Biting down on anesthesia-free pet dentistry, By Christie Keith, Special to SF Gate

You've probably seen it advertised on a flyer, pinned to a pet supply store bulletin board: "Anesthesia-free dental cleanings for dogs and cats." You looked at it with interest, maybe even some excitement. Who doesn't want to avoid the risks of anesthesia for their pets, especially older or sick pets? After all, we don't need full anesthesia to get our teeth cleaned, so really, why do our pets? And wouldn't it be nice to get all that nasty tartar off your dog's or cat's teeth and have a fresh, clean mouth breathing in your face first thing in the morning again?
If you look into it a little further, what you'll discover is that during "anesthesia-free dental cleaning," tartar is removed from the visible part of your pet's teeth. The teeth are brushed, then rinsed, and sometimes the mouth is given a visual examination and the teeth polished to the extent the pet allows. After this cleaning, the mouth looks and, at least for a while, smells a lot better. This service is usually offered in grooming shops, sometimes by the owner or staff of the grooming business and sometimes by individuals who visit the shop on a periodic basis.

Dig a little deeper and you might find out that the person offering the service calls him- or herself a "pet dental hygienist" or "pet dental technician." But since there are no recognized licensing, training, certification or registration programs to back them up, those titles are just marketing slogans. Even if the person offering this service is a human dental technician or registered veterinary technician, California law requires that dental operations be performed by or under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. State courts have found that "Without question, the techniques of anesthesia-free teeth cleaning ... fall within the definition of a dental operation."

Where the procedure is done or by whom or even its legality aren't the most important issues, however. "Periodontal disease is a disease of the teeth that occurs below the gum line," says Dr. Steven Holmstrom of the Animal Dental Clinic in San Carlos. "The calculus and tartar that 'anesthesia-free' procedures attempt to remove is above the gum line, on the crown of the tooth. It completely misses the plaque and calculus that are doing the damage below the gum line."

Isn't some cleaning better than none at all? Holmstrom says no: "The teeth can visually look great on the crown. This gives a false sense of security, because, meanwhile, the disease is silently progressing below the gum line."

He expressed concern over serious dental and other health issues that can easily be missed when exams -- even exams done by veterinarians -- are conducted without anesthesia. "All too often we have patients come in that have had repeated, even monthly [anesthesia-free] dental cleanings,'" he said. "We do a clinical exam, correctly anesthetize the patient and take dental radiographs. I've had many patients where multiple extractions were necessary to treat the advanced disease. What might have been easily treated, now was untreatable, except by extractions."

If all that's true, why are so many pet owners afraid to let their pet be anesthetized for a procedure that has so many benefits? The answer is that, just as with humans, anesthesia carries some risk to animals. Respiratory and heart problems can occur and, in rare cases, even death.

Holmstrom, who is a board-certified specialist in veterinary dentistry, agrees that concerns over the safety of anesthesia are the biggest selling point of these procedures. "The chief reason these 'anesthetic-free cleanings' are popular is the public fear of anesthesia," he told me. "But over the past two decades, veterinary anesthesia protocols and drugs have improved dramatically. Anesthesia done properly is much less risky than people imagine, and they should be encouraged not to fear it. They should ask questions, naturally, to ensure their pets will receive optimum care, but as we all know, even very elderly and very young patients can be anesthetized safely."

Nancy Campbell, RVT, DVT, is a registered veterinary technician in the Seattle area. She has been specially trained and certified in advanced dentistry and anesthesia techniques, and maintains a popular Web site devoted to educating pet owners to better understand veterinary medicine and procedures.
"It infuriates me to see the way so many people who perform this procedure use the fear of anesthesia as a marketing tool," she said. "Instead of educating pet owners, they frighten them, then offer something that will supposedly allay their fears. But it doesn't. There's not only no benefit, there's real risk. Worst of all, by intensifying the owner's fear of anesthetizing the pet, they don't only discourage owners from getting proper dental care, but make it harder for the owner to consider letting their dog or cat be anesthetized for other procedures, as well -- even life-saving surgery."
Dental procedures themselves might be considered "life saving." The American Veterinary Medical Association says that "80 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats show signs of oral disease by age three, often indicated by bad breath, a change in eating or chewing habits, pawing at the face and mouth and depression. Besides causing receding gums and tooth loss, the infection may enter the bloodstream, potentially infecting the heart, liver and kidneys." The AVMA calls oral disease "the most frequently diagnosed health problem for pets."

