THE ORDINARY BLACK DOG

At the Rocky Mountain Lab Rescue site, I saw the following.

TOP TEN REASONS TO ADOPT A BLACK DOG

10. BLACK DOGS ARE EASY TO FIND IN THE SNOW

9. BLACK DOGS ABSORB HEAT... PERFECT FOR COZYING UP TO ON A COLD WINTER NIGHT.

8. A BLACK DOG CAN MAKE YOU APPEAR THINNER

7. BLACK DOGS EXCEL AT NIGHT TIME GAMES OF HIDE AND SEEK

6.BLACK DOGS NEVER LOOK DIRTY (my favorite)

5. BLACK GOES WITH EVERYTHING SO YOUR BLACK DOG WILL ALWAYS BE COORDINATED WITH ALL OF YOUR OUTFITS.

4. A BLACK DOG ALWAYS LOOKS PRESENTABLE ON ANY FORMAL OCCASION.

3. BLACK IS A COMBINATION OF EVERY COLOR IN THE SPECTRUM, SO YOU WILL ACTUALLY HAVE A DOG WHO IS BLUE, GREEN, RED, ETC.,

2. BLACK DOG HAIR BECOMES INVISIBLE WHEN STUCK TO YOUR GOOD BLACK WOOL COAT.

#1 REASON TO ADOPT A BLACK DOG ... A BLACK DOG IS JUST AS LOVING, LOYAL AND TRUST WORTHY AS A WHITE, BROWN OR YELLOW DOG!


This is a story of an ordinary black dog it was my privilege to own.

She was a large and obviously not a pure bred dog. Her short black hair was broken up only by 2 small white stockings on her feet. She looked like a thousand other black dogs that are put to sleep daily by animal controls across the country. I knew when I found her that I would have a hard time finding a home for her. Anyone in rescue will tell you that black dogs are over looked and hard to find homes for.

The human eye is drawn to sparkle and we love those who stand out from the crowd. When you place a black dog next to a lighter colored or multicolored dog, the eye is immediately focused on the colorful dog first. Unusual marking draw our attention while the black dog with few markings is ignored. His features are hard to distinguish and tend to blend together. Unfair but true. I knew Boots, as I named her for the white feet, might be with me a long time.

As with most of my rescues, she came with the usual baggage, mange, worms and a beaten down nature. And like most rescues, food, medical care and attention quickly brought about a change. Her black hide became seal like and glistened. Her soft, wise brown eyes seemed to hold centuries of wisdom. She was very calm, patient, attentive and soon became a favorite. She would be hard to adopt out but the more I knew her, the less adoption became important. She was home.

I had seven enclosures on my property divided from each other by a 2x4 inch welded wire fence that was reinforced with electric fencing. In each area were shelters, room to run, automatic feeders and waterer's.

My biggest challenge was deciding which dogs to put together in these enclosures. If you have three dogs together, you have created a pack and I usually had at least 4 , often more, to an area. It took some juggling to make sure I didn't have two alpha dogs in the same pen. I really had to study my new dogs to know whom to put where. If I guessed wrong, someone suffered.

That is where Boots became invaluable. She free roamed the driveway area and slept in the barn with the barn cats and a deaf, albino Great Dane. They all loved her . After a new dog went through isolation in a pen to be sure they didn't have a communicable disease, they were turned loose with Boots. She was a born mother. She would lick their wounds, curl up close to them and was comforting to the often frightened and wary dogs. Every dog I brought in bonded with her.

Since the long driveway bordered each area, Boots would take the new dog to each area to introduce them to the other residents. They all knew Boots so her acceptance of the new dog helped to foster acceptance from the others. If there was a between-the-fence-shouting match, Boots would move between the quarreling dogs and lead the new dog away. By watching her, I could tell which group would be compatible. Had I taken the dog on the tour instead of her, my "pack leader" presence would have tempered the dogs reactions.

Boots did not get adopted and stayed with me for 14 years which made her about 16. She continued doing her "mothering" job faithfully. By the time I sold my place and was going to move to Arkansas, I had been out of the rescue business and was down to 6 un-adoptable dogs. Mighty, my pet, and five others.

The people buying my house were a darling couple who fell in love with the dogs and barn cats. They asked if they could keep them, even ancient Boots. I could not believe my luck for it turned out to be a tough enough move with one dog and one house cat. Still, I was really sick about leaving Boots. I just hated to leave her with people strange to her especially in her failing health.

She was really showing her age. Arthritis was making it very difficult for her to get up to greet me. Weight was dramatically dropping off her formerly chubby body. My vet diagnosed "old age". I decided I just couldn't leave her and was trying to figure out how to make the move with her included.

Probably the best thing would have been to put her down. However the only time I put dogs down was when they were in a pain that medicine could not relieve. She was not in pain, just very old but her tail thumped the ground each time she saw me. She still cared. I had a month before I had to vacate the property.

Five days before I was to leave, I went to the barn in the morning and saw Boots breathing heavily as she lay on her hay bed. I had seen enough dogs go through it to know, that very day was going to be her last. I sat in the hay, put her head in my lap and talked softly and constantly to her about all the dogs she had "raised".

While I talked, I stroked her face and shoulders for over an hour. Even as ill as she was, the tail kept up a slow, rhythmic thump on the soft hay. Suddenly her legs jerked, stiffened and she was still. So very quickly, every dog's mother was gone. Oh, yes, I cried, but along with that terrible sorrow was also relief. She would get to stay where she had done all her loving work. She was spared the rigors and confusion of the move. Once again, she had made things easy for me.

I was lucky to have owned an ordinary looking black dog that was indeed, quite extraordinary. If all dogs go to heaven, she is up there now, greeting and comforting the new arrivals.

If you know of anyone thinking of going to an animal rescue for a Christmas dog, please tell them to at least look in the eyes of those many black dogs. Their hearts are just a red and full as those cute flashy dogs. Thank you.