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Photo by tohu |
National
Black Dog Day: October 1st educates about Black
Dog Syndrome
The first day of October marks National Black Dog Day. Many
shelters and pet adoption organizations credit black dogs with being the least
adoptable pets, with their lack of adoptability based only on their colour. Petfinder
published an article on this matter stating that “in a survey, Petfinder member
shelter and rescue groups reported that most pets are listed for 12.5 weeks on
Petfinder, whereas, less-adoptable pets (such as black, senior, and special
needs pets) spend almost four times as long on Petfinder.”
So why is there this Black Dog Syndrome (BDS)? According to
Petfinder it could potentially be based on several variables, such as unclear
facial features and dimly lit kennels not providing potential pet owners with a
quality photo of the pet. Petfinder also believes it could be due to the ‘genericness’
of black pets. Their article even states that negative portrayals of black pets
in the media and pop-culture could be impacting the adoptability of black dogs.
Think The Omen, Sherlock Holmes; The
Hound of the Baskervilles and even the Harry
Potter series. Even the ‘Beware of Dog’ sign pictures a threatening, black
dog. With black cats tied to superstitions, witches and bad luck, any black pet
is subject to scrutiny from potential pet owners.
The National Black Dog Day
website, with a headline that reads ‘Black
dogs are filled with light,’ is trying to raise awareness about BDS and
educate pet owners that black dogs are just the same as any other dog. For
National Black Dog Day, I would like to share 3 beautiful adoptable black dogs
that are on Petfinder right now. Please share this story to help them find a
forever home, and to raise awareness about BDS. There is absolutely no reason
why a dog should be less likely to be adopted based only on the colour of its
fur.
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Photo's of adoptable dogs via Petfinder |
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Photo by M Glasgow Foter CC BY |
Blue
Buffalo’s Home 4 the Holidays adoption drive rescues one million pets
Blue Buffalo
celebrated a milestone Jan. 26 when a cat named Watermark became the one
millionth pet to be adopted this season during their Home 4 the Holidays pet
adoption campaign. Watermark was rescued by the Monmouth County SPCA,
NJ and waiting for a forever home when the Ferrier family took him and set the
record for this year’s adoption drive.
Blue Buffalo’s Home 4 the
Holidays campaign was launched in 1999 and since then has become the
largest pet adoption program on record. The Home 4 the Holidays drive has saved
more than 10 million pets overall and each yearly campaign lasts three months.
With so many new pets coming home during the holidays Blue Buffalo uses the
campaign as a way to educate the public about happy, healthy pets available for
adoption in animal shelters.
Adoptable of the Week: Eragon
Meet Eragon! Eragon is a courtesy
listing on Petfinder.com from the Friendly Giants Dog Rescue in Ottawa. Eragon
has been waiting a long time for the right forever home. He is a large,
adult nuetered Kuvasz who is very laid back and slow moving for the most part but can also
have fun and be energetic. Eragon comes with special needs but with a patient
and dedicated owner he would be a great pet. Eragon suffers from seasonal
allergies- like many dogs with white fur. He takes Evening Primrose every day
to try to prevent the urge to lick and chew his paws. Eragon is a true Kuvasz
to the core and would be best suited with a dominant owner who has experience
with large breed working dogs. Kuvasz are bred to guard their flock or home and
Eragon- like most Kuvasz- guards all sorts of things. Because of this he is not
suited for a home with young children and would flourish on a farm in a fenced in
area where he can guard his family. Eragon enjoys being groomed and doesn’t resist
when having his nails trimmed. He has an independent nature but still enjoys
affection and positive reinforcement training is a must with this dog. Eragon
needs the right person to take a chance on him and give him the structure and
care he so desperately desires.
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Molson Photo via Petfinder.com |
Adoptable of the Week: Molson
Meet Molson! Molson is a laid-back male Rottweiler
and hound mix who is located in a foster home through the Home Again rescue in
Bancroft, Ontario. Molson is a senior dog who loves catching some rays on lazy,
sunny days. Molson is very nurturing and in his first home he played mother to
kittens, puppies and even a baby pot-bellied pig. He is well socialized with
children and other animals. Molson is already neutered and his vaccinations are
up to date. This sweet pooch needs a forever home. If you are interested in
learning more about Molson contact Home Again at info@homeagainbancroft.ca or
call 613 332 5253. Click here to view Molson’s page on Petfinder.com
Valley Animal Rescue supports animals in Renfrew County and
we support them with a giveaway!
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Photo provided by Valley Animal Rescue |
Meet Little Willy! Willy is one on the many pets that
have been fortunate enough to be rescued by the Valley Animal Rescue in Renfrew County, Ontario.
Willy, like so many other dogs and cats being fostered through this organization, is
in need of a loving forever home with caring and patient people who can tend to his needs.
Valley Animal Rescue- or VAR- is a registered charity
organization that relies solely on foster parents for the animals they take in.
They run off of the donations and support of their community and local animal
lovers. But unlike some of the other wider known animal shelters or rescue
organizations that have more funding, VAR has to do quite a bit of the legwork. VAR has a network of community members who put in time for these animals without any pay- just the reward of giving a helping hand and a temporary home. Since it’s a foster run charity 100% of all donations go to the
animals.
Nestlé Purina to buy leading pet adoption website Petfinder
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Photo by Tc Morgan Foter.com CC BY NC SA
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June 9, 2013- he
popular pet adoption website Petfinder- owned by Discovery
Communications LLC of Silver Spring, Md. - is to be purchased by Nestlé
Purina PetCare Co. Although the price of the website has not been
disclosed to the public the transaction was announced today and the deal is
expected to be completed sometime in July.