The Black Dog from Whitedog

The following is a story from one of our new members of the The Winnipeg Humane Society’s Black Dog Club. We’re happy to have Shadow as a new member in the club and grateful for such an uplifting story!

Shadow was rescued from the Whitedog Indian Reservation in Ontario where my boyfriend was working building a school two years ago. Shadow was about 3 to 5 years old and had survived those years using his wit and charm!

He befriended the construction crews who fell in love him and fed him for the duration of the construction, which took a few years. He became beloved by all and slept beneath the work trailer at night.  Sadly one of the bosses tried to get rid of him on two occasions, by driving him to the dump which was over ten miles away. Each time Shadow found his way back to the site. Winters must have been harsh for this tenacious creature and it’s a miracle he survived. He has scars and a broken rib that indicate what his life was like at times. It amazes us that he lived with cruelty, danger, no home or a family to love him and yet this dog is so gentle and full of love with a pure joy for life. He just doesn’t have a mean or angry bone in his body!

As winter approaches, the reservation authorities will round up stray dogs and “dispose” of them. This is due to the fact that these dogs form packs over the winter as food becomes scarce and they will attack children and other animals as they become more desperate for food. While Shadow had never exhibited this behaviour he had thus far escaped this fate but we realized that his days were numbered. Also, he had formed a particular attachment to my boyfriend Chris and would wait for him to arrive each morning to greet him and get cuddled. I always said that Shadow picked us not the other way around! So as the job wound down we decided to take “our” dog home.

We drove into the reserve on a pitch-black, stormy night in the driving rain. I didn’t think we would ever find him but Chris called out into the darkness and minutes later Shadow emerged, muddy, freezing and soaked but just so loving and excited to see us. We had great difficulty getting him in the car and then out of it, as he was terrified of the vehicle. Then we couldn’t get him to come indoors so we had to lift and carry him in. We were all covered in mud and the bath was pure bedlam!

I think back on that night and smile as I see Shadow now – lying on his back in front of the fire with all four legs stretched up into the air and looking like the king of his castle…wagging his tail and hoping for a pat as I pass by.

Shadow is the most intelligent dog I have ever had the pleasure of loving but his best trait is his personality. He is such a character with a terrific sense of humour and a huge sense of adventure. We took him to Lake of the Woods for the summer where he would swim several kilometers to explore neighboring islands! Our neighbours fell in love with him and sometimes would keep him for sleepovers! It became a common occurrence for a boat to arrive at our dock to drop Shadow off when we weren’t even aware he had gone adventuring! Our biggest fear was that someone would eventually keep him for themselves and we prevented him from these visits as much as we could. Shadow would spend hours looking up a tree in the hopes that a squirrel would fall into his mouth and more than once chased a bear up a tree.! Last winter he spent a month outside every day staring at a hole in the ground waiting for a groundhog to emerge! His patience is boundless!

A walk in the country with Shadow is always an eye-opening experience!

Shadow’s walks are the apex of his happiness and we are fortunate in that we live where we can walk him off-leash in the woods and countryside. For every 1 km we walk, Shadow covers about 10, periodically checking back on us. We have discovered wild turkeys and gigantic Bucks thundering past us with Shadow in hot pursuit!

I have dozens of Shadow-stories and my advice to anyone considering adopting a dog would be to NEVER overlook one because he or she is black! Shadow has enriched our lives and showed us the love we have inside of ourselves. He has made every day enjoyable and entertaining. We are grateful that he chose us and feel lucky that Fate or God put us in his path.

I believe there are many “Shadows” out there waiting to choose their families and I admire those people for the experience they will embark upon when they do connect. When the right dog finds you, you will never regret it if you can give to them even a fraction of what they are dying to give to you. The rewards are limitless depending on you.

Written by Shadow’s owners, Jocelyn Allan and Chris Keck