Black Dog Syndrome???????

[flrpwr52]

I help at our local shelter and this phrase has been coming up a lot lately. Black Dog Syndrome, has anyone heard this before?

 

I know lighter colored dogs always seem to be adopted before a black dog but I never knew it had a name. Our local paper did an article on this and the one doing the speaking for the shelter was a "Black Dog". It was very cute and got the point across that black dogs aren't mean or bad just because of their color.

 

Since the article in the local paper we have had many people now looking at our black dogs which is so nice because some of them have been ther for a while.

 

I didn't know if this was just a local saying or if it was more nation wide.

[painted_ponies]

I'm always told by the shelter people that large black male dogs are the last to be adopted.

[bc4pack]

It's a nationwide thing... The fact that many people find black dogs to be more intimidating in their

looks... ie a totally black shepherd.

[Cynthia P]

I think it is international.

 

We have 3 Giant Schnauzers (and 6 border collies) two of them are Black and one is a pepper/salt (grey for the rest of you).

 

Sergeant, the male black one, will scare the pants off you....he deserves the black syndrome name

 

Everyone is very afraid of Maggie, the sweetest black giant schnauzer ever; Mia they'll walk right up to because she isn't black...although she is darn sweet too.

 

I've had trainers tell me that it is so hard to see their eyes on the black ones that you can't read expressions. Much scarier!

 

And to those that mentioned they'd never have a schnauzer of any size on the "dogs not to own" thread....I love my Giants...however, when they come in with wet beards....I can change my mind!

 

Cynthia

Sergeant, Mia & Maggie, the giants (and guardians of the house)

Pam, Dixie, Libby, Preacher, Mist & Tate...the working dogs

[shanni and kingsley]

well.. in my part of the world.. black is bad luck.. so.. they don't really like them.

 

here's the site to the black dog syndrome

http://www.blackpearldogs.com/

[MrSnappy]

Years and years ago I was talking to a woman in the US who was the shelter-puller for a large Lab rescue. She told me they pulled dogs in the following order:

 

Anything chocolate

Yellow females

Yellow males

 

If there was any room left, they would pull a black female if she was young and smaller. They couldn't pull the black males because they just never ever got adopted, even the puppies.

 

It really is a common syndrome. I have noticed that predominantly black border collies in our rescue, especially males, take longer to get adopted as well. They need a big white stripe down their face for people to even look at them.

 

RDM

[Cynthia P]

People will cross the street when we are walking the big black dogs.... here's a photo of Sergeant...i included it with Preacher one of our bc's....he's not scary!

 

[AK dog doc]

That really is too bad - but it really is true. We have the same syndrome here in the rescues and the shelter - both dogs AND cats, BTW, unless the cats have REALLY beautiful eyes. Sometimes even that won't swing it. What's funny is that I've always had a thing for black animals, whatever the species. When I was little I pestered my parents for a black cat for the longest time (no go). In adult life, I choose the animal for what they ARE - what's in them, and how it will fit into my life and my household - but I still like the black ones a lot. Mind you, I do have my little idiosyncratic preferences (like big pointy bat ears), and I admit I'd like to one day (when I have space) rescue a red BC, just because I have been so charmed by some of the ones I've "virtually" met here, and it would be a fun color contrast to the rest of the pack. But even then it really boils down to what the animals IS inside. I know some peole make decisions based on the superficialities, but I also DO think there's something to the theory that black fur renders the expression harder to read and therefore makes the animal "less adoptable" to the general public. That's always been my theory, anyway. But one of my fave rescue stories actually DOES involve a black dog, so not everyone is so decoyed by coat color.

[sea4th]

Although I've never heard it referred to as such, I do know that black dogs just don't draw the attention that other dogs do.

