Chocolate
Labs
In the early days, black Labs with a white diamond on their chest
were the most desired. (This has been mostly bred out by the Show
Lab breeders). Yellow Labs were tolerated. Chocolates, however,
were not. They were first suspected as a genetic mistake, and given
disparaging names. The accepted practice of the day was to drown
them, therefore removing them from the gene pool.
By the early 1970's, genetics had proven that chocolates were just
as pure as blacks or yellows. Chocolates suddenly became one of
the most desired dogs in the world. The problem was their recessive
genes had nearly been eradicated after 500 years of persecution,
leaving very few Labs capable of producing chocolates. Breeders,
in their haste to make good with this sudden market demand, began
breeding anything that was brown and had four legs, calling them
"Chocolate Labs". (The Chesapeake Bay Retriever seemed
to be the favored stand in.) Papers were a dime a dozen, and only
as good as the breeder's word. This led to dilution of the chocolate
Lab, leading to the false impression that chocolates were dumb or
temperamental. A pure chocolate was as smart and well tempered as
the black or yellow.
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