Chloe, a 14-year-old mutt, or "American Black Dog."
Photo © Jenna Stregowski
Wednesday, August 12 has been named Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day by Petfinder.com. The objective of this event is to promote the adoption of pets that are least likely to be chosen by prospective owners. Sadly, we all know that shelters are overrun with homeless pets, and that young animals are the first to be adopted. What about the rest? Petfinder has estimated that older animals make up about 30% of those in the "difficult to place" category. This not only includes seniors, though. Many are just a few years old. In addition, black pets are among the hardest to place - specifically big black dogs. Why is this? Perhaps there is a stigma attached to animals with black fur - are they somehow frightening? Or, maybe they just don't stand out like the pets with unique markings and colors. Other categories of less adoptable pets include those with health problems or special needs. Also, certain breeds (due to breed stereotypes) and personalities (timid) can be very hard to adopt out.
As the proud "mama" of a senior black dog, I can say I would not replace her for the world! While it is true that caring for senior dogs might take a bit of extra effort, they do not necessarily have lots of problems. The attention they require can hardly compare to what a puppy needs. Plus, adult and senior dogs are often calmer and may even be trained. When it comes to black dogs, I find it difficult to understand why they are not more popular (I guess I'm biased). That shiny black coat and those big brown eyes are irresistible. I like to refer to them almost like a breed of their own: the "American Black Dog." They can have long hair or short, come in all shapes and sizes, and are almost always sweet and playful.
So, when it comes time for you to choose a dog, why not consider one of these hard-to-place types? Think about how nice it could be for a senior to be able to spend his golden years in a comfortable home. Picture one less black dog shunned for a colorful one. Perhaps you can even find it in your heart to care for a special needs dog. Have you ever adopted a "less adoptable" dog? Tell us about it here.
Comments
funny enough, i adopted a 6yo black mutt a few weeks ago after my own beloved 16yo black dog died on easter. i wanted a black dog.
he was the quietest dog in the shelter so i thought he was perfect for me. well at least my cats love him lol.
turned out to be a mad barker, with a lot of behavioural issues. hes under phytotherapy to curb his anxiety, shock collar to curk his barking, lots of daily walks to wear him out, lots of patience, dedication, had to calm the neighbours down as well … i spent an awful amount of money on him in a month but the look in his eyes, the cuddles and kisses he gives me in the morning are priceless.
adopt a senior dog!
all the dogs I ever had were rescue senior dogs. Although, none were black, they were all calm and loving. I have never had to train a dog, they were all trained. Although puppys are sooo cute, I would not have the patience for them. I tell everyone to adopt older dogs. They are the best!
I have two big black dogs! One, Gypsy, now weighs 108 pounds, up from 45 when I found her, nearly dead, 6 years ago. She spent almost a month at the veterinary hospital. Sprocket was found roaming the freeway last year, and when I took her to the vet, he said the kindest thing might be to put her down. No way! Both girls are strong, happy, healthy, and their black coats just glisten. Gypsy is getting a little gray around the muzzle now, and that just makes her look prettier. Black dogs are great!
I have two black dogs and one all-white dog. All three are mutts and all three were rescues. Wouldn’t trade any of them for all the money in the world! My pack is unique and each individual brings something special to the household. My elder dog is now 15+ and hanging in there with few problems.
There were problems at first when I introduced the all white dog. She is the youngest and was an adult when I got her. My vet told me that many other dogs do not respond well to all white dogs! Surprising that there isn’t a problem with their adoption as well. Took a couple of weeks to settle things out but she rules the roost now!
I have 2 ex-puppy mill breeder poodles, and I saw that a poodle was to be euthanized at our local shelter. I didn’t really need a 3rd dog, but I went to see her. She was in really bad shape, and her fur was so matted and filthy, I couldn’t be sure what she was. I ended up adopting an elderly Bichon with cataracts and kidney issues. But she is so happy to have a home again, she romps through the house like a puppy. Nothing makes me feel better than seeing the joy and gratefulness in those big, black round eyes of hers. I shudder to think of her near fate.
Several years ago I said, “I’ll never have a black dog!” I don’t know why – there were just so many interesting breeds and colors.
After my Bearded Collie rescue died at 13 I went to the Humane Society. I told them I wanted a dog that might otherwise not be adopted. I went home with the most beautiful, smart American Black Dog named Dixie.
A few months later I volunteered to obedience train a dog for the HS so it would be more adoptable. James is a longer haired American Black Dog (Springer & Lab?). He had spent the first 1 1/2 years of his life tied to an old car and couldn’t eat out of a bowl without spilling it and didn’t know he should use his back teeth to chew. James lived with us for the 9 weeks of training. He is amazing and wants so much to please. The day I had promised I would return him, my husband, father-in-law, son and friend all decided that James had to stay! It was what I wanted but I had promised to return him. James is just so happy he seems to smile.
