Trooper contemplating the grass.
As you might have realized by now, Dear Reader, I live with a big black dog — a black Labrador retriever to be precise.
I’ve had Trooper since he was 8 weeks old, and he’ll be 7 years old in June. I got him from a someone who was not a breeder, but had Labs that he every so often allowed to breed (very particular about it) to keep up his hunting stock. Ellie, a yellow Lab and prize hunting dog, went into heat unexpectedly during a trip, hooked up with someone’s pet Lab, and got pregnant. The hunter decided he wouldn’t keep the puppies — only 2 in the litter — since they weren’t hunting stock, and so I got Trooper.
Both parents were standard Lab size, but somehow Trooper and his litter mate got an extra dose of growth hormone or something, and ended up huge — as in 125 pounds — unlike the mom, who was a nice 65 pounds. So Trooper is a big Lab, and happens to be black.
His temperament is the type a dog owner dreams of — sweet, affectionate, no evidence of aggression of any kind, smart. You wouldn’t guess it, but he’s a big baby about things. He may bark at people walking by the house, but he wouldn’t dream of going after them, and would probably hide if they started walking towards him. My mom’s dog, a Bichon, has taken treats and bones right from Trooper’s mouth, and all he does is bark pitifully and run to me. Not exactly the signs of a mean and evil dog.
I’ve noticed at various times that people act different towards Trooper. At first I thought it was his size, but then realized it happened even when he was a puppy. There’s a term for this: (Big) Black Dog Syndrome.
Yes, there’s doggy discrimination. I’ve encountered it at the dog park, on neighborhood walks, even in my own family. My mom, owner of a little white dog, has made somewhat derogatory comments about Trooper — not in a mean way exactly, but knocking his size, all the dog hair, etc. I’ve noticed that my dad and others (even myself, I’ll admit) refer to Trooper’s color a lot with comments like “big black dog”.
I like having a big dog. Color wasn’t an issue when I got Trooper. I saw his little puppy face, compared him to his litter mate (a yellow Lab puppy), and just knew he was for me.
I can’t imagine not having my Big Black Dog.
One great place to read about this issue online is Contrary to ordinary: the black pearls of the dog world.
More things to read:
- Black dogs face a hard choice at shelter
- Black pups face doggie discrimination
- Large, black dogs go unwanted
- Petroglyphs: Big black dog syndrome
- Big black dog syndrome
- Black dogs are often the last to be adopted from an animal shelter