 

Some years ago, one of my dogs, Murphy, the sheltie, was used by American Greetings, and he had several cards out. At the first screening, there were some people there with dogs who happened to be black (the dogs, that is). They were rejected on the color alone, i.e., cards with black or mostly black dogs apparently would not sell well, if sold at all---that, in addition to black dogs just not photographing well for their purposes.

 

I guess black dogs get shorted all the way around. No black animal is put up for adoption around Halloween because of the connotation of black in certain, shall we say -- religions.

[nancy]

Vikki, I hope you don't lump all who celebrate Samhain into the group who might do harm to a black cat or dog!

 

Samhain - what we've turned into Halloween - is part of various pagan religions. And they are, indeed, religions. Far from harming animals, they put out a candle (to light the way) and some favorite food for friends and relatives who have died during the past year. Samhain marks the start of the new year.

 

Dare I posit why black animals are in disfavor? How many people think "jogger" and how many think "burgler" if they see a black male running in an affluent neighborhood? How often do we say lines like, "It's not always black or whit; sometimes it's grey"? I don't think they ever mean that black is right and white is wrong. WHat color hats defined the good cowboys and the bad ones (Hoppy's being the exception that proves the rule)?

[jackspack]

That is interesting. I used to foster cats with a rescue organization and the all black cats were usually the last to go, no matter how charming their personalities.

[flrpwr52]

It's nice to know that it isn't just in our area that the "black dogs" get left behind more often. We won't let any black cats get adopted from Oct 1st through Nov 5th at our shelter because of Halloween.

 

Myself I look more at black dogs than I do lighter dogs, I prefer the black ones, so what does that say for me? I would like to have a red and white or red merle for my next Border but if another black and white came along I wouldn't be sad about it.

[Meg+Whiley]

What struck me the most about my puppy was that she was almost all black. She has white on the tips of her feel and tail and a white chest. I picked her out of 4 others because of how beautiful I thought the black was.

[sea4th]

Oh, no, Nancy. I don't and that's not at all who I was referring to -- just the extreme nut jobs out there to take it in a whole nother direction. It's these nut jobs who do the horrible things that I put "religion" into quotes. I've got no problem with anyone else. Honest.

[RaisingRiver]

As an adult when I went to the humane society to get my first dog (as an adult), I looked at black dogs first. Why? Because growing up I had black dogs. My husband grew up with Goldens so he was looking at the gold/red dogs. We ended up with a gold dog, and thereafter I only was interested in gold/red dogs for dog #2. I even wanted a red BC - even though as a child I prefered the classic B&W. (and B&W is my fav color pattern combo for clothes/furniture, etc). I got a B&W BC because those were what the puppies I looked at all came in.

 

So all my choices came from what I knew, comfort-zone I guess.

 

But I too, have heard of the Black syndrome. I guess it makes me proud to own an all black cat and a B&W cat & 2 B&W dogs. hehe.

[painted_ponies]

nancy - thanks for bringing that up. Even though I'm an Episcopalian, Samhain is one of my favorite holidays. This is not something my new priest really understands. I tell him its a perfect holiday for Southerners, since we all worship our dead ancestors.

 

About the black/white figures of speech, I remember one of my law school classmates getting into awful trouble for describing his wife as "the fairest of them all," - a remark she did not appreciate, since she was very proud of her African-American heritage.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

It's probably not really the serious practioners who are the biggest issue. It's the ridiculous wannabes who really are a danger around that time of year. Black dogs and goats, also.

 

I had a neighbor who was grandfathered in and had a small goat farm right in the middle of a busy part of Winston-Salem. He told us that he had to put his goats up every year around that time. He finally got two livestock guardians and that stopped the problem (my first introduction to LGDs). Very sad.

[BustopherJones]

When we got Annie from the breeder, there was another female in the litter that the breeder was gioing to keep because she had much more white than Annie. Apparently, the breeder felt that Annie had too much black coloration. (Judge for yourself from the Avatar.) Personally, I have always loved black dogs (as you might guess from the Avatar); this is what convinced us to get Missy from rescue, and to pick Annie from the litter. But I would agree with those who have indicated that a black dog is often at a disadvantage, due to people's misconceptions; some think that the coloration is ominous. (After the publication of Matthew Johnstone's book, some might also subconsciously associate a black dog with clinical depression.)

