A gorgeous book that perfectly shows how beautifully black pets can be captured. All to often black dogs are overlooked because people think they're too difficult to photograph or aren't 'cute' and this book shows how amazing each and every black pet is.

A book full of the photos and stories of black dogs. What’s not to love? The photos are beautiful and the tales interesting. A fun read.

Adoption Spotlight: Black Dog Syndrome

Part of the dedication states ‘Until all shelters are empty and every pet is in a good home, we all need to keep speaking up for those who can’t.’ It’s heartbreaking that black dogs tend to have such a significantly lower adoption rate.

You get to not only see the beautiful dogs captured but they have an accompanying text about them and what breed/mix they are.

The photography was absolutely breathtaking. Regardless of theme being about black dogs, which could initially be perceived as repetitive and boring, it was far from it! Firstly the posing and guidance of the animals was spectacular. Secondly the lighting and exposures used on the camera settings was top notch.

The Black Labs resonated with me from a childhood pet. The photo reminded me of a professional shoot we had done of him. This book will speak to the dog lover in your life and would make an excellent gift.

I loved that there was an introduction and wrap up spotlighting the non-profit, Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue Group.

I received a this book from Fred Levy and Quarto Publishing Group – becker & mayer! I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Beautiful book! Black dogs sadly get overlooked to often. The photographs and accompanying text are an eye-opener (unless you already are lucky enough to have a black dog in your life and know how great they are :). This is one of those books you come back to time and again.

My mother was what the humane society politely refers to as an "animal collector," so I grew up surrounded by dogs and cats. The first dog that really seemed like mine, however, was a black dog. She was curled in a ball at my mother's feet when I arrived home from first grade one day, a small ebony lump of cocker spaniel goodness who became known as Princess. She grew to be the perfect size, and possess the perfect temperament (meaning she would allow me to dress her in doll clothes) for a young girl. Princess was a steady, patient companion throughout my childhood and teens.

I've known many special dogs over the decades. Fifteen years of my life were spent with a wonderful golden retriever. When he died in January of 2020, I spent nine months desperately missing a dog's companionship. And, I knew I wanted the next one to be a rescue.

Hence my dog of five years - Gus.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit I went to the shelter hoping to leave with Gus's brother, Fish, who looked exactly like a chocolate lab. (So sue me - his online photo was darned appealing!) Fish was adorable, but painfully shy. My son sat on the floor trying to coax him over, but to no avail. The thought of driving three hours back to our house with NO dog terrified me, so I asked to see The Mad Hatter. (The shelter employee who named the pups had an Alice in Wonderland fixation.) The Hatter/Gus entered the room with his tail a-waggin'. He plopped his paws on my son's thighs and gave him a big slurp on the nose. Without words Gus managed to say, "I want to be YOUR dog."
Such aplomb! What salesmanship!

It worked. He was ours. And, a sweeter, more devoted pooch I couldn't ask for.

(Don't worry - I found out online that shy Fish was adopted later that day.)

I sometimes wonder, however, if we had taken the brown dog instead of the black one, how things might have turned out. Would The Mad Hatter have languished in the shelter? Even when they possess winning personalities, black dogs are often the last to be adopted. That means in a kill shelter, they may be the first to be led down that hallway to certain death.

Many suspect the prejudice against black animals is rooted in mythology and religious beliefs. The color has long been associated with evil and bad luck. Black dogs are also hard to photograph well, and shelters have trouble finding a good picture to appeal to potential adopters. Hopefully this book, filled with adorable photos and heartwarming stories, will change hearts and minds.

Black Dogs is a photobook compiled by Fred Levy, the man behind the popular caninenoir Black Dogs tumblr account. Levy brings his understanding of lighting and space to photograph these lovely dogs against dark backgrounds, bringing out the depth in their eyes and the personalities in the shapes of their bodies all set against short tales from each of the dogs' owners about how they came into their lives and how better their lives have become since.

It's an important book for an apparently underadopted population and also I just like looking at dogs and hearing their forever home stories.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – becker & mayer! | Epic Ink and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for review!

This is a really lovely photobook full of gorgeous photographs of black dogs, alongside their stories told by their humans.
The Black dog Project stated off a blog on Tumblr before becoming a book, as more and more dog owners contacted Fred Levy about their pets, as just like black cats black dogs are the least likely dogs to be re-homed.
This was a lovey book to dip in and out of, reminding me of Chance, the black dog I had growing up. It also made me sad to think of all those black dogs who don’t get re-homed, just because of a superstition or because they don’t look good in a photo!
My favourites were Frida the Mini Dachshund, whose “right ear stands out to the side like an antenna”, Fenway the Scottish Terrier Poodle Mix, who loved to snuggle with his blue hippo toy, Bodhi a Labrador mix who’s gentle, playful and loves to swim, Beau a blind Labrador Mix who gets excited when he meets anyone, Wylie a Corgi Mix who loves belly rubs and trying to French kiss everyone, and Booker a three-legged German Shepherd and Labrador Mix who inspires everyone he meets.
Highly recommended if you love animals, but especially if you love dogs!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions written are completely honest and my own.

I loved this book. Seeing those adorable faces and learning a little about each dog was balm for my soul. My Frankie was a black dog I rescued 15 years ago and was the most photogenic little Lady I ever met. Her eyes were so expressive and her ears told tales for days. She passed last year and I'll never forget the joy and love she brought to my life. I will be buying a physical copy in her memory.

