WHO IS BEARTOWN? My name is Adrienne Bordo. I am co-owner, with my husband Norman, of Beartown Kennels. We have been breeders of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers for almost 30 years. Some basic information about our kennel and available litters will be posted here. A link to our home page is provided in the index. WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS IN GENETICS? No formal training in the field. A mail-order genetics course and a life long interest in colour genetics are my only qualifications. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEBSITE? To provide information on Chesapeake colour inheritance, involve breeders & owners in collecting data for research and allow owners of "different coloured Chesapeakes" a site to showcase their dogs as illustrations for these colours. We do not encourage breeding of Chesapeakes for "rare" colours but do admit the existence of other than solid coloured dogs. WHY RESEARCH CHESAPEAKE COLOUR INHERITANCE? Our breed standard calls for self-coloured dogs to be preferred. Other colours are allowed. Most go back to the early history of the breed. As Chesapeakes have been primarily working retrievers rather than show dogs, there has not been a concerted effort to "breed out" these variations. Colour inheritance in dogs is still not fully understood. Understandably, it is not a high priority with researchers. Colour is cosmetic only and not as important as genetic defects. These "other colours" need more study in order to let breeders make informed choices when planning matings. WHY CAN'T WE USE PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED RESEARCH? Published data on Chesapeakes is very sketchy and does not mention any of the shaded/patterned variations in the breed. Studying published sources* is further complicated by the frequent reference to "black" pigment instead of the more correct "dark" pigment. This reflects the rarity of breeds which carry the recessive "b" brown/liver gene in addition to the dominant "B" black. Breeds that allow only "b" are very few. Chesapeakes, Irish & American Water Spaniels, Vizsla , German Shorthaired & Wirehaired Pointers (in North America) come to mind. * The Inheritance of COAT COLOR in DOGS- Little Published 1957 and Genetics of the Dog- Willis Published 1989 WHAT ABOUT THE "OTHER STUFF" Yes, glad you asked. We hope to have lots of Chesapeake information: Breed temperament, interesting facts and lots of pictures. We will not have show results, litter ads, upcoming events, etc. These are available on other Chesapeake websites. Links will be provided.