Last, a big American Black Dog (mostly lab I think) showed up abused (obviously beat up) and sooooo shy it took two months before he would come near us. P.D. (for puppy dog – or Petey or Pete).
The love and appreciation from the three American Black Dogs that I said I didn’t want just amazes me. I wouldn’t give one of them up. They have definitely given way more to our family than they have received.
We have recently added a rescue Wheaton Terrier mix. AT 28 lbs. he is now the lead dog (after me) in our house. What a happy home we have with four “smiling” dogs who delight and appreciate everything. We always kid that their theme is “Life is good!”
Thanks for the great article!
I also went to the Humane Society to adopt a senior dog. In the corner I found a little puppy who was scheduled to be humanly euthanized due to the fact that she is epileptic. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and returned to take her home with me. I’m on a fixed budget and her medicines and food are quite expensive, but I love her very much and she is doing well now. To think that she was considered unadoptable was a great oversite. The cost of my now 8 year dog outweighs the bond we have and I know we’ll be together for many years to come.
I made an awful mistate in closing my above statement. It should have read “the bond I have with my little Maya certainly outweighs the cost of supporting her.” Thanks you for reading on.
i have always had this exact same outlook! i have a reputation around here as the lady who takes in hard luck cases. i have a deaf pug who has a humped back and a tongue almost two inches too long to fit in her mouth and is mentally retarded, a blind miniature schnauzer with skin issues, a chi mix with a wonky back leg (not sure if by birth or previous trauma) and no hair on his head or on half of his tail (he has color linked alopecia, which is common in chihuahuas, a 2 pound mix with a shattered shoulder that i payed to have set and pinned and bound last week, a white mini schnauzer that is 15 years old and has been bred twice a year since age 1 who is so shy that it took me 2 and a half years to be able to touch her without her jus6 being almost epileptic in year, and a doxie that was attacked by something and then had the 7 inch to the muscle cut sewed closed with upholstery string by the owner after the sore became infected. all of these were shy, fearful of everything, and would cower at the appearance of a human being. now, all, with the exception of the oldster schnauzer, will pounce on anyone and demand their due. and that old girl, who i named atty, has come to me twice in the last week and will allow me to pick her up and cuddle with her at any time and she seems to be relaxed and to enjoy it.
these babies are my heart. they go where i go if at all [possible, i bought a king size bed so they could sleep with me, bought living room furniture based on whether getting marked would ruin them, and had to get a second bin to hold all their clothes and collarts and thing! oh, yeah, and 3 of hem are black!
saving the heart of an older dog gives you a closer bond than starting with a puppy. a puppy loves you, but they have never known anything but you. an older dog knows that you have saved them and love you all the more for it.please, get to know those older dogs, those hard to adopt dogs….you will be glad you did.
I adopted a black dog from Wet nose two and a half years ago, I wanted a small black dog. Eight months a go a year old black male cat adopted me so I gave him a home and food to eat. He does not fight with my other two cats. (One of which was also a rescued gray cat) He still goes out most nights despite having been neutered but returns home for breakfast and has supper before he leaves
I have a special needs dog that my son and I adopted 8 years ago. He was 3 years at the time of adoption. We love him so very much. Bronson is so loving and kind that I do not regret for a day all the work that has gone into helping him to adjust. It took a good 2 years of hard work and lots of medication to get him to understand that we love him and that we will never leave him or hurt him.
I adopted my Black Lab Raven a year ago! She also had a damaged left front elbow! She is the most loving and wonderful dog….that one could ask for! Everyday, I feel blessed to have found Raven!
I rescued a 5 yr old yellow Lab and 6 yr old German Shepherd from neighbor that was getting divorced and moving to apt they were on the way to the shelter & he asked if we knew anybody who could take them I agreed to keep and try to find good home for them. Needless to say we feel in love with both and never even tried to find new homes just could not deny two sets of beautiful brown eyes. Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer and they were such a comfort during the yr of treatment that I thank God everyday for that fateful day we saved each other. They are now 9 & 10 my loyal companions and spoiled but beloved members of my husband and I.
I am partial to big black dogs, and I can’t understand why they aren’t considered as “adoptable” as other dogs. Every big black dog I have ever known has been gentle, friendly, devoted, and so sweetly goofy that my heart just melts.
My dog, Cole, was adopted from the humane society about 3 years ago. We went looking for a dog who seemed right for us, no preference as far as color or breed, although I do prefer bigger dogs.
It is not easy looking at all the dogs in the shelter and knowing you can take only one – but Cole won our hearts with his sweet, curious face. We knew nothing about him – the best guess was that he was about 2 years old, and although he’s mostly Lab, he has pit bull-ish eyes and a large snout like a Greyhound, so we don’t know what he is but he’s totally goregous! – He had been transferred in to our shelter from “down south” after being passed around to various shelters and never getting chosen!! Although the thought of this breaks my heart, I guess it was meant to be, because he is my “lifetime dog,” by far the sweetest companion I have ever had.
