Black Dogs Get the Shaft

I was recently reading Jill Rosen’s blog in the Baltimore Sun, and she cited a story in the Post and Courier about how large black dogs have a harder time getting adopted than their lighter-coated counterparts. It broke my heart.

Five-year-old Rowdy is a black lab available for adoption from Pet Helpers on James Island. Tyrone Walker/Post and Courier

According to the Post and Courier: “That's definitely ‘the shelter worker's perception,’ throughout the country, said Jacque Schultz, the senior director of community outreach for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ‘If you see a row of 20 black dogs, they fade from your memory. There's very little in the way of research’ on whether black dogs are euthanized at higher rates, she said, but it's likely. ‘The longer you're at a shelter, the greater the risk.'"

To help black dogs get noticed, shelters are trying to market them better. Says the story: “Sometimes, all it takes is better lighting, a brightly colored collar, or even a unique squeaky toy in its cage for an animal to be noticed, shelter workers say. Black dogs just need a little help standing out.”

To read the full story, click here.

(Thanks to Lindsay B. for passing this along!)