What is a Red?
A red is a full purebred golden retriever at the darkest end of the golden retriever coat color spectrum. Since red is a recessive color, it does not show up as often, much the same as with red hair color for people affecting only 1% of the population. Once the golden retriever breed was standardized with the AKC as "golden" in 1925, dogs in the show ring were disqualified, or at a point loss, for being too dark. This led show dog breeders to eliminate the reds by drowning the darkest of the pups in their litters. If they were let to live, they certainly were not used in future breedings. Red hair was also associated with witchcraft and the devil (red haired women were believed to have sold thgeir soul to the devil and be souless) so red coats were culled from society in both humans and animals. The red coats became more and more of a rarity over time.
Genetically, for dogs as well as humans, a red coat of hair requires a gene mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) on chromosome 16. When MC1R is inactivated, the body produces more pheomelanin, which is responsible for reddish skin (most pronounced in lips/nipples/genitals) and hair tones, than eumelanin, which is responsible for shades of brown and black. The more suppressed the eumelanin and the more elevated the pheomelanin, the redder the coat. Red hair is a rare occurrence that accounts for only 1% of human or dog coloring.
To this day, despite having entirely different genetic material (E Locus: MCR1, and K Locus: CBD103, ) for coat color, a red-colored retriever can not be registered as "red" with the AKC. Breeders must list them as "dark gold" so that they can be accepted within the 'golden' guidelines for registration.
This is not the same for Labrador Retrievers. Their breed was never standardized for color. There are black labs, chocolate labs, yellow labs, and red fox labs. While rare due to having the recessive red genes, the red fox labs were not intentionally excluded or systematically eliminated from breeding stock. They can be registered as their true color: red.
In Golden Retrievers, the red trait survived because the "Field Golden" line (which is used for hunting), did not discriminate against color the same as the show ring lines did. Field breeders bred for merit of disposition, drive, water entry, athleticism, obedience, and companionship. If a red field golden performs well, they earn their title and their place under the table.
Reds are starting to become popular in non-hunting homes as they have such quality dispositions and are not as inbred as their show ring counterparts. They have fewer health issues overall and make stunningly beautiful pets.
For this reason, we are starting to see crossover breedings of the red-colored field goldens to the house pet goldens so that more people can enjoy this range of color options in intelligent dogs with excellent working dispositions.
(Interestingly, the opposite end of the color shade spectrum has the white 'English Creams" which were more valued in British breedings than the American Kennel Club breeding programs for many generations. English Creams have made a recent reentry into the color spectrum of golden retrievers kept as pets in the United States.)
Rowan's are not AKC papered
"The American Kennel Club (AKC) standard states the coat is a "rich, lustrous golden of various shades", disallowing extremely light or extremely dark coats. This leaves the outer ranges of coat color up to a judge's discretion when competing in conformation shows. Therefore, "pure white" and "red" are unacceptable, as is black." -- American Kennel Club
Because of the color quandary, which requires a breeder to deny that the dog is "red," in order to register them with AKC, Rowan Retrievers has decided to stop registering our breeding line and honestly embrace what our dogs are genetically: RED.
Those who argue that a breeder should not "breed for color," have not considered that all "golden" retrievers are bred for color. Of the 197 registered breeds in the AKC, only eight have the color included in the very breed name: "Greyhounds," "Black and Tan" Coonhounds, "Bluetick" Coonhounds, "Redbone" Coonhounds, West Highland "White" Terriers, Kerry "Blue" Terriers, "Black" Russian Terriers, and "Golden" Retrievers. Those breeds are very much bred for color. Pursuing a particular color in a dog does not require sacrificing health, working ability, or a strong people-centered disposition, and an eagerness to please.
We do believe in the solid due diligence practice of doing all the health clearances that are suggested (but not required) for AKC Golden Retriever breeders (Hips/Elbows/Heart/Eyes). Going further, we do Embark genetic (DNA) testing to ensure against over 200 health defects. Ten of which are common issues for Golden Retrievers. Additionally, with each of our new generations, we cycle our studs to choose from a new line so as to add diversity to our line and work away from AKC inbreeding of lines that are often encouraged when pursuing prolific studs that dominate the AKC gene pool for generations at a time.
Given that the benefits of owning an AKC dog are 1) to make the animal eligible for showing and 2) to keep a breeder encouraged to act ethically by upholding breeding standards; we think we can accomplish our goals independently of the club. Our buyers are not buying with the purpose of showing dogs. If they were, they would not be satisfied with the majority of the AKC dogs sold anyway as 95% are sold under "limited registration" (to protect the breeders from competition), and that distinction precludes them from being able to enter into shows or be used as breeding dogs. As to ethics, since breeders self-report their actions with dogs to the AKC registry, fully 25% of AKC "purebred dogs" are not accurately registered. It is exceptionally easy to acquire AKC paperwork that is not genuine to the genetic story of a dog's parentage. The AKC does not act as a governing body, it acts as a filing registry to determine lineage. Additionally, very little is done by the AKC to prevent puppy mill situations. Until recently, when limits were placed on the number of registered litters a dog could have in a lifetime, the AKC has been justly accused of fostering puppy mills and a rash of fake paperwork. An AKC distinction on paper does not mean a quality dog by health or ethical standards.
Rowan Reteivers produces only 2-3 litters per year and has a long history of producing quality dogs used as both service dogs and pets. For those who want to match with one of our puppies, we invite you to come and meet them in their living space, see the level of safe-keeping they receive while meeting the family with whom you are doing business, and be assured that the highest standards of health and care are being employed for your purebred red retriever pup.