'd been sitting on it for nine months, but I did it, and they've been incredible."

It's not unusual for the nonprofit to accept client-trainers, Clark-Beedle said. Since ADW invests almost $20,000 into individual service dogs, the group generally goes with the "tried and true" breeds like retrievers. But if the person has the stamina and dedication, and the dog passes an evaluation, the client-trainer and dog are readily accepted into the program.

Founder Jill Felice said she was initially hesitant about the mixed-breed dogs. Not all have the right temperment to be successful as service dogs. But almost two years ago she struck up a conversation with Roswell breeder Lisa Nicholson and since then Nicholson's Chatsworth Labradoodles has donated six puppies to the program.

"I've looked at Labradoodles in Kentucky, in Las Vegas, Nev., and I have to tell you her dogs' temperments are nice," she said. "She really wants to have the right standards. Lisa is looking at keeping the health and the temperment of the dog together and not just some designer thing. They are rock-solid dogs for people with autism."

The nonprofit, which relies on private contributions for 50 percent of its budget, has 32 dogs in its program. The dogs, in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, get guidance with a staff of 18 and about 150 volunteers. There also are about 225 children who work with the dogs through a host of education and vocational programs.

Ganz, whose family will attend tonight's graduation, said finishing the program is an accomplishment the two have achieved as a team. ADW has helped her fine-tune her service-dog needs and helped her to understand just how much more the dog can be of service.

"I realize this training will never end," Ganz said. "The two of us will continue whether I get better or worse, and I'm confident I can teach him something new as a client-trainer. The difference between ADW and most dog-training places is that they teach dogs to offer behaviors and anticipate needs."

Ganz's trainer, Anna Wilder, helped her understand that Blitz enjoyed his work and needed a job. Ganz used to help Blitz with laundry, for instance, but now she lets him do the work himself, and she uses her energy for other duties. Blitz uses a rope to pull the laundry basket to the washing machine, then picks up the clothes and puts them into the machine.

"It's great, because laundry day used to be my entire day," Ganz said. "I had no time to make dinner."

Wilder said because Ganz is a skilled trainer, her role was to give her "more tools she could use to all by herself. I helped her notice what parts of the dog she neded to work on."

Blitz also helps Ganz gain the confidence to be in public. There's a sense of partnership, she said, in grocery shopping. He's also a bridge for people to come and help if necessary.

"I hate to ask, I just hate it," she said. "But somehow with him, it doesn't seem insulting. It's OK. I don't feel embarrassed or awkward they are helping us."

The friendly breed is precisely why retrievers or retriever mixes are the most popular service-dog breeds, said Jodie Backensto, a longtime ADW trainer. They happily retrieve, which is a skill many clients need, and people are apt to respond favorably to them.

"They have a friendly face," Backensto said. "There are valid reasons to use bully breeds or German shepherds as service dogs, but some people are afraid of them. Everyone knows retrievers, and that helps create a bridge to society with a person with disability."

Loving Labradoodles are especially crowd-pleasing. Backensto should know: She's been raising and training three of them since they were puppies. Nicholson, Tempe and Homer are at various stages in their training, but they get almost daily face time with student trainers.

"My friends constantly comment that I have the luckiest household in Santa Fe," she said. "They are so full of love, and are super, super sweet. They are very connected. They are interested in humans and work; it doesn't matter where I go, there are three Labradoodles paddling across the floor with me."

Blitz has been a happy addition to the Singer-Ganz household. Tom Singer runs with the dog, and the boys play with him within certain guidelines. Tugging is forbidden, for example, and he's not allowed to greet other dogs while on a leash.

But Ganz and her family won't be the smiling tonight. Trainer Wilder said watching clients graduate is "the most beautiful thing, ever."

"I love to watch the bond grow," she said. "Everybody's learning and it's not just learning specific tasks but how to take care of each other. Having a service dog is not like having a wheelchair. It's a critter, somebody helping out and I love to see that team develop."

ADW GRADUATION

Who: Assistance Dogs of the West, students, clients, and community

What: 2011 Graduation Ceremony

When: Tonight, May 19. Ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Santa Fe Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy St. General Admission tickets are $10 and available from the Lensic Box Office: 988-1234.