SkySoaringMagpie Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It is part of some Islamic traditions about dogs and there are specific instructions to kill black dogs in the Hadiths. It's not in the Quran and many consider it to be a pre-Islam arab belief. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lillynix Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Hardy's Angel, i've seen the black girl you have atm, and I think she's GORGEOUS! But then, i'm a Grey lover/owner and I love black dogs. I don't have any colour preference when it comes to dogs, but if I could pick any colour, i'd go black as it just looks cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 For some reason in America people seem to have this uncomfortable feeling with Black dogs, I guess you can liken it to the uncomfortable feeling people here have of Brindle dogs.....in reality it doesn't really make sense but it's what's in peoples heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniek Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Personally, the only hassle I have ever found with black dogs is that they are damn near invisible in the dark! Nope - the black ones stand out in the dark, it's the brindle ones that completely vanish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 It helps to have a goofy smile when you are a big black dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Hardy's Angel, i've seen the black girl you have atm, and I think she's GORGEOUS! But then, i'm a Grey lover/owner and I love black dogs.I don't have any colour preference when it comes to dogs, but if I could pick any colour, i'd go black as it just looks cool Black also goes well with most other colours so buying nice coats and jammies for them is so much easier :p Grace is an absolute sweetheart of a dog but people cross the street to avoid us, even though she's fairly small for a grey and has a very "nice" face. It's kind of funny because everyone wants to pat Kiff (the grumpy, old man dog who prefers to be left alone) while Grace is an attention-whore and she gets ignored or avoided. Of course, jammies do make a fair bit of difference- whack some pink pajamas on a dog and it'd have to be chewing on someone's leg before people would reconsider coming over to pat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelaa17 Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 I just don't know why people have what Cesar called 'Black Dog Syndrome'??? It's not exactly a new or unknown problem, there are actually some reacue groups that rehome just the blacks. http://www.blackpearldogs.com/ Blacks make up a substantial proportion of greyhounds (I can't remember the exact percentage but it's over 60%) and the blacks have always been the hardest for us to rehome. I actually have a small pile of applications on my desk right now, all of them set aside because they wanted "unusual" or "pretty" or "rare" coloured dogs (sadly, those are some of the actual words used in the applications)- and the current foster girl is just black. The colours people prefer in greyhounds seem to be fawn and blue, in particular, parti colour fawn or blues. We've actually only ever had two parti dogs, one of those was white with black (although she was cat-safe so rehomed very quickly) and the other was white and fawn (the greyhound on the right in my signature) but she failed small dog testing twice and was not suitable for rehoming. It's really quite disappointing that people would still prefer looks over temperament, our current foster is a lovely girl (very intelligent, gets along beautifully with other dogs and she's very people-oriented) but as soon as you tell people what colour she is, the interest in her disappears completely. I actually think black is the prettiest colour on greyhounds... how sad:( A black greyhound with a decent coat (as opposed to the fluffy brownish colour they often are when surrendered) usually actually looks a lot nicer than most of the other colours. A shiny black coat allows you to see the muscles beneath it really well and it looks stunning if you can get the lighting right. This is a picture of a foster boy we had- Getting the coat glossy takes a little bit of work (we use a Furminator to strip out the brown fluff) but it makes a huge difference. Edited to add.. The hound in the photo above hadn't been groomed for the picture, he probably could've looked a bit glossier with a few minutes of grooming. beautiful looking dog! Is it weird to be able to see GSD muscles? Whenever I see greyhounds and they're front (biceps???) I just want to touch them! They're incredible... what is weird is that Max (1yr 9 mnths) - you can see HIS muscles in the same spot. I know GSD are very lean dogs - and max is EXTREMELY lean - we get a lot of comments on his size which is nice - makes me feel like I've done something right!! and I can actually see his muscles beneath his reasonable long hair - is that weird?? we also do get comments on Jennas shape as well. I have been very blesses to have such good looking dogs - and their coats (MAx's especially) are incredibly shiny and smooth. I will have to take a picture so you guys can see!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelaa17 Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 After having had a white dog and now having one black/brindle dog and one chocolate brown dog I will always prefer dark over light.Reason? For some strange reason white hair seems to show up on everything yet dark hair seems to blend in. I used to have to vacuum every day with the white dog but with these other two I can get away with every couple of days. I know they still shed but it doesn't seem to show as much as white fur. that I can definitely vouch for!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelaa17 Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 (edited) Ha. This is so true. My friends brother walked in on us sharing a cuppa and noticed my black lab under my chair. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Apparently she had evil eyes....though I dont know how he could see her eyes from the other side of the kitchen. I recon movies have a part to play in this too. Threatening dogs are always dark and the hero dogs are usually paler. Probably a bit like the 'knight in shining armour' and dark clothed villian idea. Personally I like the shine on a black coat. what I'd like to note is that in 'I Am Legend' with Will Smith - the hero dog is a GSD!! :p ;) and he was dark but tri coloured! Edited April 29, 2011 by Leelaa17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelaa17 Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 It helps to have a goofy smile when you are a big black dog What a fantastic looking dog!!!! I love the last photo - he is ACTUALLY smiling!