What happens when two dogs arrive together, but only one seems to be wanted? Kuba and Shadow arrived at Dogtown needing the same thing: a new home. But when the enquiries started coming in, it was Kuba who caught everyone’s attention. Shadow was left waiting.
In November 2025, Kuba and Shadow arrived at Dogtown after being flown up from the Western Cape. Their owner was no longer able to keep them, and the two dogs suddenly found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings.
Three-year-old Kuba, a brown Dachshund x Labrador mix, quickly attracted attention. His companion, five-year-old Shadow, a black Labrador x Collie, did not.
And it raised an uncomfortable question: why was one dog being seen while the other was being overlooked?
Paws for Thought
Shadow’s lack of adoption enquiries could be seen as a real-life example of what is often referred to as “Black Dog Syndrome”, a phenomenon observed by many animal welfare professionals in which dark-coated dogs, and sometimes cats, may be overlooked by adopters and experience longer stays in shelters.
While the existence and extent of Black Dog Syndrome remains academically debated, unconscious biases can influence which animals people notice first. Media portrayals, cultural beliefs and even old superstitions can shape our perceptions in ways we may not realise.
Image Credit: Alpha (right) and Dug (left) in Disney-Pixar's Up (2009). Directed by Pete Docter.
But whatever the reason for the difference in attention, the effect was the same: enquiries for Kuba continued to arrive, while Shadow remained waiting.
Eventually, the BarkingMad and Dogtown teams had to consider the difficult possibility of rehoming the pair separately. Kuba could have the opportunity to start a new life in a loving home, while the team continued searching for the right home for Shadow.
Then, something unexpected happened.
After months of waiting, an application came through for both Kuba and Shadow.
Their new family saw what others hadnot: two dogs who belonged together.
The BarkingMad and Dogtown teams were overjoyed. After months of waiting, Kuba and Shadow would finally go home together.
But there was one more chapter in Shadow’s story that nobody had seen coming.
The day before the pair were due to leave, the BarkingMad adoptions team received an enquiry from a man asking specifically about Shadow.
He explained that Shadow had once been his dog.
After he and his wife divorced, he had been trying for months to find a way to bring her home. He was heartbroken to learn that she had been living in a shelter.
Suddenly, the quiet black dog who had spent months without an enquiry was no longer simply a dog waiting to be adopted. There was a whole story behind her that no one had known.
Shadow had never been unwanted.
She had been loved and missed all along. Somewhere, someone had never forgotten her.
The team shared photos of Shadow’s adoption wither previous owner, and he was pleased to know that she would be going to a loving home and starting a new chapter.
Shadow’s story is a reminder that the number of enquiries an animal receives is never a measure of their worth. A quiet adoption profile does not mean a quiet life, and being overlooked does not mean being unwanted.
For Kuba and Shadow, the ending was better than anyone could have hoped. They found their forever family together, while Shadow’s former owner could finally have peace of mind knowing that the dog he still loved was safe.
They are home. They are loved. And, most importantly, they are still together.
Welcome home, Kuba and Shadow. ❤️
