Overcoming Black Cat & Dog Syndrome

Black Cat & Dog Syndrome is described as a phenomenon that dark-coated pets are overlooked most of the time by adopters in favor of animals with lighter fur hues. But why? 

When we think of Halloween, the first colors that pop into our mind are orange and black. Other colors are often used for decorating like purples, greens, etc., but orange and black have been for a number of years the colors most often associated with the Holiday. Orange is understandable as it is a perfect fall color reminiscent of falling leaves and the pumpkin patch. Black, on the other hand, is a bit more symbolic.

Black is a popular Halloween color because like Halloween, it has ties to death. It’s believed that the veil between the living and dead is thinnest around Halloween time, thus the beautiful celebration of Dia de los Muertos. Besides death, black is often used to represent darkness and evil. 
​
THEORIES FOR THIS SYNDROME
Is that the reason for the Black Dog and Black Cat Syndrome experienced at shelters? We don't know. 

There are a number of theories of why black dogs and cats are less adoptable than lighter colored animals. Theories include:

• There are more of them!
• They don’t photograph as well so they don’t appear on websites!
• They are harder to see so people overlook them at the shelter!
• People associate black dogs with big black mean dogs!
• Black cats were considered witches’ companions during the Middle Ages and thought to be members of the Occult!
• They're bad luck! 

We really don’t know for sure the reason for the Black Dog and Cat Syndrome, but statistics gleaned from animal adoption centers know that it is REAL.

​Sadly, black dogs and cats are often left behind when other colors are chosen for a furr-ever home.

When selecting a pet, we need to judge it by its personality, energy level, grooming needs, size, and exercise requirements to determine if it is a fit for our lifestyle. Not the color of its coat!

​

---

Here are a couple of stories of black pets being overlooked, but proving that they are awesome pets when people decided to give them a chance.  

PHOEBE JOANN'S STORY 
Let me tell you about Phoebe JoAnn. Her mother was part of a major rescue in Graham, Texas a number of years ago. All the dogs were immediately adopted out as they were marketed as Boston Terriers, except for Phoebe JoAnn’s mother who was kept behind in foster care until the delivery of her pups. 

I adopted Phoebe JoAnn when she was six weeks old. She was not a Boston Terrier by any description, but my Mother thought that she was the cutest puppy that she had ever seen. And she was black! 

Phoebe was independent and full of herself, but she was loveable! She loved her time in the back yard and quickly became best friends with the next-door neighbor dog. But she also always wanted to be a part of whatever was going on inside. If someone was getting groomed, Phoebe wanted her turn on the table. I attribute her saving another pup who was choking on a chewy by coming to get me. Phoebe was full of energy, and we sometimes accused her of not listening. But she listened when it was her turn to receive her blessing at the Blessing of the Animals. The little black dog was a wonderful part of my family for 15 years.

---

PRESTO'S STORY 
Another story involving a black dog and the time it often takes black dogs to be adopted is Midland Humane Coalition board member, Jonna Smoot, and her adopted big black dog, Presto.

Presto had spent just under 6 years being a “homeless” rescue dog and he was just under 6 years old, when Jonna took him into her home to foster and prepare him for his furr-ever home.

Having never known the security of a home and the love of a family, Presto was frightened. He wouldn’t eat and he was afraid to come into the house.  Jonna’s determination, with support  from MHC, helped him adjust and settle in. Soon, Presto was no longer a foster but had found his furr-ever home with Jonna. 

“From the minute I got him home, Presto was truly the sweetest dog ever,” Jonna recalls.  Today, she says, “He is the best dog I have ever had.”

Prejudice is all over the news today. Not a day goes by that we do not hear the word.

​Let us not be a part of the prejudice of the Black Dog and Cat Syndrome and look beyond the color of the coat and into the heart of the pet.

---

Shelia Huffman, Contributor/MHC Board 
​
Shelia recently moved to the Greenwood community of Midland from Dallas where she was a staff writer for White Rock Lake Weekly and a columnist for Bubblelife Media.  A retired travel agent and event planner, she has  been an animal activist her entire life.  Shelia  has a daughter and son-in-law in Midland, a grandson in Dallas and a granddaughter at Texas Tech. She lists cooking and writing about food, and,  of course, playing with her Terrier Mix rescue, Penelope, as some of her favorite things.