Why Major?

Why is Major a perfect candidate for Project Underdog? After all he is a purebred Labrador Retriever, and Labs have been the AKC’s Number One dog for 21 years running. So he has that going for him. He’s beautiful, he’s lovable, he’s dog friendly, people friendly, and kid friendly, what more could you ask for?  Even with all those positives, he has one huge strike against him.  Major is black. And black dogs do not get adopted at the same rate as yellow, white, brown, grey, or spotted dogs. They are just as friendly and lovable as those other colors, but they are passed over again and again in shelters and among rescues. Black Dogs take longer to be adopted, while a yellow or brown dog of similar size or breed will go much more quickly. Labs4Rescue, Major’s rescue, currently has 12 Chocolate Labs for adoption, 30 Yellow Labs for adoption and 51 Black Labs for adoption. We call it the “Black Dog Syndrome” or “Black Dog Bias” and there a lot of reasons for it. Some people have a perception that black dogs are mean. Some people may have a superstition about black dogs much like they have about black cats (who also get adopted more slowly than other color cats). Black dogs don’t stand out in a kennel environment. Black dogs don’t photograph well, so their features and expressions get lost in all that black fur. There are dozens of reasons it may happen, but please remember that black dogs need love, too 🙂

Another big reason is that Major needs training. His former owners did not train him properly, he doesn’t know sit well, he doesn’t know down, he doesn’t know how to greet people without jumping up. This makes him a great candidate for training. He is a blank slate for Jade of Polite Paws to mold into a great, well mannered dog.

Please follow along while we help Major find his forever home. Please share our posts and our Facebook updates, you will be how he finds the right home!