Mumma was reading another in a long string of articles about
the curse of the color black in canine rescue.
It all boils down to this: if you’re a larger dog and your coat color is
black, you’re just about doomed. If you’re
a smaller dog and your coat color is black, you are slightly less doomed than
the larger dog, but still pretty doomed.
It’s insidious and probably goes back to our earliest superstitions. Black has always been associated with bad
things. Witches, devils, darkness, evil,
the bad guy in the Western movies. Black
animals have been considered familiars for all the nasty things that go bump in
the night. We laugh about it but way
deep down it has a hold on us. All the
black dogs and cats waiting for adoption in the shelters can attest to this.
I’m sure you’re shaking your head, no that’s not me. I am fine with black dogs and cats. But ask yourself this, have you ever owned a
black animal? The majority of us will
have to answer no. It’s not that you go
to the shelter or the breeder or wherever and say, I hate black dogs, I’m not
going to adopt one (though some
There are people out there who are doing everything they can
to find homes for the chromatically challenged.
One lady has started a website called Black Pearl Dogs. It highlights all that is amazing and good
about these dogs. Trying to cut through
the clutter of brain stem evolution and maybe get you to consider the great
dogs underneath that coat color. Please
check this website out and share it with your friends.
Next time you’re at the shelter please stop and take some
time with a black coated dog. Even if he
doesn’t seem as “pretty” as the other dogs.
You’ll find out that they’re all as special and unique, as lively,
frisky, loving and snuggly as all the other dogs. And they’re more in need than the other dogs
since they are more likely to be euthanized or languish for years in the
shelter system without your help. We can
attest first hand that life with a chromatically challenged dog is
wonderful. We know from our experiences
with our own Bat Girl. Besides that,
black goes with everything and everything looks good on a black dog.
Happy Halloween!
I'm sure it's because I am very biased, but I don't think my Jimmy would last more than one day without being adopted!
ReplyDeleteBut I don't want to dilute your message! It is a well known fact, black animals are harder to adopt out! They truly deserve extra consideration!
Yes, I have a black animal!! And she is the best! We didn't specify coat colour, it is actively discouraged. There are a lot of black greyhounds here due to the colour of the popular sires (Brett Lee, Bombastic Shiraz, Big Daddy Cool etc). If they are cat friendly then colour doesn't matter, they go out the door like hotcakes. ;)
ReplyDeleteFlattery and Küster are on a mission to make everyone want a black dog! I'm sure after reading about them and Bettina, everyone will want one of their own! :P
ReplyDeleteThree of our current five pups are black. They do seem to get the shaft. We will always have at least one black one.
ReplyDeleteMy first greyhound was a lovely black-with-tuxedo-markings girl called Oreo. She had bounced to a local group from an earlier home, and we never knew her racing name (her tattoos were unreadable). I miss her a lot, and I'm determined to have another black dog someday. (Meanwhile, I just take the dogs my group sends me.) http://www.flickr.com/photos/kf-in-georgia/141485283/in/set-1469690
ReplyDeleteMy foster grey (Solitary Wakeup) and Luna have convinced me that black dogs are awesome. They look good in every color, always match my outfit, and they're just so darn cute! Thank you for helping to spread the word to adopt black animals.
ReplyDeleteI never realized the prejudice against the black dogs till I got one. Power is about the very best that a pet can be and he's so black, but with the tuxedo markings.
ReplyDeleteMy Nikki is the most perfect dog in the world and she was always overlooked and never picked during home visits. That turned out to be a good thing for us because it took us four months to realize that WE were the perfect home for Nikki. Twinkie is a black kitty and she is evil. Just joking. She's my sweet little old lady cat. She does have an evil streak, but I think that's the "cat" in her, not the "black fur" in her.
ReplyDeleteI've only had 2 cats, brother and sister and he was black and a real character. My dog before Frankie was black. I've always liked black animals. It wouldn't have mattered what colour Beryl was, I fell for the twinkle in her eyes, and she is mostly black. I was hoping my next GH would be black but Asher came along. End of story I guess. Until next year when I hope to get back fostering and will no doubt get lots of black boys :)
ReplyDeleteJeffie is our black dog. He IS challenged, and not just chromatically - he's simply not wired right, bless him, and is permanently bewildered. He is, however, the sweetest, most affectionate old thing, and since we've had him, his coat has become like velvet, but with a high gloss. This is one thing that goes against them when they're waiting to be adopted: black dogs who live in kennels can look 'rusty' and unhealthy. It's only once they get into a home that the fluff gets shed and they start to really shine. And there is nothing shinier than a black dog!
ReplyDeleteOur first - and most beloved - cat was black, too. She was half siamese and just gorgeous.
I've had 2 black cats, and we once had a visitor who was seriously afraid of them. It was bizarre! Black animals are beautiful, and we should be way past silly superstitions.
ReplyDelete