Big Black Dogs

Whether we like it or not, people who encounter us with our canines make their own assessments of our, and our dogs', personality traits based on how our dog looks, acts and behaves. Have you ever heard of Big Black Dog Syndrome (BBD) or Black Dog Bias? It is a phenomenon experienced by shelters in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favor of lighter-colored dogs. Predominantly dark dogs take longer to be adopted, and are often among the first to be euthanized, in comparison to their lighter counterparts. Also, large dogs tend to take longer to be adopted than small ones.

Theorized reasons for BBD:

1. Fear of certain breeds that are typically dark such as Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers.

2. Black dogs are often portrayed as "villains," dangerous and aggressive, in film and on television.

3. Their coloring is associated with evil or misfortune such as black cats being unlucky or ominous.

4. Black dogs' facial features are more difficult to highlight in photographs, and dark eyes against dark fur make it more difficult to read facial expressions, mood, or make an emotional connection when browsing the darker animals on shelter websites.

There is some validity to the claim that there are more black dogs in shelters because there are more black dogs in the world due to black coloring being a dominant gene. However, this does not explain why rescue workers find it much harder to find homes for black dogs than for dogs of other colors. For some shelters, the problem is so bad that they've developed special promotions to help draw attention to their black animals, such as reduced adoption fees.

There seems to be only anecdotal evidence of this phenomenon, and I will share some of my experiences this week.

Sources:

"Travels With My Dog Casey: Black Dog Syndrome," by Benoit Denizet-Lewis, 2012

Black Dog Rescue Project

NY Times Opinion Pages, October 13, 2009

Luna, J & Foster - We are, apparently, a Black Dog Family