Big Black Dog Syndrome: Why Black Dogs Don't Get Adopted
It's amazing how white supremacy works.
I recently came across this Facebook post about a Black Friday sale this past November sponsored by A Humane Society that gave away free black dogs, neutered and all. The reasoning behind the generous giveaway was that black dogs are often less likely to be adopted than lighter ones. This piece of trivia got me thinking about racism and how it affects color association. Immediately, my mind jumped to phrases like "black sheep", "blackmail", "blackballed", "blacklisted", or "dark (as an adjective for tragic media)". None of the words in the English lexicon that have 'Black' associations or connotations are positive. In contrast, think of all of the positive connotations attached to words associated with whiteness. White represents purity, goodness, and light. It is the total antithesis of Black. And much of the language is due to racism. Dr. King said it best:
"Somebody told a lie one day. They couched it in language. They made everything black ugly and evil. Look in your dictionary and see the synonyms of the word black. It’s always something degrading, low and sinister. Look at the word white. It’s always something pure, high, clean. Well, I want to get the language right tonight. I want to get the language so right that everybody here will cry out, “YES! I’M BLACK. I’M PROUD OF IT. I’M BLACK AND BEAUTIFUL!"
So naturally, hearing about this disparity in dog adoptions had my mind racing. "Are dog adopters subconsciously racist?" "Are they superstitious?" "Look at that adorable face, who wouldn't adopt that beautiful creature?!" I got to researching, and I discovered that there's actually a name for this phenomenon: Big Black Dog Syndrome.
Immediately I laughed. Come on. It sounded straight outta Tumblr. Literally!
But alas, it is real. Apparently, Black cats and dogs are more likely to be euthanized as well! According to Nancy Marano at treetoprescue.org, this is a very common issue.
Many of the reasons Marano covers align with my ideas. The hue of our canine companions scares folks, simply put. "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."
Another reason, though, is that Black dogs don't show up as well in kennels. Their features aren't as distinguishable and they often look older than they actually are. Sound familiar?
Again, it's amazing how white supremacy works. Even dogs feel its wrath.
Luckily, there are efforts beyond Black Friday sales to change the fate of these Black Beauties. According to People Magazine:
"In late 2004 [Tamara] Delany inaugurated Contrary to Ordinary: The Black Pearls of the Dog World. A former elementary-school teacher, Delany designed the site not only to showcase individual Labs, shepherds, huskies, mixes and other dark-coated dogs in want of homes but to educate the public about what animal rescue groups call Black Dog Syndrome. "I want people to become aware that when they decide to adopt a dog, they shouldn't just look at what the dog looks like," she says. "They should find the best personality match."
Looks like these Big Black Dogs have some white allies, amirite? *shows self out*