Although some pet owners might be unaware of the need for pet dental care, they aren't the main market for anesthesia-free dental cleanings. It is, in fact, those pet owners who are most concerned about their pets' health who are drawn to what they perceive as a safer way to get needed care for their dog or cat. What they don't realize is that it's not possible to properly examine and clean a dog or cat's teeth without anesthesia -- and that's something a lot of pet owners find extremely confusing. Why do we anesthetize pets to do dental procedures that in humans are usually done without anesthesia?

If we could explain to the pet what we're doing and that they need to hold still, if we were able to put equipment in their mouths to prevent them from inhaling dental debris, if we could be sure they wouldn't move during the procedure, then there would be no more reason to anesthetize them for a dental examination and cleaning than there would be for a human being. But that isn't the case. Animals who are appropriately anesthetized are not afraid, not in pain, and are completely restrained, permitting an unrestricted dental examination and cleaning.

There is an even greater benefit to doing dental cleanings on an anesthetized pet: protecting the lungs. Campbell explained that, during cleaning, tartar and other debris from the mouth can be inhaled by the pet, which can lead to pneumonia and other respiratory complications. "This is why we use a cuffed endotracheal tube," she said, "which can only be used if the pet is under general anesthesia: to protect the airway and the lungs from accidental aspiration during a dental cleaning."

Of course, knowing all this, many pet owners will just feel more uncertain about what to do. Sure, dental disease is scary. So is anesthesia. What can pet owners do to minimize the risks of both?

While some of the tendency to poor dental health in pets is due to genetics, some of it is due to things we can control. Daily brushing of your pet's teeth really does make a difference in their dental health. You can ask your veterinarian about new products that help prevent dental disease in your pets. And you can think about diet and how it might impact their oral health. While wild animals eating their natural, wild diet can suffer broken teeth and other dental problems, they rarely have problems with tartar.

The other way to minimize the risk of anesthesia is to get truly expert veterinary care for any procedure requiring anesthesia. Anesthesia protocols, for dentistry or any other procedure, should be individualized and state-of-the-art. Your dog or cat must have an IV catheter inserted; this isn't optional. Make sure that there is a trained staff member whose only task during your pet's procedure is monitoring his or her body temperature, heart rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, oxygen levels and other important vital signs. During anesthesia, your pet should be kept well hydrated and warm.

Talk to the veterinarian doing the procedure about pain control and treatment. Analgesia -- the control of pain -- has advanced enormously in recent years in veterinary medicine and has been shown to reduce the stress of anesthesia and surgery and to improve recovery rates. Proper pain control can also reduce the amount of anesthesia used during the dental procedure.

While there are fewer than a hundred board-certified veterinary dental specialists in the United States, several of them practice in the Bay Area, including Holmstrom. You can locate a diplomate of the AVDC by searching on their Web site.

Black dogs languish in shelters.

For many awaiting adoption, the speed with which they find a home may rest not on their breed, gender or age but on one trait that has no bearing on their personality or temperament.
Skeptics say the syndrome is an urban legend, but shelter and rescue leaders insist the phenomenon is very, very real.

"It definitely exists," said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. She cited many causes, not the least of which is a misperception that black dogs are mean. "It's that old thing of light is good and dark is evil. The light-versus-dark thing is so ingrained in our consciousness in books and movies. It transfers subliminally in picking out a dog."

It doesn't help that many would-be pet owners now start their search on shelter and rescue websites, where animals' back stories are often written up like the treatment for some Lifetime heart-tugger, each bio accompanied with a canine glamour shot. The problem: Black dogs often don't photograph well. Facial features disappear, and animals can appear less expressive.

"You can't see their eyes very well, and people seem to connect with the eyes," said Ricky Whitman, spokeswoman for Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA.

When prospective adopters do venture to a shelter, black dogs sometimes fade away into the kennel shadows. "They almost become invisible," Bernstein said.

Reliable quantitative studies on the problem are few, and Ed Boks, general manager of the Los Angeles Animal Services department, said his data indicate black dog syndrome is a myth.

In the last 12 months, he said, 27% of the 30,046 dogs taken in by his department were predominantly or all black. Of those that were adopted, 28% were predominantly or all black, he said.

Whitman said the question isn't whether a black dog will get adopted, but how long it will take. The average wait at her shelter is two weeks, she said. Black dogs may linger two months.

