Friday the 13th: BLACK DOG SYNDROME?

Sophie, who graces the cover of my
book, was a black dog who claimed
my love the first time I saw her.

When I was working at my local animal shelter about ten years ago, it was well accepted that black dogs and cats were harder to adopt. We even ran special promotions that touted the benefits of adopting a pet with black fur. 

Is this simply because black cats and dogs are more numerous than other colors? 

An article on Petfinder talks about Black Dog Syndrome and offers possible reasons why black dogs may face longer wait times to be adopted. 

But do statistics back up this longer wait time? A blog post from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) claims this is a myth and offers numbers to prove their point.  

Myth or not, color doesn’t matter much to me. For many years, the dogs who came into my life seemed to be mostly black. I welcomed them with open arms, loved them, and grieved them when they transitioned over the Rainbow Bridge. I still have black dogs—half of my current doggie herd are mostly black—but I also have dogs sporting fur of different colors.

On this Friday the 13th, why not visit your local animal shelter and see who might be waiting for you? Like me, you might discover love comes in many colors!