Yeah there are quite a few slick haired red dogs out there. The slick hair is pretty nice for keeping the dog clean. I don't care too much about the hair as long as they work. My dogs are medium coated and they don't pick too much up. My male dog has somewhat longer hair on his mane, belly and tail, but it's real thin. Occasionally he can get pretty dirty, but I comb or cut it out.
The slick haired dogs really caught on in areas where they had alot of foxtail and cheatgrass. I know several guys that shave their dogs in the summer so they can keep them clean. Thats what would really make me want to get one because of the cheatgrass in some areas. My dogs have also gotten into some needle and thread grass and that really irritated them.
Color and coat are just part of the dog, he could have purple hair with curls and be just right in my book if he worked for me!!