When Tamara Delaney of Woodville, Wis., volunteered to find a home for a black Labrador Retriever named Jake last year, she had no idea what she was up against. Jake, cared for by a rescue group, had already waited nearly three years for a new home. And he would wait eight more months as Delaney tried to find someone to take in the big Lab.
It didn’t matter much that Jake was a sociable dog and in perfect health. Jake’s problem wasn’t his temperament—it was the color of his coat. Jake bore the stigma of the “BBD,” an acronym used to refer to big black dogs, who are frequently passed over for flashier, prettier dogs and wind up, like Jake, waiting for years to be adopted.
“Nobody wants a black-coated dog,” rescue workers told Delaney as she tried without success to find a home for Jake. And when Delaney turned to the Internet, she found that shelters across the country were overflowing with black-coated mutts.
From "Basic Black" in Bark Magazine
This is especially sad for us since our doggie furkid, Sarabi, is a black shelter dog. She is the sweetest, most gentle soul and we can't imagine life without her. She sleeps next to us, she gives us kisses if someone is crying, she guards our house from the mailman (thankfully he's very understanding) and puts her head in your lap when she's begging at the table. She's AMAZING with little children - she tolerates them touching and slapping her! She wants to always be with us -- it can be frustrating when you're trying to clean or pack or just move around the house -- but she means well.
Adopt a black shelter dog!
Link: Black Dog Syndrome
