Dog World Article

[barry581]

The topic of silver Labs has come up many times on this forum. I'd spoken in the past about a conversation I had with Mary Roslin Williams many years ago regarding an ad I saw in an American Lab Club magazine showing silver Labs. My friend was there with me during the exchange. When I showed the ad to MRW she told me, in no uncertain terms and in her own unmistakable matter of fact style, "young man, Labradors come in three colors, black, yellow and liver (chocolate)". Almost 28 years has passed since that time, and while I don't recall all the specifics of the conversation that ensued, I vividly remember be scared to death just to be talking to her, and how she ranted about these so called "silver labs".

A week or two later this article was printed in Dog World. I did not have a copy myself, and I had contacted Dog World about 6 months ago to try and locate a copy of the article. They do not have an automated archive, and while they looked for article, it was very difficult looking though bound paper copies, and they were unable to locate it. I was able to meet my contact from Dog World at Cruft's this week, and thanked him professing for all their help and effort! When I arrived at my friends this past Wednesday this topic came up. My friend said she had been redoing all her scrap books as a winter project, and in fact she had found a copy of the article!

The little spot I've blacked out has my friends name and kennel name, and I am choosing to keep them anonymous as they aren't involved in all this.




When we arrived back to their house from Cruft's this past Thursday, my friend was looking thought The Labrador Retriever Club Year Book, and found an article regarding silver Labs which have been imported into the UK. I have a paper copy of this, and I need to ask the LRC for permission to reprint it here. Let's just say the writer feels that silvers are NOT purebred Labs and is very frustrated the KC is doing nothing regarding this matter. Once I get permission I will post the article here.

[Berna]

Sounds so BYB!

[dxboon]

There is nothing good about silvers. The fact that some silver people point to Mary Roslin Williams making some sort of comment about puppies with a silvery sheen to support their arguments is sickening. Silvers are from an introduction of genes foreign to Labs after the close of the studbook. Anyone who supports silvers and their breeders is not a friend of the Labrador breed.

[Charlotte K.]

Thanks, Barry.

[JenC]

Thanks for sharing this!!

[Labradorks]

Thanks! for posting this!

There was a silver at a local dog park that I go to, right by my house, if only one or two known dogs are there. Someone came in with a silver puppy, three months old tops. Too young to be at a dog park. The owner was sitting a few dozen feet away at a picnic table, allowing all the dogs to charge, not saying a word, not trailing behind the puppy. The dog had odd conformation with is front elbows jutting out awkwardly and already had gone through some sort of hair/skin problem over it's entire body. It was potbellied, sickly. I could only imagine how much they paid for this sad puppy. Of course, it could have been a rescue from a puppymill. But the fact still remains that it was bred intentionally.

Naturally, the other two dog owners were enthralled by it. The owner beaming in the attention.

I had to leave.

[POPTOP]

Thank you for sharing!

[Sam I Am]

Thank you!!

[TuMicks]

If you want a good looking sliver dog... just get a Wimaraner. They're very nice animals. Just don't pretend they're labs.

[barry581]

There is nothing good about silvers. The fact that some silver people point to Mary Roslin Williams making some sort of comment about puppies with a silvery sheen to support their arguments is sickening. Silvers are from an introduction of genes foreign to Labs after the close of the studbook. Anyone who supports silvers and their breeders is not a friend of the Labrador breed.

The quote you are referring to is in MRW's book, "Advanced Labrador Breeding". I do not have a copy of this book, and I believe it was reprinted in the US under a different title "Reaching for the Stars" I believe. After reading the article in this years Lab Club Year Book, I got my friends copy of the book and read the entire chapter on "Colour". She does talk about silvery colored pups that turn totally black by the time they are three or four months old. Those who are proponents of silvers quote the first part, and omit the second part. I wonder why? She also talks of the wide range of undercoat colors that Labs have, from mousy, to white, to rusty brown, but all topcoats are one of three colors. Yellow, Black, and Liver.

Bruce comes from Black/chocolate lines, and up until he was about six month old, his undercoat was very brown. In certain light, his head and ears looked chocolate, it was that pronounced. He turns one next week, and his undercoat is totally black.