RESCUE ME HEATHER AND HER THREE BLACK BEAUTIES

Black dog syndrome, the theory that black dogs and black cats tend to be the last ones adopted from shelters, seems real to experienced rescuers.

“I’ve seen it,” says core Dallas DogRRR volunteer Heather Harris. That also means they are more likely to be euthanized when they wind up in kill shelters. Standing inside Harris’ White Rock area home, surrounded by three black foster dogs, it seems impossible.

All under a year old, and potty trained (save a wee bit of excitable urination here and there), these three ebony creatures are the embodiment of hope, love and all things good in this cruel world. Melodramatic? Maybe, but you are guaranteed to feel some of that when you lift the littlest one, Shirley, and she hugs you tightly, like a sleepy baby might.

Ace Ventura, whose shiny fur was nonexistent upon his rescue due to a bout with sarcoptic mange, now sits poised proudly, awaiting his glamor shot. Gentle and playful, his one vice might be nibbling the edges of those skinny notebooks used by reporters.

Leonard, who looks like Ace but with a white face, was rescued from a kill shelter in Mesquite. His calm demeanor sends him to a corner when the other two begin to roughhouse, yet outside, chasing a ball, he’s a swift, sure beast.

In another room of the house, Harris’ three permanent dogs wait semi-patiently for their turn to play.

Like DogRRR’s other core members,

Harris has dedicated the better part of her life to saving animals.

“I lived in a condo before this. I have a real estate agent friend who helped me find a house. She said, ‘You must have a house if you are going to keep having all these dogs.’ ” When she moved into her house, she acquired more fosters and the agent/friend said, “I did not mean so you could get more!”

Donations to DogRRR help fosters like Harris maintain — “They pay for food, medical, accessories like pee pads, crates. People make donations and think my $5 or $10 doesn’t help, well, it actually does,” she says.