Comments on: What is Big Black Dog Syndrome?

By: Colby

Colby — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:38:56 +0000

In reply to Sass MacConney. That's a great idea putting a bow or bandana on your dog to make him look less threatening. Thanks for sharing!

By: Colby

Colby — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:13:13 +0000

In reply to Melissa.

I’m glad you found a great puppy for you and your family. Linus is all black too with a tiny white spot on his chest. I love him and I too can’t remember what it was like without him. Lucky for me he’s old enough that he sleeps in if I decide to sleep in. Your’s will get there too.

Thanks for sharing your story!

By: Sass MacConney

Sass MacConney — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 19:24:40 +0000

I once had a tri-color (black, white, tan, but more black than anything else) Collie that, in his heyday, was between 70-80 lbs. It never occurred to me for a second that folks would be afraid of my happy go lucky goofball until I started getting unfriendly comments. I solved the problem by way of teaching my dog to lie down at the sight of small children so he wouldn’t look quite so big, and also by putting a bow or bandana on him when we went out & about in public. Problem solved. It’s kind of difficult to be afraid of a dog with holiday decorations on him, that’s either lying down, wagging his tail for all he’s worth, or both..regardless of color.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:41:14 +0000

I had been looking at rescues for a puppy for a few months, when I saw IT on the way to work. A sign that said “FREE PUPPIES”. It wasn’t there the previous evening. Surely this MUST be a sign! Would there be any left? What KIND were they? My friends were getting frustrated with my extensive puppy search, as I was all over the place with breeds and colors. They just could NOT understand why I didn’t have something in mind. I DID have something in mind. A GOOD PUP.

I called the number on the “FREE PUPPIES” sign at 8:02 am. Surely that couldn’t have been too early, as they had put the sign up that morning. I asked when I could come see them, trying to remain calm and not sound like a psychopath. He said they were Shepard/Lab mixes, and he had nine. I asked how many females, as my daughter was SET on getting a girl dog. They were ALL female. Great! I told the man I’d be there at 4:45. I arrived on time, and he only had two left. One was traditional shepard coloring (I’m not sure what you call it), and the other was the shiniest black I had ever seen. The multi-colored dog didn’t seem too interested in us, but the black one jumped up on us, and as we went to pet her, immediately laid down on her back and commanded belly wubbs… SHE was the one. She acted as though she had been waiting for us for 8 weeks! We’ve had her almost 3 months now, and just as having a child, I can barely remember life without her! Well, I CAN and DO remember sleeping soundly for 8 hours, but we love her and her small bladder anyway!

By: Colby

Colby — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:34:38 +0000

@Carol, I had not heard of Big Black Dog Syndrome until recently either. I’ll probably lean towards black dogs when I adopt since I now know that they have a more difficult time getting adopted.

By: Carol

Carol — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:03:45 +0000

This is so wild… I was just having a conversation with my hair dresser about black dogs being scarry and less adoptable earlier this evening. And here on your site is a blog about the very topic. I have never heard of Big Black Dog Syndrome. I’m blown away.

If you ask me, black labradors are much more regal. I love their faces. I don’t find them scarry or unfriendly.

We put our black down in November, 2006. We still have a yellow, and I love him so much. But, I’m drawn to the black labs. We’re adding a “Black and Tan” to the family near the end of March. He may not have that regal look, but he’s absolutely gorgeous. BTW – The blog on Black and Tan’s is great.

By: Colby

Colby — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:23:45 +0000

@Emily and the Labradors, I was the same as you and wasn’t looking for a black dog either when I rescued Linus. When I initially saw the pictures of Linus and his sister I really liked the tri-color look. Linus was a cute puppy, but the white, black, and tan colors on his sister were absolutely adorable.

I’m glad I chose Linus and I’m now a huge fan of black dogs. I agree with you and will probably keep my eye out for another black dog when it’s time to adopt again.

By: Emily and the Labradors

Emily and the Labradors — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 07:31:51 +0000

You have a very interesting site! 8 years ago I adopted my first dog (Maggie 2000-2008), who we all affectionately referred to as the BBD (the Big Black Dog). When asked her breed, I would say Black Dog (she was probably some sort of shepherd/lab/greyhound mix and was about 75 pounds). I am ashamed to admit that I initially didn’t want to adopt a black dog, and I can’t actually explain why I chose her that day. I think it was more that she chose me. But I am now head over heals for black dogs! I had actually just started looking around for another rescue black dog when 2 of my guide pups asked to come home. My whole family loves black dogs now too… such that the first words out of my sister’s mouth when she heard about Angel was “Oh no! She’s yellow!”

Incidentally I have heard of big black dog syndrome, but not until after I had adopted Maggie. It made me so sad and even more grateful for the beautiful dog I got to spend 8 years with! I will probably always look specifically for black dogs whenever I get to adopt again.