Introducing the Underdogs

Meet the long term residents patiently waiting for their forever homes.

All of the staff here at Dogs Trust truly love and care for every dog at the centre but would love for them to go to their Forever Homes. The team are desperately trying to find homes for these beautiful characters and know that there is a special someone waiting out there for each and every one of them!

Sometimes, if a dog has had a tough start in life, they might be nervous or frightened of unfamiliar people and places and may need some extra care and attention in order to adjust to home life. Other times, a dog might be unfairly judged by their breed but may be the softest soul underneath their appearance. Believe it or not, sometimes black dogs can be overlooked because they do not stand out as much as a lighter coloured dog.

Underdogs are dogs who have been in our care for six months, or more. They may need extra training, ongoing veterinary treatment or a home with no children or dogs. Or, in some cases, they are simply overlooked.

Could an Underdog be your pawfect match?

Our Underdogs are all looking for special adopters - you don't necessarily have to be experienced but it may be a case that you would be prepared to get to know the dog over a period of time.

Although this group of long-term lodgers have been in our care for longer, they have lots of love to give! Whilst they stay with us, they benefit from regular time with our teams to ensure that we can help them – and you – prepare for life in their forever homes. And, as we know them so well, we’ll be able to help you decide whether you and your new home could be their perfect match.

When you’re browsing through the rehoming gallery, you can search specifically for ‘underdogs’ in the additional filters on our rehoming page, because one of these long-term lodgers could be just what you are looking for.

Meet our Underdogs

Could you give a forever home to one of our underdogs who has been waiting patiently for the perfect pal?

Commonly asked questions

Why are some dogs overlooked?

With so dogs and puppies in our Rehoming Centre, some of the dogs in our care get overlooked. This may be due to the following reasons:

Size:
Smaller dogs are often rehomed more quickly than larger dogs.

Breed:
There are lots of misconceptions about certain breeds, especially Bull Breeds such as Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Pit Bull Terriers.

Personality:
Shyer dogs can actively avoid interacting with visitors to our rehoming corridor and some may even bark at certain people, so visitors don’t see their true personality.

Colour:
It is a common and unfortunate trend affecting black dogs in rescue, with many tending to be overlooked for other colours of dog. It is unclear exactly why this occurs. Some say it’s down to superstition (many people associate black with evil or bad luck, like black cats) or the old wives' tale that black dogs are mean. Or even the fact that black dogs don’t tend to photograph as well as lighter coloured dogs. But whatever the reason, we know that the black dogs are just as lovely and handsome as dogs of any other colour!

Will YOU champion our overlooked #TheUnderDogs to find them the homes they so deserve?

How long does it take for a dog to settle in a new home?

We cannot say definitively how quickly your new family member will adjust or settle into your home or how well they will cope being left but we can offer advice to help them feel safe and secure in what we all hope will be their forever home.

What is black dog syndrome?

We all have favourite breeds and “types” of dogs and different dogs that catch our eye more so than others. Unfortunately, dogs with Black coats are often overlooked, so much so, this phenomenon has been given the title Black Dog Syndrome or Black Dog Bias.

Rehoming centres across the globe struggle to find forever homes for black dogs as they are simply overlooked by passers-by, they just don’t stand out as much against the background of their kennels as some of the other dogs. Nor do they tend to photograph as well so we tend to skip past them when looking through books of dogs in need of a home or browsing rehoming websites.

Some people blame the association between black dogs and some TV shows and horror movies that portrayed large black dogs as evil. People can also think they’re scarier looking and make the negative assumption that they’re aggressive.

It’s been said that the chromosome (part of their DNA make up) responsible for Black fur is exclusive to domesticated dogs only and that all black wolves are in fact hybrids. So you could say that black dogs are like the “ultimate” domestic pet dog.

Other people say that they’re overlooked as they’re too plain and boring looking. Plain and boring? We think not! We have some of the most incredible and beautiful black dogs who would make excellent life- long companions.

Restricted dog breeds

In Ireland some breeds of dogs are restricted and have a few rules that their owners must follow. Unfortunately, these restrictions can sometimes make these breeds less desirable to adopters.

Restricted breeds, including strains and crosses are: