Say No To Silver Labs

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Silver Valley (Breeder)

-and-

Silver Labrador Information

Quote from website...

"Breeders of black and yellow Labs saw their market share fall through the floor when chocolates became popular in the Lab marketplace. These same breeders opposed recognition of chocolates by AKC for decades. Opposition breeders claim their resentment is based on breeding ethics. However, their breeding ethics extend only as far as their pocketbooks. Aside from the presence of a genetic combination which produces Silver coats, Silver Labs have the same genetic makeup as non-Silver Labs. Some of these ethical breeders freely admit killing Silver puppies to protect the breed standards. In reality, the Silver puppies they kill have the same genetic make-up as the blacks, yellows, and chocolates they allow to survive. The only ethic these breeders are protecting is the ethical investment they have in their black and yellow bloodlines."

[TORNER RETRIEVERS]

Silver Valley (Breeder)

-and-

Silver Labrador Information

Quote from website...

"Breeders of black and yellow Labs saw their market share fall through the floor when chocolates became popular in the Lab marketplace. These same breeders opposed recognition of chocolates by AKC for decades. Opposition breeders claim their resentment is based on breeding ethics. However, their breeding ethics extend only as far as their pocketbooks. Aside from the presence of a genetic combination which produces Silver coats, Silver Labs have the same genetic makeup as non-Silver Labs. Some of these ethical breeders freely admit killing Silver puppies to protect the breed standards. In reality, the Silver puppies they kill have the same genetic make-up as the blacks, yellows, and chocolates they allow to survive. The only ethic these breeders are protecting is the ethical investment they have in their black and yellow bloodlines."

****Fact: This statement is so silly. First of all, breeders dedicated to the Labrador Retriever don't breed dogs according to any "market". Secondly, ethical breeders don't breed just to make money so this contradictory. Mismarked puppies do occur in Labs and have done so for decades, this is well documented. Reputable breeders simply sell these puppies as pets. So to say that "ethical" breeders have covered up the Silvers by killing them to protect their black and yellow investments is ridiculous, especially since Silver breeders say that their color comes from chocolates. If it is from the chocolates, then what and how would they be protecting blacks and yellows that supposedly don't carry the gene for Silver in the first place?

[IRescue452]

Torner, I'm not judging you, but I find it hard to take the opinions of a breeder I know nothing about. Just recently a Dane breeder told me that dogs don't raid gardens, but its a very common occurrence sent into dog advice columns I give answers for. This highly reputable breeder lost all support from me. They also gave a few other false "facts". Do you know how many breeders out there know nothing about dogs? Especially labs. I see so many bad labs that are AKC bred from "reputable" breeders, they even show up in shows. They have sickle tails that go way past the hocks and pointy muzzles and no lung capacity to go retrieving birds in water. I'd rather see you attack these breeders and the backyard silver breeders than the dogs themselves. Maybe someday the silver lab will be bred by good breeders and be an accepted colour. I wouldn't care to stop that from happening. What I would care to stop is the breeders who do this for profit and don't care to preserve the lab standard and type while trying out the colour.

[TORNER RETRIEVERS]

IRescue452,

i do think the dogs themselves are not to blame, but the breeders. i'm not attacking the dogs, but the people who breed them and those who buy them just to get the last dog trend.
i reaaaallly don't think reputable breeders and the parent club of the breed will accept this color, due to all the doubts there are about this dogs being purebred labs.
i do agree there are several breeders that claim to be "reputable" and "professional" just because they own AKC registered dogs and step into the ring to show them. that's when your knowledge about the breed comes in handy, to be able to tell apart a lier from a real reputable breeder.
by the way, now that i showed you my dogs, what do you think? lol.

[dab_20]

well if no one ever bought them, what would happen to them? not saying you should, because if they can't be shown then they are byb puppies. its better to buy from a shelter. just like irescue said, you shoulden't not get a dog because the color doesn't fit the breed standered.

well, the thing is, i try and make a point, and what i try to say just comes out wrong. lol... but yah, i guess i agree with you.

[.sarah]

I guess my opinion is this: As of now we don't know if the color occurs naturally or if they are crossed with Weim. Most certainly look to have Weim in them, but that doesn't necessarily make them a Weim mix. I mean, paint Nova silver and she could pass as a Weim mix at the shelter! But until we know the origin of the color, I don't think it should be bred for. I couldn't call a silver Lab breeder responsible since the facts are not known yet. I just wouldn't buy an unaccepted color unless if it occured naturally, and the breeders weren't breeding strictly for it and sold it as a pet on a spay/neuter contract. Like merle Danes occur naturally in harlequin breedings, but they are not standard. There is nothing wrong with these pups. But I have yet to see a Chocolate Lab just produce a silver pup if they are not from a silver lineage themselves. When that happens, I'll believe it occurs naturally