Tierra started life as a Black and Tan with extensive markings in a pale golden colour. She appears to carry the Saddle Tan variation which has faded her coat from the front to the shoulder leaving her head and front light coloured and her back and rear dark coloured. The chinchilla gene is very prominent and started work early to lighten her tan to creamy white. The Silvering and greying genes played a large part in her colour change as well. The silvering gene has lightened her black to pewter and the graying gene has liberally interspersed it with silvery white hairs. Now, as a 4 year old adult, you might say that Tierra is a Silver Saddle Tan. There would have been little way to guess this colour change from seeing her as a puppy.

Morgan, like Tierra was also born Black and Tan. His Tan quickly lightened to creamy white. From the pictures, you can see his tan started darker but lightened faster than Tierra above. The dark coat has been softening gradually. His Mom tells us that he has even less black than is apparent in the photos with only about 20% of hairs on his back remaining black , this is mixed with charcoal, silver and white; likely a interplay of the silvering and graying genes. The dark coat is still brownish so there may be more change to come.

Ace has the same general adult appearance as Tierra and Morgan above with a silvery dark saddle area and light face and underside. From this composite though, you can see that they were completely different as puppies. Ace was born a dark grayish sable with a Pied marking pattern. The black sable overlay in his coat started to lighten very early with the hairs becoming a soft charcoal and silver colour. Seeing as the colour change started very early, right after birth, it is likely he carries two copies of the silvering gene making his black coat silver. Ace is a Silver Sable Pied.

Oreo was born black with Pied markings. As you can see in the first photo his dark coat was still very black at 1 year of age. His colour change started soon after and progressed rapidly in the next year, through a muddy dull reddish black phase through to a steely charcoal colour. His coat change started late after 1 year of age. It is significant but not dramatic. Oreo likely carries one copy of the Silvering gene which has allowed his coloured coat to develop as dark silver (charcoal).