Turns out he is a “Katrina” dog, has a few OCD issues, a blind eye and a bent tail, so maybe some would consider him unadoptable, but I am so grateful he made his way to me and to this home which will be his forever. Right now he is sleeping on my bed, curled up like the sweet angel that he is – when I think of the road he traveled, which he will never be able to tell us but which we get glimpses of now and then from his sometimes nutty behavior – it just makes me want to give him the best life possible.
Oh and he has been 100% housebroken since the day he came home, so clearly someone down South loved him and trained him. He is the absolute joy of my life. How lucky I am that so many people didn’t want a big black dog with a sketchy history!
I’ve not adopted a black dog, but we did adopt a special needs dog.
Ashka was a (aproximate) 3yr collie/shepherd female who launched herself at the cage bars whenever someone came near. She’d been there for six weeks with no-one looking at her. We met her in a large open space and just sat on the ground. Ashka greeted my wife then went and found a toy. She was very nervous about me, but did bring a toy to me to play with. All the shelter could tell us was that she was aproximately 3yrs old and probably spayed.
She taught us that she’d been badly abused by a man, and she froze with terror if I approached her showing two hands, or from anywhere except straight to her front. She also wouldn’t let anyone touch her front paws at all. All men were terrifying to her.
My wife runs a business out of our home, and male and female customers regularly come to the house. It took us 18 months of patient and loving play to let her know that she was safe and no-one would hurt her.
10 years later we had to put her to sleep as her sight, hearing and hips all went very suddenly. She had been under considerable stress for the previous six months after a house fire.
She had become a much quieter, and thoroughly loving dog who loved play, attention and giving lots of kisses.
Sleep well Ashka
Thank you all for the heart warming and encouraging stories. I am older and adopted a puppy five years ago knowing he would be the last dog I would take as a puppy (to try to be sure I will be here for his whole life). One dog is enough for me now, but I will not hesitate to adopt an older pet when and if the time is right. And the stories of going in to the shelters reminds me of going in with a friend before and crying the whole time because we had to leave most of them there. What wonderful stories of happy dogs and happy people! Again, thank you.
I am older, as well and have always had dogs. My husband and I bought our first puppy about 10 years ago, a beautiful Golden Retriever. He was my best friend. He saw me through a devastating illness, divorce and moved with me to my much smaller house. My Clancy passed away in October at 9 1/2 years very peacefully in my arms.
I just recently adopted an 8 year old female beagle/terrier named Winnie. Her family was moving out of state to retire and couldn’t (?) take her with them. She is just what I needed. She is loving and grateful and loves my cats.
I knew I couldn’t do a puppy again and guarantee I’d be there for their entire life, so this worked out perfectly for both Winnie and me. It’s a perfect match.
Oh, and my first ‘family’ dog was an adopted large black lab! He was the heart of the family for many years. I love black dogs, especially with some lab in them.
I love all these stories!
I went to the Pikes Peak Humane Society three years ago, and a saintly volunteer (who had given up her Sunday afternoon)was walking a black Australian Cattle Dog mix outside the cages where the dog could be more easily seen, because while the staff had fallen in love with the dog, she’d been in the shelter a while. The dog was striking for her calm amid the pandemonium. Also, when I first saw her, this gentle dog had three little girls hanging off her. When I heard that the dog was seven years old, I at first thought she was too old, but reconsidered. As a matter of principle, we should not be euthanizing middle-aged females (of which I am one). Kiri has been a wonderfully well behaved dog, and her age does not prevent her from jumping the fence to explore the neighborhood.
I then became a proselytizer for adoption, and I sent pictures of likely looking candidates to annoyed friends whom I thought should have a dog. Two days before last Christmas, I was on the humane society website when I saw a picture of a black dog who looked like a younger version of my beloved Kiri. Of course, I could not let such a dog spend Christmas in the pound, so I adopted the second one, despite having to sign hair-raising waivers (she had been left in the pound’s night depository with a case of mastitis and then had a failed adoption because of aggression with other dogs). After two weeks of sulking and some snarling, my two Pointy Black Dogs have become fast friends. Kiri is an excellent role model, and the younger dog is now well socialized. And I can feel like a hero for adopting two black dogs that might well have been put down otherwise.
I’ve nothing against a black dog. My husband is all-American short hair, Yes ma’am guy but is 6′4″ tall. He doesn’t want moms and kids crossing the street to avoid him.
Our dog is a shelter dog we got at 6 wks already spayed (!) and we had to have both hips removed at 6 and 9 months because of severe dysplasia. We love her dearly and have had her for over six years in three homes. She herds us everywhere! We’re so glad to have her, because few people would have gone through the pain and costs of the surgeries. It was all worth it! Dee