Big Black Dog Syndrome
Did you know that black dogs, especially big black dogs, such as Labs
and Lab mixes, Rottweilers, Chows, or Newfoundlands, are usually the
last ones to be adopted from shelters or rescue groups? Black dogs,
and black cats too, are euthanized at a higher rate than other
animals.
This phenomenon is so common it even has a name: big black dog syndrome.
Here are some of the theories given for why black-coated dogs don’t get adopted more easily:
They don’t show well in a kennel. It isn’t easy to distinguish their
features, and, if they have any gray or white hairs on their face, they
often appear older than they are. Joanne Anderson, a shelter volunteer
and rescuer in Babylon, Long Island, who also writes a weekly pet
column for the Babylon Beacon, The Amityyille Record and The Massapequa
Post, says, “Black dogs do not show up behind the bars or wires of a
cage. People tend to walk right by them and do not even notice they are
there.”
Superstitions give black dogs bad press. In European and British
folklore black dogs often appear as evil forces portending death to
those who see them. Writers like Sir Walter Scott and Arthur Conan
Doyle perpetuated these superstitions by using spectral hounds, usually
black and fearsome, in their stories and poems. These tales may pass
into people’s beliefs subconsciously.
“There may be a subliminal suggestion that “black is evil” like the
symbolism of Scar vs. Mufasa in “The Lion King,” Anderson says. “When
the shelter has a golden retriever mix and a flat-coated retriever mix,
basically the same dogs, the light-colored dog will usually be adopted
before the dark one.”
People fear them. Terry Albert, a California artist who has worked with
several Lab rescue groups, says that from her experience black dogs are
more difficult to place. “I currently pet sit for a black Giant
Schnauzer. He scares people to death even though he’s very friendly.
People shy away from him on the street.” The same is true for black
Labs. “People never say they are afraid of black, but sometimes body
language tells you. They stop, stiffen up, lean back a little, get a
look of concern on their faces or grab their children. Meeting a big
black dog at the door is very intimidating, especially when the dog is
excited and barking. Maybe it’s harder to read a black dog’s
expression.”
Melanie Coronetz, a freelance writer in New York City, had similar
experiences. Zorra was a stray rescued from the streets of Harlem. When
Coronetz first met her, she realized Zorra was showing her teeth
because she was frightened. Coronetz already had Skipperkees so she was
accustomed to black dogs. “I think teeth on black dogs look whiter and
more menacing than on other colored dogs. People who are not naturally
drawn to dogs may feel a bit frightened. A dog’s size and the misguided
reputations of certain breeds are also factors,” she says.
There is an overabundance of black or black and tan dogs so people don’t pay attention to them.
Black dogs aren’t photogenic. This makes a difference for shelters that
put pictures of animals awaiting adoption in the newspaper. Black dogs
may have expressive eyes, but they just don’t show up well in
photographs.
| Tamara
Delaney has taken the plight of BBD’s one step further. After trying to
find a home for a black Lab mix, who languished at a rescue group for
three years, Delaney set up a website devoted entirely to BBD’s. Her
site, Contrary to Ordinary: The Black Pearls of the Dog World (www.blackpearldogs.com), acts as a clearinghouse for shelters and rescue groups by placing pictures and stories of their black dogs on the website.
The next time you visit a shelter or rescue group pay special attention
to the beautiful black dogs and cats waiting to be noticed. Give them a
chance to find their way into your heart and home.
Jake's Story
Day after day, Jake, a black Lab mix with gray muzzle hair, waited in
his kennel at the Albuquerque Animal Care Center. The people who walked
past barely glanced in him, as they moved on to other luckier dogs.
Volunteers who exercised and played with Jake knew he had a great
personality, but no one wanted him. Jake’s time was running out when
one of the volunteers adopted him.
Jake blossomed into a friendly, loving dog who now goes on class visits
as part of the Animal Care Center’s humane education program. The
children love him and, judging from his vigorous tail wagging, Jake
returns the affection.
Why did people pass him up? Could it have been that his gray hair made
him look older than he was? Jake was only about three years old at the
time. Or was he a victim of BBDS, big black dog syndrome, a problem
almost every animal shelter understands.
Many Thanks and Full Credit to:
for the material presented in this story.
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