07/24/2024
WHAT IS A SILVER LAB?
Silver Labs are gray (similar to the color of a Weimaraner), have gray nails, gray noses and have gray pads on their feet. Silver pups' eyes are light blue until 6-8 months old; as adults Silver Labs' eyes are pale yellow (about half the tone of a chocolate lab).
ARE SILVER LABS A PUREBRED LABRADOR RETRIEVER?
DNA testing and mapping of silver labs was done during the close of the twentieth century and meticulous investigation of each silver labs ancestry was conducted by investigators from AKC. All conclusions were the same, i.e., "there was no reason to doubt that the dogs were purebred Labrador Retrievers," (see conclusion issued by AKC). Amazingly, the Flat Earth Opponents of Silver Labs counter these scientific conclusions with the incredibly insane accusation that the "cross-breeding" which allegedly produced the Silver Labs was either covered up by line breeding or happened too long ago to be detected by DNA testing. If anyone ever needed an indication of just how ignorant opponents of Silver Labs are, this statement should be the key. Every K-9 carries in its genes a complete history of its ancestors going all the way back to wolves.
Everything written about the Silver Labs is based upon speculation. One statement that is commonly made is that there had to have been a Weimaraner introduced into the bloodlines to produce the silver color. This statement has been proven false. UC Berkley studied the genetic makeup of the Silver Lab against that of the Weimaraner. Researchers concluded that it was not the same.
WHY DOES THE AKC REGISTER SILVER LABS AS CHOCOLATE?
The AKC Stand on Registration of Silver Labradors: Response of Jack Norton of the AKC on 1/24/00 giving AKC official position on the issue of Silver Labs.
The registry of the American Kennel Club is based on parentage and not the coat color of a member of any breed.
In 1987 the AKC, in corporation with the Labrador Retriever Club of America, conducted an inquiry into the breeding of litters that contained members that were registered as silver. An AKC representative was sent to observe these dogs. The report and color photographs of these dogs were reviewed by AKC staff and representatives of the Labrador Retriever Club of America. Both Parties were satisfied that there was no reason to doubt that the dogs were purebred Labrador Retrievers, however they felt that the dogs were incorrectly registered as silver. Since the breed standard at the time described chocolate as ranging in shade form sedge to chocolate, it was felt that the dogs could more accurately be described as chocolate rather than silver. This remains the current policy of the American Kennel Club. Jack Norton Special Services Dept .
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