From Fiction to Fact:
The Folklore
Why is the death-hound of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles such a vigorous archetypal beast? Conan Doyle's inspiration was the folk tale of a phantom black dog on Dartmoor. Such beasts recur throughout Britain, with almost every county having at least one example.
'Another belief is that there are ghostly black dogs, the size of large retrievers, about the fields at night, that these dogs are generally near gates and stiles, and are of such a forbidding aspect that no one dare venture to pass them, and that it means death to shout at them. In some places the spectral dog is named "Shuck" and is said to be headless.'
The Honest Truth
The fact is, black dogs are no different from any other sort. There are a variety of breeds to choose from, though mutts are best, and to open your heart to this overlooked, misunderstood canine helps us take a stand in curing the disease. Adopt a black dog from Black Dog Rescue and make a difference by saving a life!!
Click here to see black dogs for adoption!
Black Dog Rescue
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Adopt A Black Dog! Visit these sites to save a life!
SITS WAITING
A dog sits waiting in the cold autumn sun.
Too faithful to leave, too frightened to run.
He's been here for days now with nothing to do
But sit by the road, waiting for you.
He can't understand why you left him that day.
He thought you and he were stopping to play.
He's sure you'll come back, and that's why he stays.
How long will he suffer? How many days?
His legs have grown weak, his throat's parched dry.
He's sick now from hunger and falls, with a sigh.
He lays down his head and closes his eyes.
I wish you could see how a waiting dog dies.