Karen Terpstra, who until recently was executive director of the Humane Society of Kent County in Michigan, said the problem is national. "We'd have a purebred black Lab, 2 or 3 years old, pretty much the perfect age, and it would sit there for weeks waiting to get adopted," said Terpstra, now chief operations officer for SPCA Cincinnati. "A tan Lab would go in days."

The lengthened stays create additional problems: Because black dogs are harder to place in homes, shelters often have a glut. "Then you have the problem of people thinking they're ordinary and common, not unusual and interesting," Bernstein said.

To combat the problem, savvy shelters keep their black dogs in their best-lighted kennels. A bright bandanna around the neck helps a dark animal stand out, and colorful toys can lessen the fear factor.

Last year Terpstra's former shelter in Michigan and the Austin Humane Society in Texas independently launched a Black Friday campaign on the day after Thanksgiving, reducing the adoption fee for any black animal. Mike Arms, president of the nonprofit Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, created a program to help black cats, which he said encounter the same challenges as black dogs. Arms' campaign offers a free dark-haired feline with the adoption of any other cat. The program's name: Me and My Shadow.

The Pasadena shelter goes a step further, training dogs to venture from the depths of the kennels to come sit in front as visitors walk by. "People are charmed," Whitman said, and the dogs have a better chance of making a connection. And when all else fails, Bernstein said, SPCA-LA staff encourages adults to bring their children to shelters. "Sometimes," she said, "kids don't see color the way grown-ups do."

Say hello to our new black dog rescue, Elliott!

Elliott was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Chatsworth by a nice woman who found she was allergic to his fur. Our family could not resist this little mini version of Libby so now we are proud to introduce Elliott Gerber, who is about 3 years old, a spaniel mix of some kind who just got neutered and fully vetted two weeks ago.
He loves walks on the leash with his new friend Libby, loves chicken, bread, won't eat hotdogs and likes to sleep in the bed. More as we get to know our new adopted little boy!

Elliott found a perfect home with a retired couple who want a lap warmer and seems very happy!

Black Dog Bias? Sit, discuss!

For many canines awaiting adoption, the speed with which they find a home may rest not on their breed, gender or age but on one trait that has no bearing on their personality or temperament.

Shelter officials have dubbed it black dog syndrome -- the propensity of dark-coated animals to be passed over for adoption in favor of their lighter counterparts.


Skeptics say the syndrome is an urban legend, but shelter and rescue leaders insist the phenomenon is very, very real.

"It definitely exists," said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. She cited many causes, not the least of which is a misperception that black dogs are mean. "It's that old thing of light is good and dark is evil. The light-versus-dark thing is so ingrained in our consciousness in books and movies. It transfers subliminally in picking out a dog."

It doesn't help that many would-be pet owners now start their search on shelter and rescue websites, where animals' back stories are often written up like the treatment for some Lifetime heart-tugger, each bio accompanied with a canine glamour shot. The problem: Black dogs often don't photograph well. Facial features disappear, and animals can appear less expressive.

"You can't see their eyes very well, and people seem to connect with the eyes," said Ricky Whitman, spokeswoman for Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA.

When prospective adopters do venture to a shelter, black dogs sometimes fade away into the kennel shadows. "They almost become invisible," Bernstein said.

Reliable quantitative studies on the problem are few, and Ed Boks, general manager of the Los Angeles Animal Services department, said his data indicate black dog syndrome is a myth.

In the last 12 months, he said, 27% of the 30,046 dogs taken in by his department were predominantly or all black. Of those that were adopted, 28% were predominantly or all black, he said.

Whitman said the question isn't whether a black dog will get adopted, but how long it will take. The average wait at her shelter is two weeks, she said. Black dogs may linger two months.

Karen Terpstra, who until recently was executive director of the Humane Society of Kent County in Michigan, said the problem is national. "We'd have a purebred black Lab, 2 or 3 years old, pretty much the perfect age, and it would sit there for weeks waiting to get adopted," said Terpstra, now chief operations officer for SPCA Cincinnati. "A tan Lab would go in days."

The lengthened stays create additional problems: Because black dogs are harder to place in homes, shelters often have a glut. "Then you have the problem of people thinking they're ordinary and common, not unusual and interesting," Bernstein said.

To combat the problem, savvy shelters keep their black dogs in their best-lighted kennels. A bright bandanna around the neck helps a dark animal stand out, and colorful toys can lessen the fear factor.