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corrie Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I just don't know why people have what Cesar called 'Black Dog Syndrome'??? It's not exactly a new or unknown problem, there are actually some reacue groups that rehome just the blacks. http://www.blackpearldogs.com/ Blacks make up a substantial proportion of greyhounds (I can't remember the exact percentage but it's over 60%) and the blacks have always been the hardest for us to rehome. I actually have a small pile of applications on my desk right now, all of them set aside because they wanted "unusual" or "pretty" or "rare" coloured dogs (sadly, those are some of the actual words used in the applications)- and the current foster girl is just black. The colours people prefer in greyhounds seem to be fawn and blue, in particular, parti colour fawn or blues. We've actually only ever had two parti dogs, one of those was white with black (although she was cat-safe so rehomed very quickly) and the other was white and fawn (the greyhound on the right in my signature) but she failed small dog testing twice and was not suitable for rehoming. It's really quite disappointing that people would still prefer looks over temperament, our current foster is a lovely girl (very intelligent, gets along beautifully with other dogs and she's very people-oriented) but as soon as you tell people what colour she is, the interest in her disappears completely. I actually think black is the prettiest colour on greyhounds... how sad:( Same here, Fuzzy. A while back I saw a lady walking her Greyhound around the local shoppping strip. The lady was well dressed and her beautiful black Greyhound was wearing a thick leopard print greyhound collar. They both looked very classy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I'm sure I've read about the black dog adoption problem in a scientific paper. I bet I have it in my library somewhere. I can take a look if anyone is interested. I don't think it is typically a conscious thing for most people. They are spoilt for choice when it comes to adopting a dog and have the luxury to follow their gut reactions and subconscious biases. People also think dogs with deeper barks sound more aggressive. It's not them being stupid, it's their brain making risk assessments based on the information it has. When one can afford to discriminate on perceived risk alone, they do. That is not so surprising, and is not the same as them judging a dog on looks rather than temperament or any other similarly conscious and rational thought process. Having said all that, I am a complete sucker for a sleek, shiny black animal. Ravens, panthers, dogs and cats, horses... and if they happen to have clean, white markings, all the better. It's entirely an aesthetic thing for me. Is that sad because I'm judging an animal on their looks? I've wanted a black cat called Atticus since I first read To Kill A Mockingbird back in 9th grade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelaa17 Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashsmum Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 (edited) We have a black greyhound (and used to have black great dane and blask foster grey) and people often asked if they're aggressive. We now have a blue dane, and people love her! Our greyhound usually has his muzzle on, so maybe that contributes to it as well. He is the lovliest sook, and just wants cuddles, and once people realise that, they think he's wonderful. It's that first impression that gets them! Edited April 29, 2011 by Flashsmum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsrawesome Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Ha. This is so true. My friends brother walked in on us sharing a cuppa and noticed my black lab under my chair. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Apparently she had evil eyes....though I dont know how he could see her eyes from the other side of the kitchen. I recon movies have a part to play in this too. Threatening dogs are always dark and the hero dogs are usually paler. Probably a bit like the 'knight in shining armour' and dark clothed villian idea. Personally I like the shine on a black coat. what I'd like to note is that in 'I Am Legend' with Will Smith - the hero dog is a GSD!! :p ;) and he was dark but tri coloured! I refuse to watch i am legend for the fact they kill him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Well, I have three black dogs and I wouldn't swap them for the world. I like them dark, and the darker the better. If there's a black option in a breed, I'd choose that over any other colour. My blackest is Benson, his colouring is unusual for the breed in this country....the all black face in particular....but not so uncommon in America's west where the breed was developed. I'd have had four black dogs given half a chance but my little blueberry pie, Shae, came along so she's our patchy, faded black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Ha. This is so true. My friends brother walked in on us sharing a cuppa and noticed my black lab under my chair. He nearly jumped out of his skin. Apparently she had evil eyes....though I dont know how he could see her eyes from the other side of the kitchen. I recon movies have a part to play in this too. Threatening dogs are always dark and the hero dogs are usually paler. Probably a bit like the 'knight in shining armour' and dark clothed villian idea. Personally I like the shine on a black coat. what I'd like to note is that in 'I Am Legend' with Will Smith - the hero dog is a GSD!! :p ;) and he was dark but tri coloured! I refuse to watch i am legend for the fact they kill him Me too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubiton Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I have heard of it in the US - didn't think there was such a problem here! Our dog is black and she prefers black dogs - its hard to believe they would be the last to be placed in homes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Having been rescuing dogs for around 6 years now, I have found that the dogs that have taken the longest to rehome (12 months plus) were all large adult male brindles. I have had a few black fosters, and none of them were long-termers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Having been rescuing dogs for around 6 years now, I have found that the dogs that have taken the longest to rehome (12 months plus) were all large adult male brindles. I have had a few black fosters, and none of them were long-termers. We never had trouble rehoming the brindles, lots of people commented they look like skinny tigers so I guess it was the perception they were "exotic" that made them so easy to rehome. Someone really needs to start a rumour that black greyhounds are a rare dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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