Evil Black...........Dogs?

[Guest bkelm18]

Just thought I'd post this as it is equally as ridiculous as peoples' fear of Evil Black Rifles.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/04/09/black.dog.syndrome.ap/index.html

NEW YORK (AP) -- When Aaron Jones walks Gozer, his Rottweiler-hound mix, people cross the street to avoid them. Mothers scoop up their children. A lost motorist once rolled up the windows and drove off after spotting the dog. One woman screamed.

"He's the nicest dog I know," said Jones, 33, of Oakland, California. "It's hard to understand all the fear."

Gozer isn't aggressive and doesn't look mean or bark, Jones insists -- people are afraid of the dog purely because it's big and black. As a puppy, Gozer was passed over for at least a month before Jones took him home.

According to animal shelter officials, big, black dogs like Gozer have more trouble finding a happy home than do other dogs. Some shelters even have a name for it: "Big black dog syndrome."

Nobody tracks the problem nationally, and local shelters often keep only limited data on the sizes, breeds and colors of the dogs that are adopted or put down, according to the Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"But anecdotally," said Stephen Musso, executive vice president of the ASPCA, "that's what we hear from shelter after shelter: Big, black dogs just don't get adopted."

At the city animal shelter in Rogers, Arkansas, big, black dogs almost always make up the bulk of the animals put to sleep each month. Last month, 13 of the 14 dogs killed by the city were large and black -- mostly Labs, shepherd mixes, pit bull mixes and Rottweillers, said Rhonda Dibasilio, manager of the city Animal Services Department.

It's not just that large dogs can be frightening: Animal shelters say black dogs of all sizes are difficult to photograph for online listings, and are hard to spot against the shadows of their crates and cages in dimly lighted kennels.

Older black dogs with a little white in their muzzles can look elderly. Bigger breeds like German shepherds or Chows aren't as fashionable as small, cuddly lap dogs.

Then there's the reputation. The idea of a big, black dog unleashing destruction is a common theme in books, movies and folklore as diverse as "The Hound of the Baskervilles," the "Harry Potter" series and "The Omen."

Even the common sign "Beware of Dog" depicts a big, black dog, teeth bared and gums dripping. The notion that the animals are menacing is so pervasive that Winston Churchill famously called depression "the black dog."

People are often wary of dark dogs because it's difficult to read their expressions, said Paul Nicosi, the dog behavior specialist at Bide-A-Wee animal shelter in New York City. Without defined eyebrows, a playful grin might be construed as an angry grimace, he said.

"There isn't a lot of contrast between black eyes and a black face, so people can't get a handle on how the dog is feeling," Nicosi said.

Joseph Giannini, owner of the Chicago dog-walking and doggie day care service Urban Out Sitters, said people may subconsciously snub big black dogs because they aren't comfortable with what the pet may say about the owner.

"If I'm out with a Yorkie I definitely get treated very differently than if I'm walking a big Rottweiler or a dark pit bull mix," he said. "You look at the owner of a big, black dog and you might think, `Oh, there's a tough guy. I better avoid him and his mean dog."'

It doesn't help that a quirk of dark-dog biology has led to an overabundance of large, black dogs, said Alex Yaffe, who founded Heartland Lab Rescue, a network for rescuing abandoned Labrador retrievers in Oklahoma. Labradors and pit bulls are resilient dogs who tend to have big litters of five or more, which increases overpopulation.

One black dog, Coal, took more than six months to find a home despite a sweet temperament, excellent recommendations and a featured spot on Yaffe's Web site. "He was just black," Yaffe said. "That was his one offense."

The Web site blackpearldogs.com, a resource devoted to increasing public awareness of the "big black dog phenomenon," offers some lighthearted reasons to adopt a big, black dog: Their color doesn't clash with furniture or clothing, hides dirt well, and is easy to accessorize. In other words, black dogs could be the new black.

The dogs do appeal to those who want protection on walks late at night, or men who seek a canine boost of machismo, said Sandra DeFeo, the co-executive director of the Humane Society of New York.

And there's a certain contingent of dog lovers who specifically seek out black dogs because of their connection to the trendy Black Dog bakery on Martha's Vineyard.

"But either way, feelings aren't based on fact," she said. "Any dog can be friendly or unfriendly -- big, black dogs and little Chihuahuas alike."

[GLOCKMEISTER]

got two Rotties... and all they will do is lick you too death.

