Dogs, Cats Less Likely to Be Adopted From L.A. Shelters if They're Black

By Simone Wilson Wed., May 9 2012 at 8:00 AM

Best Friends Animal Society

The Trayvon of shelter pets.

Hipster racism we can handle. But cuddly kitten racism? There is no god!

L.A. animal shelters went public with this disturbing trend (sometimes called Black Dog Syndrome) last year, revealing to Time Magazine that black shelter pets "are often the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized."

The good news is that from this injustice was born an animal civil-rights movement of sorts...

... including the designation of May as "Adopt a Black Shelter Pet Month" and the commencement of "Back in Back," an incentive program that waives adoption fees on any pet with black fur, and throws in a free bag of kibble for good measure.

Before you go crying "affirmative action," consider the struggles that black pets face on a daily basis:

• Hollywood, and especially Hollywood-4-kids, continues to enforce the negative stereotype that dark animals are evil animals who will cast evil spells on you with their evil glowing orb eyes in the night. "If you think of any movie with a mean, devil dog, it's always a black dog, and if you see a witch in a movie, they always have a black cat," one California shelter president tells Time. True that.

• All that shows up in their shelter headshots are the glowing orbs. Seth Casteel, an L.A. photographer who specializes in flattering pet photos, says that unless you get your dog to pant (like a smile!) or your cat to stand in just the right filtered sunlight, they will look like wild-eyed shadow beasts. (Visit his website for more tips.)

Black Dog Syndrome is no myth, says L.A.'s own Best Friends Animal Society, who's at the forefront of this equal-rights crusade.

"The color of a pet's fur has no relationship to their ability to provide unconditional love, companionship and devotion," reads a promotional blurb on the organization's website, beneath a killer graphic of two black pets in Will Smith shades.

So unless you want to come away the shelter a white supremacist with a privileged purse poodle, celebrate the second annual Adopt a Black Shelter Pet Month by doing your part, dammit.

Best Friends Animal Society

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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Woody McBreairty

This is so true & so tragic. People are so dumb to be so superstitious. The same about black dogs is true of black cats. Many people think black cats are bad luck. Most shelters wil halt adoptions of black cats (& sometimes dogs) around Halloween because crazy people adopt them for sacrificial rituals at that time of year. I adopted 2 black Bombay cats, Pepper & Zorro, from the shelter 1 day before they were scheduled to be put down. They are they most precious loving companions, they love each other as well as my adopted Rat Terrier Zipper. They are all buddies and are so playful & loving with each other. I wish people would think more realistically about this & mature a little & come to understand that there is no such thing as bad luck about black cats (or dogs) & adopt them & enjoy the love they give. I know someone who runs a foster/adoption program & she says the beautiful black cats are very hard to place. She keeps them in couples so they will be companions to each other. Only education & open mindedness & common sense can help people get rid of the stupid ridiculous superstitions they have about black pets.

Rob

Are they sure this problem isn't breed specific? For example, a black cocker spaniel or Labrador retriever, who are tremendous family pets, I would take in a minute if I could afford another dog right now (I have a husky). But a Great Dane, a Doberman, a pit bull or little yapper dog, no thanks, no matter what the color is.