11/27/2025
🚨 To make this very clear to everyone. I DO NOT breed silvers/dilutes. I Never have, and I never will. I am posting a direct message from Krista Bell, this is copy and pasted from her page. She is the AKC delegate. This is what happened behind the scenes, where no LRC member got to vote, only the board members in attendance unanimously voted and many long time/reputable breeders including myself feel like we just got slapped in the face over this decision 😡
Below is not my words, to be very clear!
“Why I Supported and Proposed Allowing “Silvers” to Be Registered by the AKC
I want to be very clear at the outset: the Labrador Retriever Club (LRC) recognizes only three colors—yellow, black, and chocolate. That has not changed, and my support for this proposal does not alter that position in any way.
My reasoning is rooted in history, accuracy, and the long‑term protection of the breed.
For more than 40 years, “silvers” have been registered with the AKC as chocolate labradors. This began early, when the parent club believed it was an isolated incident. Unfortunately, that assumption was a serious mistake by the Board at the time. As silvers gained popularity, their origin became traceable—and it became clear that these dogs were being registered under a color they are not. That is, by definition, fraudulent registration.
Because the AKC is a registry, once two parents are registered, their offspring are automatically eligible for registration. And because the AKC is also a club of clubs, decisions like this do not affect only the Labrador Retriever—they set precedents that impact every parent club. When silvers were incorrectly registered as chocolate labradors, the AKC had no mechanism to distinguish them or to recognize the breeders producing them. This put the LRC—and the integrity of our breed—at a disadvantage.
At one point, the LRC even offered to help fund a separate registry specifically for silvers. There were no takers.
I understand why some feel that allowing AKC to register silvers under their actual color appears to “legitimize” them. In reality, it does the opposite. Transparency is not endorsement. By bringing the issue into the open, we finally create the opportunity for education, public awareness, and accountability. This is how we begin to correct a decades‑old problem—not by pretending it isn’t happening, but by naming it accurately.
Silvers are not Labradors. Let them establish their own breed if they wish. But as long as AKC continues to allow the fraudulent registration of silvers as chocolates, the public remains misled. Recognizing them for what they are is the first step toward ending that confusion.
For these reasons, I support the LRC’s decision to allow AKC to register these dogs under their true color. It protects the integrity of the Labrador Retriever, exposes the long‑standing registration issue, and ultimately serves the best interests of the breed we are entrusted to preserve.
Every Board member present voted unanimously for this change. That unity reflects our shared commitment to protecting the breed—not compromising it.
We all want the best for our breed. For anyone to think we are “selling out” is deeply unfair. Our responsibility is to protect the Labrador Retriever—not to hide from uncomfortable truths. I appreciate the passion everyone brings to this discussion, and every person has the right to their opinion. But I firmly believe we are doing the right thing by allowing this step toward transparency and accountability.”
^ copy and pasted from Krista Bell.
