I Wonder Article
As society progresses into an age of inclusivity and understanding, it is important to notleave behind our furry companions. The pets that bring love to every doorstep, no matter age, race, or class, animals are one thing that almost anyone agrees that they love and adore. However, the discrimination toward these animals often goes unacknowledged. Many dark-colored pets, such as black dogs or cats, face judgment purely due to the color of their coat. Statistics show pets with black fur have a higher chance of being placed in shelters, and oftentimes people perceive black pets as less interesting and unadoptable. Superstitions such as black pets bringing disease, bad luck, and black magic also make it hard for them to find a forever home.
In an article written by slate.com, author Katy Waldman examines how black dogs are less preferred to other dogs, “Black Dog Syndrome is the name shelter workers have given to the tendency of dark-furred pups to languish in kennels while their lighter-furred brethren get adopted. ‘The effect is very real,’ says Mirah Horowitz, executive director and founder of Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. ‘We recently had a litter of five very cute, very fluffy puppies, two yellow and three black. And the yellow ones all went immediately, but for the black ones it took weeks,’” (Waldman par. 1). This cruel favoritism is one way in which the distaste for black dogs is quietly displayed. Unfortunately, many of these dark-colored dogs find trouble being adopted only due to the color of their coat. This unfair treatment can be due to a variety of reasons. Ceasarsway.com comments on this in an article called “Black Dog Syndrome: Why Black Dogs Are Less Likely To Be Adopted,” some people believe black dogs represent evil, bad, or foreboding. Ideas such as these are often perpetuated in media, literature, film, and television. Black dogs face a stain on their reputation as being more aggressive and objectively “bad.” Although no statistic points to fur coats being a point in the way a dog behaves, many people still tend to avoid black-colored pups due to their superstitious beliefs.
Not only dogs, but black cats, also face a very similar dilemma. In an article published by the Smithsonian, Collin Schultz brings attention to this prejudice of cats due to their fur color. “Around this time of year, says the University of California, Berkeley, black cats ‘can be associated with black luck and witches,’ a prejudice that persists not just for a few months in the fall, but actually has important consequences year-round for the fates of these felines. People ascribe certain personality traits to cats of different colors, a bias that skews adoption rates and leaves some cats, particularly black, particularly the lurch.” Black cats are at risk. For something as small as fur color, black cats can face a multitude of problems. Harmful stereotypes of black cats can cause them to have fewer chances of adoption, and as a result, cause them to be more likely to be euthanized.
However, not all research points to black dogs and cats being discriminated against. According to today.com in an article called “Puppy prejudice: Are black animals less likely to be adopted,” “‘New pieces of research have found that there is no indication that they are less likely to be adopted,’ ASPCA Vice President of Shelter Research Dr. Emily Weiss told TODAY.com. ‘We just conducted a piece of research looking at various traits that drive people to adopt and color did not play a role at all.’” Although there are certain superstitions around black-colored pets, they might not be as common as one might think. Most adopters do not consider fur color an important factor while adopting a pet, making it less likely for black-colored dogs and cats to be disfavored.
All in all, whether or not judgment towards a pet due to their fur color exists is certainly an interesting topic. Walls of biases will co-exist with the reign of humanity, whether our pets are part of the victimized system is up to the adopters to decide.