Well, here's my old doggie, Kahn, in his younger days. I remember the day I went to get my new puppy. She brought Kahn to me in a picnic basket that was lined in red and black tartan plaid. He was a tiny, black ball of fluff, and it was the cutest picture as you can well imagine. Kahn was supposed to be a gray poodle.
Grey poodles are always black as pups.
I didn't know this was not a good start to his training, and well, it didn't matter at the time anyway. Your dog is on a biologically-imposed silent vigil all of his life. He was the best kind of friend, as our pets always seem to be. He always loved me, and I will always love him.