National Black Dog Day

Thank you Pat, he was a wonderful dog!

Handsome he is ....

Thank you Ank ♥

Thanks Lorna. ♥

Thanks Cathy. He was a super dog... It would be great if Elsa were to pass her assessment to become a Pets As Therapy dog, but I won't hold it against her if she doesn't!

Thanks for telling us about Murphy. He sounds wonderful !!
I hope Elsa likes to do volunteer work ... but if she doesn't ... that's okay too !!

Thanks Patti. Yes, that is something to do with it.

What a sweet dog. (I'm wondering if black animals are hard to place because you can't easily see fleas or ticks? When I lived in the south that was a problem.)

Thanks Wendy; we'll see. Elsa does love people, adores attention and she has coped well on street collections, but I know the visits take a lot out of them. Murphy would be shattered after 45 minutes of his PAT visits.

Thanks Suzy. He was a truly wonderful gentle giant. I confess that it wasn't until I read the e-mail from the Forever Hounds Trust that I became aware of National Black Dog Day, though I was aware of the difficulties in finding homes for all the black beauties.

Murphy was one handsome greyhound, Lorna. Your history with him was one of gentleness. Thank you for sharing your personal story as well as the information about National Black Dog Day. Who knew!! Here's to all black dogs in the world!!

Good luck with Elsa. Not all dogs are cut out for that kind of volunteering. My German Shepherd loved it, but the dog I have now is just too quick. If she was allowed to sit on the couch with someone and they patted her all day, she'd be happy. I don't think she can handle a whole bunch of people............Wendy

Thank you Wendy. He really was a fantastic dog... I am considering putting Elsa forward for assessment as a Pets As Therapy dog now, but Murphy really was brilliant at it. I do other voluntary work too but you sound very busy with yours! Lorna

I'll bet this gorgeous dog could run like the wind. How sad he is not here anymore. And thank you for your volunteer services. I, too, am a volunteer, but with seniors in care homes, etc. They love to have dogs visit. I am on three different boards concerning our seniors, and they all love to see animals, whether they are dogs, cats, etc. It really helps them, so thanks again for doing this............Wendy

You're welcome Mallcat! Apparently cat rescue has a similar problem with homing black cats... I adore black dogs too; I now have another black greyhound :))

I love black dogs, I had a wonderful black Schnauzer and a poodle cross. I never knew about the statistics about black dogs. Thank you for the information.

The photo is of my first male greyhound Murphy. He was a racer, and one of the lucky ones to never have experienced ill treatment or neglect. He was a lovely, BIG, gentle and totally bomb-proof greyhound. He was a registered Pets As Therapy dog and we visited a nursing home for elderly folk with varying degrees of dementia where he was popular with residents and staff alike. (The staff all knew his name, but only the manager ever seemed to remember mine!) Sadly he died aged 9 from bone cancer. I am a volunteer for the Forever Hounds Trust, visiting people offering a home to a greyhound or lurcher, and sometimes take one of my dogs to help at street collections for the charity.