No no we don't........
"About Our Name"
A lot of people think that our name is for a white or nearly white Lab that we either breed or strive for.
First let me set you straight on this hehehe! Our name is not Vanilla, but Vanila. And it has nothing to do with what we breed here at French-Vanila. Our goal has always been to breed a conformationally sound healthy family companion and show champions to increase our own kennel goals..
I happen to like the yellow Labs best, but have owned and produced all three colors. At present we have a 3 mo old black girl who is a show hopeful. But we do breed more yellow then any other color. However our litter's shading of yellow is of no concern to us. We do not breed to a shade of yellow.
Now to the origins of our name.
.... My first bitch who I intended to use as a foundation should she turn out worthy was a very light nearly white yellow. Her breeder's call name for her was Polar so you can see how light she was
She had a bad habit of eating all the cookies my sons would give her. She loved the Vanila Wafers. So her name became, My Fancy French "Vanila Wafer". A play on french vanilla ice cream (that is why call name Nelly not Nilly), since she was sooo light, but spelled like Vanila Wafers. Well she grew up to be more the color of the cookies, then the ice cream.
But it only seemed right our Foundation bitch's name should be our kennel name. So French-Vanila Labradors (pronounced) nila not nella was formed in 1995.
I thought about calling myself SandyLabs, but that sounded too much like Sandylands (one of the famous of all time Labrador kennels) and I did not want people thinking I was trying to claim a connection to her dogs. So opted for the cute French-Vanila instead.
I swear I would have had less flak calling myself the name Sandylands then I have had with this name. First everyone from tee shirt people to catalogs to the AKC correct my misspelling and add back the L. As have some of my puppy parents so we are found one and two Ls all over. No one thinks my name is Vanila they all think Vanilla, Even my web page and email addresses was corrected for me. For a while I just left it that way and corrected no one. But decided I was not named after the ice cream I do not breed for french vanilla colored Labs. My name has nothing to do with a vanilla colored Lab. There is no Vanilla Lab.
But when we bought our domain name of course it was French-Vanilla not Vanila. Since that is what everyone thinks my name is. I have even thought of adding back the L change the kennel name and be done with it. But I do not breed for color I breed for quality and type. That comes in many shades of yellow, as well as black and chocolate.
And the calls and emails for them white Labs I always get. Start with looking for white Lab or you breed them vanilla Labs. I want a white bitch. I go though the usual spiel about color and then tell them about my real name and if I bred for shades of yellow at all, if I did by my name I should be breeding a very dark brownish yellow as that is the color of the cookies. They do not care my name is French-Vanila not Vanilla they just are not happy I do not breed them white Labs so they can get a light yellow puppy in which to breed from. As if I would place any dog with them.