Last year Terpstra's former shelter in Michigan and the Austin Humane Society in Texas independently launched a Black Friday campaign on the day after Thanksgiving, reducing the adoption fee for any black animal. Mike Arms, president of the nonprofit Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, created a program to help black cats, which he said encounter the same challenges as black dogs. Arms' campaign offers a free dark-haired feline with the adoption of any other cat. The program's name: Me and My Shadow.

The Pasadena shelter goes a step further, training dogs to venture from the depths of the kennels to come sit in front as visitors walk by. "People are charmed," Whitman said, and the dogs have a better chance of making a connection. And when all else fails, Bernstein said, SPCA-LA staff encourages adults to bring their children to shelters. "Sometimes," she said, "kids don't see color the way grown-ups do."

Our Human Hero of the month, Tamara Delaney!

Black Dogs Face a Hard Choice at Shelter

Don't judge a dog by his color

Originally posted by Deb Hipp

When Tamara Delaney of Woodville, Wis., volunteered to find a home for a black Labrador Retriever named Jake last year, she had no idea what she was up against. Jake, cared for by a rescue group, had already waited nearly three years for a new home. And he would wait eight more months as Delaney tried to find someone to take in the big Lab.
It didn’t matter much that Jake was a sociable dog and in perfect health. Jake’s problem wasn’t his temperament—it was the color of his coat. Jake bore the stigma of the “BBD,” an acronym used to refer to big black dogs, who are frequently passed over for flashier, prettier dogs and wind up, like Jake, waiting for years to be adopted.
“Nobody wants a black-coated dog,” rescue workers told Delaney as she tried without success to find a home for Jake. And when Delaney turned to the Internet, she found that shelters across the country were overflowing with black-coated mutts.
“Please don’t overlook our black dogs,” rescue groups pleaded on their home pages above pictures of Rottweilers, Chows and Labs sporting bright bandanas. One shelter’s website just came right out with the grim truth: “The general public is not aware of how doomed black dogs are when they are brought to a pound.”
The more Delaney learned about the numbers of black dogs in shelters, the more determined she grew to make a difference—one black dog at a time. She started by adopting Jake, the overlooked Lab. But Jake would not be the only black dog in Delaney’s life.
Her newly acquired insight into the plight of the BBD inspired her to create a website devoted to them. Last November, Delaney launched http://www.blackpearldogs.com/ and named her new site “Contrary to Ordinary: The Black Pearls of the Dog World.” Since its inception, the Black Pearl Dogs website has been visited by more than 7,500 people.
“I’m starting to become a middle-person between shelters and rescues, to get their black dogs off death row,” says Delaney, whose inbox fills with email from shelters and rescue groups asking her to post pictures on her website of black dogs who were passed up on the way to the Golden Retrievers.
When Amy Chase read about Delaney’s Black Pearl site on an Internet message board this spring, she had a big black dog of her own to worry about. Five months earlier, animal control officers had dropped off Mickie, a Newfoundland mix, at the Ohio County Animal Shelter in Rising Sun, Ind., where Chase works. Looking for ways to make Mickie more interesting to those who visited the shelter, Chase highlighted his Newfie heritage, but nothing seemed to work.
To potential adoptors, “He was just another big, black, hairy dog,” recalls Chase. Mickie was scheduled for euthanasia in May, so Chase contacted Delaney, who in turn posted Mickie’s picture on the Black Pearl website. She also cross-posted it on other adoption sites, including Jen Wold’s Gemini Rottweiler and Pit Bull Rescue, where Delaney had found Jake. Before long, Mickie was no longer just another black dog, but the focus of three optimistic women and their commitment to finding him a home.
Most black dogs have to rely on shelter staff and volunteers to steer potential adoptors their way. And indeed, many shelters take extra steps to make black dogs more adoptable, according to Kate Pullen, director of animal sheltering issues at the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C. Teaching the dogs tricks, putting placards on kennels highlighting the dog’s personality (“I may just be a black dog, but I know how to balance a biscuit on my nose.”), making sure multiple black dogs aren’t kenneled next to one other—anything to catch the eye and imagination of potential adoptors.
“I’ve had to turn away many black dogs because I can’t fill the place up with them,” says Jill Wimmer, shelter manager at PAWS Atlanta, that city’s oldest and largest no-kill shelter. “And every one I turned away had a great temperament.” Wimmer knows that she can likely adopt out three dogs in the time it takes to find a home for one BBD.
Delaney’s advocacy for Mickie eventually paid off when Shonna Crompton of Ada, Minn., went online in April and came across Mickie’s forlorn face—stamped URGENT—on Wold’s Gemini Rescue site. “I couldn’t just let him die,” says Crompton.
In May, Delaney, Chase and Wold arranged for a network of volunteers to transport Mickie nearly 500 miles from Rising Sun, Ind., to Madison, Wisc. Crompton’s husband Shane drove Mickie another 400 miles to his new home in northern Minnesota. “His hip bones were protruding and his belly was sunken,” recalls Crompton of her first meeting with Mickie. “But he just sprawled out on the grass like it was the best feeling on the planet.”
Right now, Delaney is feeling pretty good herself, and hopes that her website, which is filled with black-dog facts, convinces more people to give a BBD a chance. She works for all the black dogs waiting in shelters and foster homes, and for the ones who never got a chance to know what it was like to play and be loved, she says. “I mostly just hope it helps people become aware of how overlooked and underadopted these dogs are,” says Delaney. “I had one person tell me, ‘Thank you for being an advocate for the black dog, because nobody else is.’”

