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| Photo by tohu |
National
Black Dog Day: October 1st educates about Black
Dog Syndrome
The first day of October marks National Black Dog Day. Many shelters and pet adoption organizations credit black dogs with being the least adoptable pets, with their lack of adoptability based only on their colour. Petfinder published an article on this matter stating that “in a survey, Petfinder member shelter and rescue groups reported that most pets are listed for 12.5 weeks on Petfinder, whereas, less-adoptable pets (such as black, senior, and special needs pets) spend almost four times as long on Petfinder.”
So why is there this Black Dog Syndrome (BDS)? According to
Petfinder it could potentially be based on several variables, such as unclear
facial features and dimly lit kennels not providing potential pet owners with a
quality photo of the pet. Petfinder also believes it could be due to the ‘genericness’
of black pets. Their article even states that negative portrayals of black pets
in the media and pop-culture could be impacting the adoptability of black dogs.
Think The Omen, Sherlock Holmes; The
Hound of the Baskervilles and even the Harry
Potter series. Even the ‘Beware of Dog’ sign pictures a threatening, black
dog. With black cats tied to superstitions, witches and bad luck, any black pet
is subject to scrutiny from potential pet owners.
The National Black Dog Day
website, with a headline that reads ‘Black
dogs are filled with light,’ is trying to raise awareness about BDS and
educate pet owners that black dogs are just the same as any other dog. For
National Black Dog Day, I would like to share 3 beautiful adoptable black dogs
that are on Petfinder right now. Please share this story to help them find a
forever home, and to raise awareness about BDS. There is absolutely no reason
why a dog should be less likely to be adopted based only on the colour of its
fur.
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| Photo's of adoptable dogs via Petfinder |
Charlie is a male neutered Lab/Hound mix. He is 3 years
old, 60 lbs and is located at Home Again in Bancroft, Ontario. CLICK HERE to learn more
about Charlie.
Cody is a male neutered Lab/Husky mix. He is 3 years old
and is located at the SPCA of Western Quebec. CLICK HERE to
learn more about Cody.
Feather is a female spayed German Shepherd/Boxer mix. She
is 3 years old and is located at New Beginnings in Ottawa, Ontario. CLICK HERE to learn more
about Feather.
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