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
