JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are thousands of pets in shelters waiting for someone to adopt them. A First Coast online magazine wrote a story saying dogs with black fur are in shelters for longer and less likely to be adopted.
It's called Black Dog Syndrome.
QUESTION: Is Black Dog Syndrome real?
ANSWER: No.
Sources:
First Coast Life, an online magazine, wrote about Black Dog Syndrome. It reads in part “*Apparently when it comes to adopting dogs in shelters, my enthusiastic love for black dogs in not a shared emotion”.
The writer says most of their data is anecdotal, but they go on to list possible reasons why this might be, but experts say it's just not true.
“It’s not true," COO of Jacksonville Humane Society Lawrence Nicolas said. "It’s one of those urban myths out there about animal shelters and rescues that black dogs and cats don’t get adopted as quickly or they stay longer at shelters. We find that’s just simply not true.
Nicolas says what people are looking for is companionship.
“Instead of us focusing so much on the way that they look or what makes them different, we emphasize what makes them a great family pet and try to find them homes from there," he said.
Nassau County Humane Society also confirms they do not see their dogs with black coats lingering longer in the shelters.
ASPCA released a study in 2012 about what people look for in a pet when they come to a shelter. Their results show appearance as the most important reason they chose their pet, but in an article from the Today Show, Vice President of Shelter Research Dr. Emily Weiss explains the color of the dog’s coat didn’t matter. When they looked at length of stay, black animals did not remain in shelters longer.
There are plenty of dogs (brindle, black, white and all others) looking for homes right now at Jacksonville Humane Society and Nassau Humane Society.