This is a powerful work of photography, containing the portraits in studio of dozens of individual mostly black dogs. The studio has been set up with black walls and floor, so the faces of the dogs are foremost and there are no distractions. We see character, dignity, quirkiness, steadfastness, loyalty, affection, in these faces.
The keepers of the dogs have each written about their friend, how they got him or her, the impact this dog has made on their lives. Many dogs came from shelters or were otherwise rescued, and a number are certified therapy dogs.
The photographer tells us that he has always seen more black dogs left in shelters than other colours, even others of the same breeds. Some people are more afraid of black dogs, perhaps, or associate them with guard dogs or working dogs.
I enjoyed this read and I am sure the book would delight many dog lovers.
I read an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

Received an ARC for review from NetGalley — enjoyed this one a lot. The photography was very soulful, you can see the personality and variety of the dogs shining through so easily. The blurbs about the dogs from their owners were sweet.

I am the owner of my very FIRST dog and it's a pitbull mix. He is brindle patterned but he's mostly black. This book was so adorable and all the dogs are BEAUTIFUL ❤️ I wish I had a physical copy because the photography was so good, wonderful lighting. I enjoyed hearing others take pride in their dogs and share how they became apart of their human families.

This book is a delight! Fred Levy has done an amazing job with this top tier coffee table book solely featuring beautiful, adorable, just wanna give them head scratches and tell them they're a good boy black dogs. One line specifically resonated with me: it's hard to get a good picture of your black dog. Levy has created a beautiful book here, and I very much enjoyed the opportunity to review it.

Do you love black dogs? Do you have a soft spot for these gorgeous, soulful creatures that are often overlooked in shelters? My family adopted our first black and tan dog when I was 12 and he was immediately mine. When I got married, he came to live with us and passed at 18.5 years. I knew that I would always have a black or black and tan dog and have had at least one for over 30 years. Black dog syndrome is very real and these gorgeous animals are sadly often overlooked. The stories and the pictures will tug at your heartstrings and make you feel so lucky to be loved by a black dog. They really are the sweetest, gentlest and most wonderful of dogs.

I received an advance copy of this book for free, and am a leaving an honest review of my own volition.

Exceptional Photographer Fred Levy creates a world of warmth and wet noses for beautiful black dogs. He understands the heart of the black dog who is so joyful to be your companion. His photography, personal story, along with the many other beautiful stories and photographs in this book had me laughing and crying. The Great Danes and Lucy were very special to me reminding me of my black dogs.

A reprint of a 2015 book that highlighted something I knew nothing about – that for some reason(s) unknown there is a great struggle to get black dogs adopted from shelters. It could be the simple fact that they don't lend themselves to the ideal profile photo, but all the same, they're collected and rehomed last. This then is the results of a blog where the creative tried his best to prove that black dogs in the studio can make for a dazzling, charming portrait, of heart and character and everything else a dog might wish to share – with the portrait matched to the testimony about said heart and character etc from the mutt's human.

So these pooches can tell when people and other dogs are ill, or give succour to those in care – and to first responders at the Boston Marathon bombings. There's a fair bit of black Lab DNA on these pages, but a couple of Pulis as well, and of course a fair bit of white and brown coming into things at times, too. All told it's a pleasant book – an inessential one and no mistake, but a pleasant one, whether one be a fan of dogs, the whole rescue industry, or pet photography. I guess for the former this is just a kind of gift book idea, and only the latter audience will find great purpose here – but then dogs don't all get to be of great purpose; sometimes just having them round is more than enough. Whatever the colour.

A gorgeous celebration of black dogs. what's not to love?! Lovely photos and stories behind each dog. Really enjoyed this, great to dip into.

This book has beautiful photography done by the author and covers such an important topic when it comes to dogs and adoption. This project is something that many people would love and being able to read the joyful stories of black dogs and their owners makes for a fun and joyous read.

Black Dogs: Stories of Love and Friendship is a beautiful photo book highlighting black dogs. Black dogs are often are overlooked due to “not being photogenic” but Fred Levy blows that assumption out of the water as each of these photos is stunning. Also having the stories of the owners with each photo made this collection extra sweet. A perfect coffee table book for dog lovers.

I received a copy of Black Dogs: Stories of Love and Friendship by Fred Levy via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Black Dogs is a gorgeous photography book featuring black dogs of all shapes and sizes. It also includes each dog’s story from his or her owner.

All the dogs in Black Dogs are rescue dogs, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Black Dogs will go towards The Black Dogs Project. The project aims to help save the lives of black dogs in shelters, and help find them loving homes instead. According to the blurb for the book, “that black dogs are frequently the LAST dogs to be adopted and the FIRST dogs to be euthanized.” This is absolutely horrifying and I’m so glad this project (and this book!) exist.

I have a black dog myself, Ginny. I can’t imagine life without her, I’d be much iller and much more lonely. Reading the stories of other black dog owners in Fred Levy’s book, I felt a real connection to the book, even though I didn’t rescue Ginny. (I tried rescue first though, I promise.)

The book is enjoyable to read, and it also works as a gorgeous coffee table book. The photography is beautiful, and so are the dogs!

The text is easy to read, enjoyable and well-edited. I loved Black Dogs!

4 out 5 stars

This was such a gorgeous book. The black dog problem is something that a lot of people run into, and I am glad to see someone who cares about them so much, and is able to photograph their beauty. This is a book I would love to have on my coffee table.