[painted_ponies]

He finally got two livestock guardians and that stopped the problem (my first introduction to LGDs).

 

I'll bet it did. Your Maremma loping towards me, barking greetings, stopped me in my tracks! I had a moment of "white dog syndrome," I think. Very sweet critter, though, once we'd got past the introductions.

[sharkie]

Years and years ago I was talking to a woman in the US who was the shelter-puller for a large Lab rescue. She told me they pulled dogs in the following order:

 

Anything chocolate

Yellow females

Yellow males

 

If there was any room left, they would pull a black female if she was young and smaller. They couldn't pull the black males because they just never ever got adopted, even the puppies.

 

It really is a common syndrome. I have noticed that predominantly black border collies in our rescue, especially males, take longer to get adopted as well. They need a big white stripe down their face for people to even look at them.

 

RDM

 

 

 

someone told me for labs that you should pick the black females 1st, yellow, then dead last the chocolate ones

[Catu]

In SAR in this region there is the rumor (I don't know if it is true or not) than chocolat labs have more energy and drive than blacks, and blacks more than yellow. Maybe that is the reason why pet owners run of chocolat ones, personally, I don't like labs very much, but if obligated to, I will choose a black female.

 

My current dog is very much like a black German Shepherd (which I had always loved) but with the long legs and angles of the Belgian, so she looks a lot like a short haired wolf. That, plus her high prey drives makes people to think twice at the time of pet her. As she has trained in SAR since 40 days old, Auca thinks that every person who approach to her has her toy and is going to play, so she can pass from a maniac stare to bark and howl like possessed. Actually, I would think twice too, but she is the sweetest thing of earth, just a "bit" obsessive.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/CatuValencia/B...585972961834930

[sharkie]

yea i think that the person who i was talking to referred to "mellow lab" as a gift from heaven. he was saying how the black ones tend to have better temperament.

 

my skye is the kind who has a lot of energy and drive! insane doggie

 

just rumors...i really don't know how much truth there is to that.

 

btw...labs are very cute funny dogs. borders just seem a bit serious to me

[Rhys]

When we adopted 3 years ago we were looking for temperament and personality not a specific breed. The only physical requirement was that the dog had to fit through our dogdoor. The dogdoor is through the wall of our house in between the framing and can’t be enlarged. The rescue director picked out 3 dogs for us to meet that matched what we were looking for. All were black males. I didn’t know until then that black dogs are hard to place. We adopted a black lab/heeler named Tic. Tic had been at the rescue 6 months. His yellow lab/heeler sister was adopted right away. Tic was my heart dog. He died in February.

In March we adopted 2 dogs from the same rescue. Because we were able to adopt two at the same time we wanted two that needed to be placed together. Jin an adult black female mix/mix and Rhys a border collie with an unsuccessfully repaired hind leg that we discovered 48 hours after adopting him needed to be amputated were the two. Jin had been at the rescue for 9 months. During that 9 months one person showed interest in her until she noticed the mole on Jin’s head!

More than half of the dogs at this rescue are black. The director has a soft spot for them and animal control knows it.

[HighDesertSpice]

someone told me for labs that you should pick the black females 1st, yellow, then dead last the chocolate ones

 

 

Yep: most Lab people like the blacks, albeit yellows are very popular and chocolates are in vogue at the moment, although as bc people have that anti_white bias, Lab people have traditionally had that "brown is dumb" bias. (I know some breeders quite personally who are just beginning to get over this.) I think there are tons of Black Dogs around because there are SO MANY of them. Is black the dominant color gene? Anyway, i LOVE the b&w traditionally bc look actually. But i apparently have a soft spot for red......