Jackanory Part 15 - Glitter Highlights?

I've recently noticed that Eko has developed some white eyebrows and I think they're so adorable. When he was born Eko was a beautiful shimmering light gold with a pink nose and two tone coloured paw pads

A recent photo of Eko the Golden Cocker Spaniel laying on grass and looking at the camera with his tongue out and showing off how his eyebrows have recently started changing colour

At only 4 years old I'm inclined to think Eko is changing colour to a more roan like appearance, rather than going grey because of his two tone paw pad colouring

 

Many, many, many years ago when I worked at Empshott Gundog Kennels, I remember Miss Allam telling me that Cocker Spaniel puppies with two tone pads meant the puppy was a roan, but if the pads were all one colour then it meant they would stay the main solid colour and have the same coloured freckles on their white markings

Newborn Eko with his siblings showing off his cute pink button nose. Photo curtesy of Eko's breeder

This was certainly the case with Badger Boo and his two tone paw pads. Badger came home to us as a dark blue roan and every year his colouring became lighter and lighter each spring, eventually transforming the black on his face and ears into a full pepper and salt blue roan, whilst the saddle on his back remained jet black throughout his life

The first time I met Eko aged approx 4 weeks, he's snuggled on my shoulder asleep showing off his now black button nose

By the time Eko was 9 weeks old and came home to us, he had a jet black button nose and was gold and white with the tiniest hint of colour coming through on his white patches, I was convinced he was going to eventually turn out an orange roan 

Eko's first walk aged around 14 weeks old, he's sitting on a pavement, looking up at the camera with a cute expression and wearing a small black harness 

But as time went on in that first year, Eko's slight roany markings developed into the gorgeous freckles that we all know and love today, whilst his black button nose settled in to became more of a dark brown liver colouring

A young Eko around one year old laying on a sandy path looking up at the camera so you can see the freckles on top of his nose and muzzle area

For the last 4 years Eko's remained pretty much a consistent colour, only switching between being a light red and white with gold highlights in the winter, back to a gold and white in the summer

A recent photo of an adult Eko looking absolutely gorgeous sitting on a bench out on the common

I don't claim to understand the science behind colour genetics in spaniels, especially as Eko's mum was a black and his dad was a yellow roan. I only know that black and blue roan are the two dominant colours and that was ideally what I wanted from my next puppy, but nature had other ideas lol

So until we know for sure what's going on with Eko's eyebrows changing they shall be known hence forth as his Glitter Highlights, he's far too young to be going grey just yet 😂

Dawn
xxx

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