The mystical Black Dog, who died recently, was loved and admired by many, including me. Like other folks in “his” neighborhood, I irrationally believed him to be eternal. At the end, he was revealed to be a real dog, not a phantom. If his life had to end, his admirers would have preferred for him to have evaporated into thin air, but it did not diminish his place in our hearts that he ultimately died a corporal death.

Black Dog is gone but not forgotten. The Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has received $4,185 in contributions to the Black Dog Memorial Fund from people as far away as West Palm Beach, Fla. The fund was created a week ago in memory of the legendary stray dog that captured the hearts of hundreds of people in the Richmond area and beyond.

To reserve a T-shirt, call the SPCA at (804) 521-1334. The Friends of Black Dog T-shirt will be available this month. Sarah Murray, a caretaker of the dog, said she expects to take orders for a second printing in early August. Details will be available on the Friends of Black Dog Facebook page or by calling Beverly Morano at (804) 355-0324.

The Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is establishing a fund in honor of Black Dog, an endearing stray dog that roamed Richmond’s West End neighborhoods for nearly two decades. Black Dog was found last week near Cary Street and Maxwell Road, apparently fatally struck by a car, and was buried on private property in Buckingham County.

Black Dog has died. The scruffy black canine with dreadlocks on his chest roamed tony West End neighborhoods for many years. He had nearly 700 friends on Facebook, but untold more followed his travels. Black Dog was found dead Thursday morning near the intersection of Cary Street and Maxwell Road, apparently struck by a vehicle.

Ahh ... the life of a newspaper columnist. Something new every day.
Except, in my case, two comforting constants.

A neighbor confronted me as I tiptoed out of a backyard in Richmond’s fashionable West End Thursday evening.
“Leave Black Dog alone!“ Jim Belk said.

Two Richmond Animal Control officers nabbed a black dog in the West End yesterday, but it wasn’t the Black Dog.

Those who know Black Dog, that elusive King of Strays, believe there’s something otherworldly about the mysterious chow that has roamed the fashionable West End for more than a decade.

Not only is Black Dog the most elusive and mysterious stray in town, he’s also the richest.
But the West End Drifter hardly acts as if he has $2,500 in the bank. His shaggy self remains untamed as he roams ghostlike - untouchable - through some of the city’s finest neighborhoods.

The West Nile virus has given the legendary Black Dog a long, luxurious break from being chased by the Richmond dogcatchers he has eluded for years.

Could this be it for Black Dog?
For nearly a decade now, the uncanny King of Strays has eluded fleet-footed dogcatchers chasing him through the stylish West End neighborhoods where he has roamed like a shaggy ghost.

The Fourth of July may be two days gone, but Independence Day lasts year-round for the elusive Black Dog.

They used traps, drugs
and a tranquilizer gun last week, but the legendary Black Dog eluded them all.

The legend of Black Dog has grown so large over the years, he’s no longer just the King of Strays in a matted coat of black.