Remember The Black Dogs On Their National Day

It seems every second day is National This Day, International That Day, and they are generally supporting very good causes, but for us at Greyhounds As Pets, this Saturday, October 1, is a very significant day.

On October 1 each year it is National Black Dog Day, a day where we celebrate our darker coloured dogs, and try to cut through some of the myths which make them not as popular as some of the more distinctively marked dogs.

National Black Dog Day began in 2011 to encourage people to adopt black dogs - across all breeds, and similarly with other breeds, black greyhounds are often overlooked in favour of other coloured greyhounds when it comes to choosing a pet.

“National Black Dog Day is a great initiative to bring awareness to how black dogs can be overlooked when people are adopting a new pet,” Greyhounds As Pets’ Dr Alicia Fuller said. “We see this quite often at our adoption centres which is such a shame as their colour doesn’t affect their ability to make fantastic companions.”

Black Dog Syndrome has been studied for decades but only really gained public awareness in the early 2000s.

There are many reasons given as to why it occurs, and among them are:

The facial features of black dogs are more difficult to distinguish, which hides their personalities and makes it harder to connect with potential adopters.

Movies and television shows often portray big, black dogs as aggressive and intimidating, which could also convince potential adopters to avoid them.

While black isn’t the most common dog color, black dogs are often perceived as ordinary, and people often choose dogs with flashier appearances.

Because black dogs are difficult to photograph, people are not as likely to adopt them based on photos alone.

One person who believes black dogs are just as good and also make outstanding pets, is Olympic gold medal winner, and Greyhounds As Pets ambassador, Jess Fox, who herself fosters a black greyhound, Miss Pink.

“This special day gives a voice to the thousands of loving, wonderful pups with black coats that sit in kennels, waiting longer for a home than their fawn, blue, red and spotty mates,” Jess said.

“I was surprised to learn that black hounds can be hard to rehome. I can tell you from experience with my foster girl, she is just as loving and as much fun as the others.

“So, if you love dogs, adopting or fostering will make a huge difference. Adopting or fostering a black dog goes one step further to help an animal sitting in a kennel longing for a loving family.

“There's no waiting list or difficult search for black dogs since they, unfortunately, get the short end of the adoption stick.”

If you are keen to befriend a black greyhound, head to www.gapnsw.com.au/our-greyhounds and you can check out all the blacks - and the other coloured greyhounds if you must – which we have available for rehoming at our GAP facilities, or give us a call and arrange to head out to either Richmond or Wyee and take a look at our black dogs and see in person how cute and lovable they are.