Spooky season! A time of year when people are searching for scares – but you wouldn’t expect these small spooky little floofers! So adorable it’s scary, Black dogs are very loved by their enthusiasts for their beautiful ebony pelts and the contrast of their eyes and fur, but sadly, people are afraid of these dogs due to the perpetuation of stereotypes about them being scary or bad omens, and even about them being defenders of the underworld. Read on to find out more!

The Impact of Dog Stereotypes

Many different kinds of dogs are stereotyped for different reasons. Pit bulls and rottweilers tend to be overlooked by potential adopters, or even banned in some places. If you’ve ever been to the Humane Society, you may notice how there are many pit bulls compared to other types of dogs. These dogs can be very sweet, but harmful stereotypes about them cause them to be neglected and even euthanized. But I’ll talk more about pitties at a different time. Sometimes, these stereotypes can cause generalized groups of dogs, such as black dogs or any sort of American Bulldog/Pit Bull/Rottweiler/Bulldog mix to be more likely to stay in shelters or be euthanized. In terms of scientific proof, there has been conflicting evidence. Some evidence says that they are overlooked, and others say that they are treated equally to other dogs. So it may vary based on location, as the studies were  conducted in different places.

Why Do People Avoid Black Dogs?

People may avoid black dogs because of myths about them, such as them being bad signs or being mythological killers or hellhounds of some sort. Black dogs may scare people away due to simple things like superstitions or stories. Another stereotype about them is that they may not be as photogenic as light dogs, causing people to not want to adopt them for fear of not getting as many cute photos. In a similar vein, this difficulty in getting a good picture may also cause the dogs to look less appealing on online adoption sites.

Some Things You Can Do To Help!

The main thing you can do to help these dogs is to try adopting one of course, but if you can’t do that for whatever reason, it’s just good to spread awareness. Talk to your friends and family! If you know someone who’s considering adopting a dog or cat, talk to them about maybe being open-minded to a more overlooked animal. If you have a social media platform, consider putting out something to encourage people to adopt these animals.

This came out after spooky day unfortunately, but any day is a good day to be kind!

Sources

https://kenneltocouch.org/2019/08/pit-bull-euthanasia-and-how-to-put-an-end-to-it/

https://www.thesprucepets.com/black-dog-syndrome-4796374#:~:text=The%20reason%20behind%20the%20phenomenon,potential%20adopters%20to%20avoid%20them.

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/opinion/black-dog-syndrome-is-it-real-what-is-it-first-coast-life-joan-walker-pawtography/77-9b2dfe68-fb25-4dad-8f2a-ed0b96f28e22