Where did you find YOUR black dog?

Was it the shelter or a stray? A breeder, a friend, craigslist or somewhere else? This is Libby, whom we found seeking a forever home on c.l. She was rescued from a high kill pound when she was 5 months old by her past owner who gave her to us in April of this year when he decided he wasn't able to give her the time and attention and exercise she needs daily. She is a great example of how wonderful a black dog can be!

Share your story!

Black dog Bias?

For many dogs awaiting adoption, the speed with which they find a home may rest not on their breed, gender or age but on one trait that has no bearing on their personality or temperament.

Shelter officials have dubbed it black dog syndrome -- the propensity of dark-coated animals to be passed over for adoption in favor of their lighter counterparts.

Skeptics say the syndrome is an urban legend, but shelter and rescue leaders insist the phenomenon is very, very real.

"It definitely exists," said Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. She cited many causes, not the least of which is a misperception that black dogs are mean. "It's that old thing of light is good and dark is evil. The light-versus-dark thing is so ingrained in our consciousness in books and movies. It transfers subliminally in picking out a dog."

It doesn't help that many would-be pet owners now start their search on shelter and rescue websites, where animals' back stories are often written up like the treatment for some Lifetime heart-tugger, each bio accompanied with a canine glamour shot. The problem: Black dogs often don't photograph well. Facial features disappear, and animals can appear less expressive.

"You can't see their eyes very well, and people seem to connect with the eyes," said Ricky Whitman, spokeswoman for Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA.

When prospective adopters do venture to a shelter, black dogs sometimes fade away into the kennel shadows. "They almost become invisible," Bernstein said.

Reliable quantitative studies on the problem are few, and Ed Boks, general manager of the Los Angeles Animal Services department, said his data indicate black dog syndrome is a myth.

In the last 12 months, he said, 27% of the 30,046 dogs taken in by his department were predominantly or all black. Of those that were adopted, 28% were predominantly or all black, he said.

Whitman said the question isn't whether a black dog will get adopted, but how long it will take. The average wait at her shelter is two weeks, she said. Black dogs may linger two months.

Karen Terpstra, who until recently was executive director of the Humane Society of Kent County in Michigan, said the problem is national. "We'd have a purebred black Lab, 2 or 3 years old, pretty much the perfect age, and it would sit there for weeks waiting to get adopted," said Terpstra, now chief operations officer for SPCA Cincinnati. "A tan Lab would go in days."

The lengthened stays create additional problems: Because black dogs are harder to place in homes, shelters often have a glut. "Then you have the problem of people thinking they're ordinary and common, not unusual and interesting," Bernstein said.

To combat the problem, savvy shelters keep their black dogs in their best-lighted kennels. A bright bandanna around the neck helps a dark animal stand out, and colorful toys can lessen the fear factor.

Last year Terpstra's former shelter in Michigan and the Austin Humane Society in Texas independently launched a Black Friday campaign on the day after Thanksgiving, reducing the adoption fee for any black animal. Mike Arms, president of the nonprofit Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, created a program to help black cats, which he said encounter the same challenges as black dogs. Arms' campaign offers a free dark-haired feline with the adoption of any other cat. The program's name: Me and My Shadow.

The Pasadena shelter goes a step further, training dogs to venture from the depths of the kennels to come sit in front as visitors walk by. "People are charmed," Whitman said, and the dogs have a better chance of making a connection. And when all else fails, Bernstein said, SPCA-LA staff encourages adults to bring their children to shelters. "Sometimes," she said, "kids don't see color the way grown-ups do."

