red poodle faded to dull apricot color

Question
'Lucy' was born a vibriant red color and shortly after 1 year her fur began to fade and dull to almost an apricot color..somewhat disappointing althought she is a wonderful little girl.

Answer
Hello Karen,
Yes, that tends to happen with the Red color because its a fading gene and as the dog ages, the color gets lighter.  
There are several colors that have the fading gene, including Silver, Blue, Brown, and of course the Red.  
These colors tend to start out dark (Silver and Blue actually start out Black) and gradually lighten as the dog ages until the fading reaches a certain point, then it slows considerably.

I know its hard to see your vibrant colored Red girl go from bright to light, but until someone can create a strong color without the fading gene, then they will continue to fade.

I hope I have helped you some.  If you have other questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim