I started my kennel with 2 black Lab females, and an apricot stud. Out of them, I got a few black pups, a few apricot, some white, and many creams. The rainbow of colors was encouraging since black is the default color for both Labs and poodles so I had been afraid I'd have all or mostly black litters which are harder to sell. There are naturally more black labs and poodles than any other color, so they're also easier to come by.
In the past few months I've bought all new breeders, starting with a chocolate stud who has since turned Cafe Au Lait (a highly desirable dilute of chocolate). I then added a chocolate Lab, 2 yellow labs and another chocolate. Yes, these are the colors I was hoping for, but I would have gladly bought blacks if I had found ones that I really liked and felt would be good breeding prospects. I am still looking for at least one, possibly 2 more Lab females, and again, I would be quite satisfied with any color that was of good quality and excellent temperament. So far, I've looked at a few, and have found them to be lacking in one way or another and had to walk away without buying.
I received an offer to purchase a female tonight, and from what I'm told, she sounds worth taking a little trip to see. Ironically, she too is chocolate. Now I know chocolate is a desirable color and is considered harder to find; so I'm beginning to wonder about the fact that it seems I'm almost destined to have a kennel full of them. Six months ago I would have jumped at the chance, thinking "WOW did I luck out!" Now I'm thinking, "Hmmm, of all the other breeders I know, none have this focus on chocolate... is there some reason I should avoid it?"
Am I just afraid of succeeding in something a bit unique? Or is there some real reason I should vary my color range a bit more? Does the adage "If it sounds too good to be true it probably is" hold here? Or should I just say thank you to the universe and run with it?
Where is my crystal ball when I need it? Funny how things seem to go!
13 years ago