Weekdays Black Dog Playgroup in Newbury Park! STARTING AGAIN IN AUGUST!

School is back in session! Once again we start our weekday Black Dog Club playdates at 9:30a.m. at Wendy Park.
Hikes on Wendy Trail at Potrero and Wendy can be joined daily as well at 8:20 am. Confirm so we can meet and walk the packs to dudeistmom@hotmail.com

Start a monthly BLACK DOG WALK!

JOIN THE PACK!

WHO: Anyone and everyone with a black dog. All ages, shapes and sizes of people and pooches are welcome. We strongly encourage area shelters or rescue groups to come and walk a dog in need of a home. If your dog is in need of a home, put your dog in an “adopt me” bandana or t-shirt to help draw attention to him. Let's spread the word about Black Dog Syndrome.

All dogs must be on a leash and up to date on vaccinations. Please be sure to pick up after your dog.
WHAT: Social gathering for you and your black dog to spread awareness about Black Dog Syndrome. You and your dog will stroll through a Park with other black dogs and their people. The Black Dog Walk is a wonderful way to meet other dog lovers while socializing and exercising your dog. You don’t need to sign up or pay a fee to join. You don’t even need to make a long term commitment. If you have a black dog and some spare time on a Saturday or Sunday morning, find a pack near you and help make a difference for homeless black dogs!

WHERE: The Black Dog Walk is happening in communities across the country. The first walk took place on Saturday, August 29, 2009 in Liberty Park, Salt Lake City, Utah. Before the first walk even happened we had folks from across the nation looking to find a walk close to them.
WHEN: The Black Dog Walk is a regular event. (weather permitting) The walks usually take place weekly or monthly on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Please email dudeistchick@hotmail.com to find the next date!
WHY: Homeless black dogs get overlooked every day. They are the last to find homes and the first to be euthanized. By walking black dogs together and promoting the black dogs in need of forever homes, we will spread awareness about Black Dog Syndrome and begin to change the odds for homeless black dogs.

Please pass this along to your friends and family. The larger the crowds, the more attention we will bring to Black Dog Syndrome. Do your part to help change the odds and help black dogs find loving forever homes.
Hope to see you there!
 Thousand Oaks, California! Let's get started in a community near you. I will post the event on our blog and facebook page so others can find you. We will post a flyer on your page so that any one of your pack members can print it and post it on local community bulletin boards in grocery stores, pet stores, veterinary offices, grooming salons or shelters, to help get the word out. Send us pictures of your pack members, adoption success stories or other tidbits about your pack. We'll add it all to your packs page.
All it takes to get a walk started in a community near you is someone willing to be a point of contact. Black Dog Club will do all that we can to help make your walks a success, but we need a point of contact in your community that is passionate about black dogs and willing to commit to walking at the majority of the black dog walks in your area. If this person is you, please let us know! Leave a message on this blog or email dudeistchick@gmail.com to tell us you are interested in starting a black dog walk in your community.

GET OUT AND WALK

HELP CHANGE THE ODDS FOR BLACK DOGS

THANK YOU

Visit your local shelter!

“Have you ever been to the shelter, walked down a line of kennels and seen mostly black dogs? Many times black dogs seem to be overlooked in favor of lighter colored dogs. There are different theories behind this, maybe its because they are harder to see in the back of their kennel, so there isn’t an instant connection. Maybe the photographs you see on the website aren’t able to depict their features as well as a light tan or brown dog. No matter what the theory behind this phenomenon is the fact remains, black dogs are the most commonly overlooked type of dog in shelters.
The fact is, the color of the dog has no bearing on his or her temperament, behavior or health. Dogs come in all sorts of sizes and colors each with its own personality. It is this personality that draws us to them, not the color of their fur. Remember this the next time you are looking to add a new family member, take a good look at who is in that kennel, you might just find your new best friend.”

Have you opened your heart to a black dog today?

Did you know that many wonderful dogs are overlooked at shelters across the nation every day simply because of the color of their fur? Black is the most common color of dog that you’ll find at any shelter. Most shelters find that black dogs, especially large ones, are often the most difficult to place into forever homes.
As an adopter, you have the power to make a real difference in the life of a black shelter dog--a dog often slighted by other adopters in favor of a more colorful companion. Join others in experiencing the joys of having a black dog in your life and adopt one today!