Leading resource for dog owners
Get ton of resources that are practical and useful for both new and experienced dog owners.
The Black Pearls of the Dog World
~Making a difference: one black dog at a time through education, awareness and action~
“To appreciate a diamond, the surface must be pierced to release the dazzling display of color that can come from its heart; but to appreciate the pearl, the eye must simply gaze upon its surface to behold its soft color and peaceful beauty”. ~Alain Boucheron~
Did You Know: We are guessing that the general public is not aware of how doomed black dogs are when they are brought to a pound because black dogs, particularly black labs or lab mixes, are euthanized at a horrifying rate at many pounds & shelters because people pass them up for lighter colored dogs. If you are thinking about adopting a dog please don’t overlook black dogs because they are just as loving & wonderful as lighter colored dogs! Martin County Animal Shelter, Fairmont,MN
URGENT, URGENT, URGENT” We always have several really nice black dogs here that desperately need a home! Black dogs are often the last to adopt out, for whatever the reason, whether it’s because they don’t photograph as well, or people think they look meaner, etc. But they are just as sweet on the inside and are also strikingly beautiful on the outside with their shiny black coats. Please take a moment to look at these dogs – they need a loving home too! Before it’s too late. Madison-Jefferson Animal Shelter, Madison, In
Black is Beautiful:
A Celebration of Dark Dogs
Celebrate Black Dogs and Support the SPCA
If you have a black dog…or know someone who does…there’s a new book just for you. Black is Beautiful: A Celebration of Dark Dogs is a photographic tribute to America’s least appreciated canines by writer and photographer Pam Townsend.
Black dogs are commonly the last, if at all, to be adopted. Destined for death in many shelters they are passed up for whatever the reason:
1) Harmful Superstitions:Black dogs in folklore
2) Negative Labels:Transcending the black dog: living with depression
3) Fear:What makes a dog aggressive or dangerous. Is it their color?
4) Just too ordinary: An excerpt from petfinder forum dated Oct. 22, 2003 entitled Sheba:
“Sheba is a blue-eyed beauty. The combination of blue eyes set into the black lab face is really striking. Unfortunately, no one ever really admired her beauty before. This gorgeous young female black lab mix spent most of her two years of life chained in a yard without even a dog house to shelter her from the elements. She was removed from the home by animal control and brought to the Mason County Animal Shelter in Point Pleasant, WV. When she came in, she was extremely thin, but she is improving every day.
Unfortunately, Sheba’s days are numbered. This small shelter, with a capacity of about 24 dogs, has more than a hundred, and the county has given them until November 1st to bring the numbers down to that official capacity – one way or another. If dogs are not moved out into forever homes or rescues before that date, they will be gassed.
Poor Sheba will probably be one of the first to die. She has several strikes against her. 1. She’s a black lab. Nobody seems to want black labs in WV. 2. She’s a big girl. Big dogs are hard to place, and with so many of them at the shelter……..”
Loving, caring shelters become strained under this thinking and to avoid overcrowding and/or euthanasia are forced to put indirect sale tags (“1/2 price movers”) on them. Furthermore, some shelters BOGO (buy one get one) their dark coated canines to help draw attention to these brilliant yet transparent waiting dogs.
5) Over heat quicker in outdoor sport competitions:
“There is another venue in which black dogs are discriminated against – dogsledding. The reasons are sound, but sometimes good dogs are overlooked because they are black. Black dogs over heat faster than lighter colored dogs especially in our increasingly warm winters, so mushers tend to choose lighter colored dogs. There is a simple remedy however…….” To know more about this simple remedy and to meet a musher click on this racing photo:
“We ought not to treat creatures like shoes or household belongings, which when worn with use we throw away”. ~Plutarch
This unfortunate phenomena has a name: Black Dog Syndrome
It is our desire to step out, among the many others who have already done so, and help these innately and outwardly beautiful black dogs avoid the price that they will pay because of this sad reality. Shelters and rescues have different policies in regards to euthanasia: no kill to high kill. Some black dogs will die of natural causes within the system because they will wait a lifetime to be noticed. Many won’t even get a week.
As you browse these pages please consider if you would like to become apart of the loving miracle of a forever home for a black dog, a beautiful gem of the heart, through rescue and adoption. Begin your journey now by choosing a paw to the left and visiting one of the many information pages we have assembled on behalf of these waiting pearls. We are grateful you are taking the time to visit and are not deaf by the busyness of life to the voice or inner nudging felt upon meeting an animal in hope of a rescue. “Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way…..but you can never say again that you did not know.” William Wilberforce 1759-1833
Desmond Morris states: “….people who keep dogs live longer on average than those who do not. This is not some kind of pro-canine campaigning fantasy. It is a simple medical fact that the calming influence of the company of a friendly pet animal reduces blood pressure and therefore the risk of heart attack.”
Enjoy your exploration, feel free to leave a message in our guest book and thank you for visiting, we are honored. May a black pearly dog come to live in your heart and home soon. Go beyond our homepage, we have many exciting pages at this site. Check back often, we update routinely! Special note: I wish we could respond to the guestbook enteries personally but due to a number of “loaded” email addresses, we are not able to discern who we can respond to safely. Thank you for your understanding.