[molonlabetn]

[Guest mikedwood]

I dunno about that. I use to have a mutt that looked like a coyote, she weighed about 34 pounds and was the mildest mannered dog ever (except she would get excited about pizza delivery). Took her and the kids on the yuppie dog walk deal and people were petting rotts and pits but would walk 20 feet around the track to get away from Dusty.

I was at a park in Nashville and this lady came up with some wolf hybred that was larger than a bull mastif, he was well mannered and laid down under a picnic table while his owner read. Stuck out a bout a foot on each end. This other lady came walking up with a large rott, spike chain and a scarf, nice looking dog. Next to that wolf he looked like a Yorkie.

Basically I like all nice dogs, mean ones irritate me to no end. Pit. Yorkie I don't care, if it's nice, I love them, if it's mean, it can go to .....

[Fallguy]

LOL....molonlabetn, I thought that was a bloody limb the one on the left had for a second.

[dariks]

Big black dogs rule! Ok, so mine isn't really all that big at 58lbs. The biggest danger she poses is to small kids. When she walks by them here tail has a tendency to knock them on their butt.

[Guest aBRG2far]

Pure Evil, my black lab is named Coal "Cole"

[Guest ScottD]

He's just a big sweety.

Cody:

[Ricochet]

My two black dogs clear the path for me when I'm walking down the street. These are my girls, Da'Kari and Eden.

[creeky]

This really makes me miss mine.

I had two Black Labs about ten years ago... brothers.

Named 'em "Starsky" & "Hutch".

[KahrMan]

I have a big black dog that is part pit bull and part retriever which means he will run through water to bite you...:D

[strickj]

This thread stated out pissing me off about people feeling the need(like everything else)to regulate what they fell is a danger to society.These animals are just like guns.They are only dangerous in the wrong hands,will never hurt anybody,but might just save your butt one day.

Then I scroll down and a warm fuzzy feeling shoots through my veins,and all I can say is aawwww.....how swwweeaaattt

[molonlabetn]

He's just a big sweety.

Cody:

I had a dog that looked just like yours when I was a teenager, a Rottie/Hound mix. I miss him... Max was his name. Thanks for sharing the picture.

[Guest ScottD]

I had a dog that looked just like yours when I was a teenager, a Rottie/Hound mix. I miss him... Max was his name. Thanks for sharing the picture.

I love the hounds. Has a basset when I was younger, and have had Cody since he was 6 months. Were pretty sure he is a pure bread black & tan coon hound, but we don't have any papers for him.

[Guest GT_Rat]

Big black dogs rule! Ok, so mine isn't really all that big at 58lbs. The biggest danger she poses is to small kids. When she walks by them here tail has a tendency to knock them on their butt.

My dog Mica looks identical. She regularly sweeps our coffee table off for us with her tail. You have to be careful to place drinks far from the edge of the table and even then she may smack it. She's about 80lbs and thinks she's a Yorkie. Anyone that comes over will have her in their lap for awhile until she feels she has sufficiently greeted them.

[Guest atomemphis]

i can't help but to say silly/dumb things as if i'm the dog when i see pictures of dogs doing things. and it always makes me laugh.

man i need a dog. stupid apartment rules.

[dariks]

My dog Mica looks identical. She regularly sweeps our coffee table off for us with her tail. You have to be careful to place drinks far from the edge of the table and even then she may smack it. She's about 80lbs and thinks she's a Yorkie. Anyone that comes over will have her in their lap for awhile until she feels she has sufficiently greeted them.

I love how labs think they are small enough to be "lap dogs" though.

[Guest GT_Rat]

I think they get it from when they are puppies. They are small enough then and they are so cute everyone insists on putting them in their laps to pet them.

[Guest killemducks]

I guess my BBD read this thread over my shoulder. He informed me that he was starting the NAABBD. Their first meeting is tomorrow night down at the landfill. Said something about "repairations", genocide and lynching Bob Barker. I am kind of worried about him......

[strickj]

Whats a BBD?

[Fallguy]

Whats a BBD?

Big Black Dog ???

[Guest killemducks]

BIG BLACK DOG!

so much for my attempt to be funny....

[Guest darkstar]

My two black dogs clear the path for me when I'm walking down the street. These are my girls, Da'Kari and Eden.

Wow!!! Those are two fine looking dogs.....

[Marswolf]

How about a LBD?

[Ricochet]

Thanks darkstar!