Black Dog Barkapalooza in DMN - Write LTE, Attend Event, & Cross Post, Please

[Guest guest]

The Dallas Morning News Sunday, Sept 28 article (below) presents a good opportunity for Letter to the Editor regarding: --Support of dog adoption (as opposed to purchase) --How animals suffer because of human misconception and prejudice The print media likes to publish letters on their own articles, so those who speak for animals today have a good chance of getting a letter published.DMN LTE: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgiBy the way, I know for a fact that Noah, mentioned in the below article, is an exceptional 8 month old, healthy, intelligent, and very sweet dog whom anyone should be thrilled to have in one's home. He just deserves a chance. As Animal Guardians of America is the official charity of Vegetarian Network of Dallas, I get to

know some of the dogs. I was fortunate indeed to make the acquaintance of Noah, a truly wonderful dog.Please attend Saturday, 10/4/08 Barkapalooza. Cross Post Widely, Please!Thanks very much.Margaret Morinhttp://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/092808dnmetblackpups.d2bfad.html'Black Dog Barkapalooza' aims to boost adoptions of black dogs

08:15 PM CDT on Saturday, September 27, 2008

By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News myoung

 

CELINA – Big and strong

with a face radiating pure joy, Julian sweeps his tail back and forth

in a fast, smooth arc, like a windshield wiper in a gully washer. NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

(Left to right) Julian, an American Staffordshire Terrier mix, and

Annette Lambert, president and founder of Animal Guardians in Celina,

Texas. View larger More photos Photo store

But Julian, as happy a dog as you're likely to see, faces life with a

couple of huge impediments. He's big. He's black. And that means he's

likely to wait far longer to be adopted than a smaller, light-colored

dog. In the world of animal rescue, they call this

phenomenon Black Dog Syndrome. For those that spend weeks and months on

adoption lists. For the dogs that head off week after week to pet fairs

and return unclaimed when they're over. For Julian, home

for now is a dusty property at the edge of a gravel road in Celina,

home base for Animal Guardians of America and its leader, Annette

Lambert. Ms. Lambert, soft-spoken and a little shy,

speaks passionately for her charges, many of which are rescues from

city pounds on their way to being euthanized. "We have a

lot of great dogs out here," she said, "and a preponderance are black

dogs, because they're so difficult to adopt out. "But black doggies need homes, too."

To that end, Animal Guardians will hold a "Black Dog Barkapalooza" on

Saturday at the PetSmart at 12100 Inwood Road, just north of Forest

Lane in Dallas. But they realize that even with specific events and education, they face a challenge.

"Three or four years ago, we'd hold an event and adopt out seven or

eight dogs," said volunteer Steve Hurst. "Now we might have one

adopted." Blame the economy, and a movement toward smaller dogs. But don't discount the black dog factor.

Maura Davies of the SPCA of Texas said there is no doubt that big dogs

– more than 35 pounds – are more difficult to place than smaller dogs. And if those big dogs are black, the wait can be a lot longer, for a couple of reasons.

Black dogs are much more difficult to photograph – their eyes blend in

with the color of their fur, so it's difficult for someone looking for

a dog on the Internet to feel a connection, said Mr. Hurst, who with

wife Vicki fosters dogs that need homes. Then there are perceptions.

Big, black dogs remind many people of guard dogs. And if there's a

menacing dog in a film, chances are it's black – like The Grim in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. English folklore is filled with tales of big black dogs haunting the moors and prowling graveyards. "It's a stereotype," said Jonnie England, a longtime leader in pet rescue, "and the animals suffer." Even breeds seen as cuddly are routinely ignored.

"We have a Newfoundland-mix; his name is Noah," Mr. Hurst said. "People

say, 'What a beautiful dog, what a precious face,' but there's no

interest. "That's particularly true of these bigger dogs." Still, rescuers realize that adoption events are the best hope the dark dogs have.

Natalie and Bob Blankenship of Dallas foster two black dogs for Animal

Guardians – a husky-shepherd mix named Josie, and a three-legged

Belgian shepherd-chow mix named Clifford. "I think any

dog, black or not, is going to get more attention when people are

one-on-one with them," Mrs. Blankenship said. "That's when their

personality shines. And Clifford is just a ham." Animal

Guardians have more than 40 black dogs in their care. And hopefully,

Barkapalooza is when Clifford and the others finally get new families

to love them. "These dogs are a joy to me," Ms. Lambert

said, "and I love each and every one of them. I can't help but get

attached, but I know they need real homes. "When that happens, I'm happy for them. But I still miss them." IF YOU GO What: Black Dog "Barkapalooza" When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 Where: PetSmart, 12100 Inwood Road in Dallas Details: About 40 BBDs – Big Black Dogs – will be available for adoption; kids' entertainment provided Web site: www.animalguardians.com BLACK DOGS IN FICTION

Black dogs have long been subject to mistrust and outright animosity,

often because of the way they're portrayed. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,

author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, borrowed from English folklore

in describing one particularly fearsome example:

"A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as

mortal eyes have seen. Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed

with a smoldering glare, its muzzle and hackles and dewlaps were

outlined in flickering flame. Never in the delirious dream of a

disordered brain could anything more savage, more appalling, more

hellish be conceived than that dark form and savage face which broke

upon us out of the wall of fog." The Hound of the Baskervilles