When I was adopted this past February, I knew that fate brought me and my family together. When I first got to the shelter, I thought I was sure to be adopted quickly. After all, I’m well trained, out of the puppy phase, I know my manners, and I’m excellent with kids. So as nervous and scary as it was going to the shelter, I thought my chances of getting out quick were pretty good.

Upon my arrival, there were many things that I learned at the shelter–things I had never considered before. I was black, big, roughly 65 pounds. Sure, I was older, but there had to be someone that thought my features made up a great dog. But to my despair, it wasn’t that great. In fact, my characteristics deemed me as “unadoptable” and not what most humans go for in a canine companion. Many potential adopters would look at look me and then play with my kennel mate, a cute, blonde young puppy. I tried to be on my best behavior, but there was something that was drawing the humans away from me. Let me explain.

Many humans are becoming very aware about the importance of adopting and rescuing dogs versus buying them from breeders, puppy mills, or pet stores. Although it is a great service to “canine-kind” to adopt, there’s a somewhat unknown phenomena that exists within the shelter system. Shelter employees and volunteers are aware of this phenomenon, but are unable to curb it. This quandary is deemed as the Black Dog Syndrome.

This syndrome is a complex issue that affects most black dogs in the shelter system. There are many factors that make it difficult to adopt certain dogs, such as age, temperament, size, or weight. But black dogs are by far the hardest to get adopted, and many shelter employees would agree. Although I am cute, cuddly, loving, and affectionate, humans associate fur color with temperament and personality, that is, black equals dark, aggressive, angry, or ugly, while blonde equals sweet, loving, affectionate, or happy. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Many dogs conquer this stereotype, and although there are exceptions to every rule, it seems as though, the Black Dog Syndrome is a challenging conundrum to break.

“The emotions of humans play a huge part in the Black Dog Syndrome related cases. When it comes to a cute, cuddly puppy versus a bigger, but already trained dog, the puppy will win the human over 80 percent of the time,” according to Rachel Aycock, Public Relations Director for the SPCA of Lakeland, Florida.

When searching for the right canine companion for your family, there are many factors that must be considered. You should examine yourself and your lifestyle and consider how adopting a dog plays into the scenario. Do you live in a big house or a small apartment? Do you have children? A fenced in yard? Do you work long hours? Do you have the time and financial capabilities for a pet? These are only a few questions to consider when deciding on a dog for your home. Unfortunately, it is all too common for humans to choose pets based on looks, animal trends, or whatever aligns humans with a social status. Although there are many considerations regarding a potential adoption, why would a human care only about aesthetic appeal versus personality, temperament, or behavior?

“The biggest offenders we see are people who pick puppies because they are cute and cuddly, not thinking about the training, time, and expense this pet will require, or the fact that the puppy might grow up to be a big pet,” says Laurie Hoffman, the Director of Development and Communication for the Human Society of Greater Miami Adopt-a-Pet.

Although adoption is a huge part of the Syndrome, for me it didn’t stop there. As soon as I got to my new home with my new family, it was obvious that our neighborhood treated us differently. I was different than the other dogs. The majority were small and white. When we would go on walks, humans would shield their dogs away from me and walk in the grass so as not to get close. I often wondered if I smelled bad or if there was something wrong with me. This bothered my mom a LOT because she wanted me to socialize with other dogs and people. But, if dogs tried to get away from us, the task of socialization made it hard. The frustrating part was that I do appear to be very friendly, always wagging my tail and excited to say hello to new butts and kiss new humans, but they were afraid of me.

The Syndrome is not a disguise for “our problem,” but is rather a phenomenon that affects the majority of black dogs in and out of the shelter system. I propose this because there are other dogs in our community who are large, albeit not black, and they are not treated as ferocious beasts. Furthermore, there are many organizations that are working hard to expose the discrimination against black dogs, how it affects the shelter system, and the innocent black dogs.

Finally, the pervasiveness of this national problem forces shelters to take on the challenge without much support. In order for the shelter to take on this challenge (and others), they have to use euthanasia to move the “unwanted.” This is the devastating part, and without my mom and her ability to adopt me when she did, this might have been my unfortunate fate.

The good folks at Black Pearl Dogs are committed to educating humans about the Syndrome and trying to erase humans’ misconceptions about it. In addition, there are books and grassroots organizations that are trying to spread the word that black does not mean something dark or negative, but rather it is the personality that defines the dog, as it is with humans.

When my parents came into the shelter to adopt me, they were certain of one thing and one thing only: to adopt a dog that really needed them, a dog that wasn’t so easily adoptable, and a dog with “unfavorable” qualities like being older, black, and big. I was sure lucky because that was me!

Here at Harley’s Mission, our goal is to educate humans about responsible pet “ownership,” what that means to society, and how to make the most humane choices. We strive to eradicate dog stereotypes by focusing on important problems that necessitate much discussion, like the Black Dog Syndrome. Even though I may be dark in color, I am bright in spirit and in heart. As my mom and I take on the challenge to educate humans about their dogs, we know that with a combination of a great temperament, disposition, and personality, we can teach the world that black dogs are the friendliest of the canines!

Dig you know that black is associated with power, formality, death, evil, and mystery? Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, black death). Refer to the website www.color-wheel-pro.com.

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. 

Won’t you try to erase the stigma of the Black Dog Syndrome?

Tags: Awareness, Black Dog Syndrome, Harley