Adopt a Seriously Adoptable Pet: Black Dog Syndrome
When Brody needed a friend, I went to the rescue site where I was so fortunate to find Emmett, hoping to get so lucky yet again. I wanted an older, female Golden retriever to balance out Brody’s nutso-ness.
The retriever rescue was low on Goldens at that particular time, but they had several older labradors in need of homes. All of them were black. One in particular, a white-muzzled girl with a Rubenesque frame and two quizzical brown eyes just a stitch too close together, seemed to leap out of the screen and say, “c’mon….Take a chance.”
What makes a pet fall under the category of “less adoptable”? Sometimes it’s age, people bypassing the loving seniors in favor of their younger counterparts. Other times it’s a medical issue. One factor which has confounded shelter workers for years is color: black dogs and cats seem to be harder to adopt than their differently pigmented pals.
Dubbed “Black Dog Syndrome“, shelters across the country scramble to help focus attention on these dogs (and cats!) who are so often overlooked for reasons no one quite seems to understand. Is it psychological? Do they not photograph as well? Are they harder to spot in the shadows of the kennels?
No matter the reason, anyone who’s adopted a black dog or cat (or, as in my case, one of each- the little black dog has been happy with me now since February) will tell you that these guys are as wonderful, sweet, and as loving a pet as anyone could ask for. Plus they match any outfit. What’s not to love? Read on to see just a handful of the wonderful black dogs out there awaiting their forever homes.
Precious is a 8 year old Aussie mix. She has lived at the shelter most of her life and really wants to find a loving family to come and adopt her. She is not a fan of young children because they scare her. She is also shy around certain men. She walks on a leash well and can sit. She is very sweet and loves to give kisses. She has been spayed, up to date on shots and on heartworm prevention. She is housetrained.
Annie is a sweet older gal who was seized from a household because there were too many dogs. One day Annie was sleeping in her little doggie bed and the next thing she knows, she was being taken by animal control officers to the shelter. Annie is a dignified lady. She likes country living in a place that is relatively calm and quiet, although she will admit to enjoying some play time with other dogs her size even if they’re puppies.
Tiny little SADIE was found as a stray along a side road. Luckily for her, a corrections officer, coming home from an evening shift, found her one morning. That officer did the right thing. Now this puppy is safe in a foster home but it’s not a permanent solution. SADIE needs her forever home where she can give all of her love to her forever family; and this cutie has a lot to give!
