Black Dog Bio – Hobbs the Labraweiler

In our series of Black Dog Bios we decided to leave the very blackest of the black dogs till the end.

Hobbs is it! 

Happy Black Dog

A Labrador Rottweiler cross, he tells us that he has perfect colouring which makes him as black as can be.  He goes on to say that he has even had a Labrador breeder take a great interest in him, checking him out and exclaiming that Hobbs has perfect pigment.  This breeder went on to ask Hobbs’ owner which breeder it was that Hobbs had come from.  When advised that he was a rescue dog, and a mixed-breed at that, the so-called breeder suddenly lost interest and left. 

Black Dog Walking

Funny that a dog in danger of falling victim to black dog syndrome instead fell victim to mixed-breed/shelter dog discrimination.

Baby Hobbs

This is not to say that Hobbs and his owner aren’t well aware of black dog syndrome.

His human notes that people often cross the street simply to avoid you if you are walking a black dog, and even more upsetting, people are eager to pet the other dogs you are with but make great efforts to avoid touching your black dog.  One woman even said she was afraid of Hobbs simply because he was black, no other reason.  Combine the colour with a larger dog breed and he says it’s a double whammy. 

anyone for a swim?

Hobbs journey to his forever home wasn’t without struggle.  His mother was found abandoned, tied to a fence in Eastern Ontario, pregnant and alone she gave birth within days of being rescued.  Shortly after his birth, Hobbs and his canine family were relocated to a foster home several hours away due to shelter over-crowding.  Born the runt of a double-sired litter, that included siblings who were not black, it’s not surprising to learn that Hobbs was the last of the litter to find a home.

He has been with his human for almost 2 ½ years now, and despite being rejected by other potential adopters, for these two it was love at first sight.  His human drove four hours round-trip just to retrieve this retriever. 

Happy Black Dog

Hobbs assures us that despite his colour, he does not have a mean bone in his body.  He’s playful and energetic and protective of his pack (of stuffies).

And talented too!  In addition to barking in three languages (Canadian, American and the ‘language of love’) Hobbs does a special trick called the Kangaroo Hop which involves jumping straight up in the air from a standing position reaching heights of almost six feet.  Kind of handy when the biscuit box is on the top shelf I bet. 

Balancing Act

 This happy black dog is off-leash trained and as a result he enjoys more freedom than the average dog.  Hobbs proudly tells us that this gives him the ability to mark territory that on-leash dogs can only dream of marking.

Despite his laid back attitude, Hobbs is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to where he sleeps.  When confronted with an unmade bed, he will bark and let his owner know that it needs to be made before anyone can turn in for the night.

Lastly we’re pleased to learn that Hobbs is not his owner’s first black dog.  Well aware of the stigma that black dogs face, his owner has made a conscious choice to share his life with others of similar colour; a solid 125lb Labraweiller and before that a robust 160lb Bouvier des Flanders.

Thank you to Hobbs and his human for sharing their story with us and for showing the world that black dogs make excellent family members.

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