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Posted on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 5:43 a.m.

Pet Photo Friday celebrates the much maligned black dog and cat

By Lorrie Shaw

Earlier in the week, I wrote about the plight that black pets of all ages suffer, and to many, it was surprising.

We put out the call to help dispel the myths that surround black, large-breed dogs and black cats, and you responded in a huge way, by sharing your photos and stories of your beloved pets.

Shelters across the county find it challenging to place large breed, black dogs.

Some humans find it difficult to "read" the dark faces of these canines: their black coats can make it difficult for their facial expressions to shine through. Because of that, they often do not photograph well, either — ask anyone who has tried to snap a photo of a sweet face that seems to get swallowed up by darkness.

There are some who find black dogs plain, uninteresting. Really?

Its not a canine's fault if they were born without the fur and markings that accentuate the awesome physical features that they all possess. It's a human fault for not recognizing those attributes.

We know that there are more aficionados of these perfectly worthy creatures out there. To highlight how great they are, you're once again invited to share your photos and stories of your special pets with us.

So for this week and next, our focus and theme of Pet Photo Friday is "Big Black Dogs and Black Cats."

Participating is easy!

Simply email a photo of your furry friend to ppsa2mi@gmail.com, at any time of the week, and be sure to give a little anecdote about what's best about them. Your photos will be included as part of a very special edition of our ongoing Pet Photo Friday feature.

Please include the animal's name, age, and city or township of residence in your email. Be sure that your photos are 600 pixels wide and in .jpg format.

We'll put the series' photos into a slideshow, publish and promote on next Friday as well here in the Pets section.


Lorrie Shaw is lead pets blogger for AnnArbor.com. Connect with her on Google+ or e-mail her directly.

Comments

Monica Milla

Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 10:01 p.m.

Is there a black pet hidden in that last photo? Or are we playing "One of these things is not like the others?" :)

Sarah Rigg

Fri, Jul 29, 2011 : 1:36 p.m.

Readers did such a nice job with the lighting on many of these so you can see their expressions so well. Love it!