By Gail Diedrichsen

In animal shelters across Chicagoland, the western suburbs and beyond, potential adopters overlook countless dogs every day for one simple, yet heartbreaking, reason: the color of their fur. Black pets face a far more difficult — and, oftentimes, deadly — shelter experience than pets of any other color. The questions we must ask ourselves are: Why? And more importantly, what can we do to change it?

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Just in time for a good summer read, James Patterson has given his fans another installment to his “Women’s Murder Club” series. It’s his thirteenth and, as such, appropriately entitled Unlucky 13. The eye-catching cover of this latest thriller boldly displays the numeral 13, behind which is strategically placed the epitome of bad luck symbols: a sinister black cat.

It’s an archetypal motif we know all too well, but the unfortunate truth is that silly superstitions like the “unlucky” black cat can, and arguably do, create problems for homeless black pets down on their luck and looking for brighter futures. In fact, so prevalent is the issue that rescue groups have labeled the phenomenon “Black Cat/Dog Syndrome.”

Overlooked by adopters and euthanized more frequently for no reason other than fur color, black pets present a challenge for rescue organizations. Some might suggest there are simply more black animals as genes that produce black offspring are dominant, and thus lead to a greater prevalence of ebony-hued pets. Evidence gathered from the field, however, provides persuasive proof of a color bias against black pets.

Narrowing down what makes adoptable pets attractive is ambiguous, and color is just one aspect. To prove the Syndrome is, in fact, a reality, one must compare apples to apples and examining adopters’ color preferences within a breed-specific rescue organization removes some extraneous influences.

Kim Kenney, intake coordinator and co-founder of Chicagoland Lab Rescue, observes firsthand how color can sway adopters as labs come in all colors, from almost white to jet-black.

“Our organization rescues dogs from overcrowded facilities downstate,” Kim says. “Frequently, they send me photos of great dogs, overlooked simply because they’re black. Although my evidence is anecdotal, my experience tells me black dogs get adopted last.

“The yellows charm people. When adopters see a brown they melt, saying, ‘Aw, look, a sweet chocolate!’ I feel for the blacks. They wait longer. Ironically, the original color is black. The yellows and chocolates came later.”

Kim believes several issues contribute to the problem. With a bit of know-how, some are simple to solve. What is more difficult to remedy are issues fueled by emotion rather than reason.

“Black dogs are difficult to photograph,” Kim says. “When you flash-fill to capture the dog’s expression, you end up with a demonic looking dog with glowing eyes.

“This sure doesn’t help. Lighter dogs are more photogenic. Tips on how to photograph darker pets are available on websites.”

“A more complicated issue may be rooted in cultural differences,” Kim adds. “Some people, due to past experiences, are afraid of big black dogs. For example, I placed a dog in a nursing home and had a call asking if I could place a dog in another facility. This was good news. It meant the first dog was working out well. However, there was one stipulation: the dog couldn’t be black. Many seniors living at this particular home were afraid of black dogs. I was astounded to think that such a backward notion exists!”

Teri Grandt, the foster home coordinator for Rover Rescue, agrees: “Absolutely! Black dogs take longer to place. It’s a given.”

Teri knows when she takes in a black dog, especially with erect ears, it will take extra time to find a placement. “I don’t really know why, but the floppy-eared black dogs are slow, but not as slow to get adopted as the black ones with erect ears,” she says. “They must look scarier. I guess if you’re met at the door by a black, barking dog, as opposed to a white dog, it’s more intimidating.”

Could the prejudice against black dogs be hardwired deep within our psyches due to both overt and subliminal influences? After all, black, as a symbol of evil, goes back to the very beginning of history. Hades’ hellhound, Cerberus, described in Greek mythology as a three-headed black dog with razor-sharp teeth, guarded the entry to the Underworld. Darkness, as a metaphor, is evident in the Bible and Shakespeare. Winston Churchill described his depression as his black dog.

Also consider common phrases and words with negative connotations like black magic, black hole, blacklist, blackball, blackmail, black cloud, black sheep and so on. Do we process this descriptive imagery, store it in the deep recesses of our brains, and then apply it to something as seemingly unconnected as the color preference of our pet?

Author and professional trainer Julie Dorsey-Oskerka thinks that might be the case. “I hear shelter staff and rescue groups comment all the time about how a black dog can languish on the ‘adoption floor’ and it’s a sad situation,” she says.

“I believe it’s because our thinking is synonymous with everything we’ve seen and heard since childhood. In the movies, good guys wear the white hats. Bad guys wear black. In religion, white stands for angelic and pure, while black stands for evil. Even though we don’t consciously make the decision to judge in this way, unfortunately, people do.

“We fear the dark. We look forward to the light. Sad that our conditioned response to black and white spills over into the fate of an animal. The white and light colored dogs get adopted first, while the black dogs sit and wait and wait and wait.”

Modern-day literature and Hollywood fare also perpetuate these myths, exploiting black animals’ ability to instill fear. Notorious are the black devil dogs in The Hounds of the Baskerville, a favorite Sherlock Holmes mystery. The Omen movies depict evil in the form of black dogs. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling alludes to the dog, “Grim,” a bad omen appearing in Harry’s teacup.

In The Grand Budapest Hotel, the antagonist walks down a dark alley as a black cat skirts past. No surprise, the woman he visits turns up dead later in the film.

And what about animated movies watched by kids? Often, the antagonists are portrayed as dark beasts, intentionally designed to intimidate. Carface, the evil canine in All Dogs Go To Heaven morphs into a black devil. Alpha, a black Doberman in UP, is a sadistic henchman who attempts to kill Dug, a golden colored pack member. Roscoe and Desoto, black Doberman mobsters in Disney’s Oliver and Company, are unmerciful killers. When The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns gives the order to “Release the hounds,” the hounds in question are, of course, snarling black guard dogs.

Is it any wonder black dogs are viewed as less desirable family pets?

Aware of the black pets’ plight, organizations like Lulu’s Locker focus specifically on finding homes for them, while also working to dispel preconceived notions.

“I volunteered at Tree House and noticed black animals needed help,” says Lulu’s Locker Founder Dawn Isenhart-Copp. “I established Lulu’s Locker in 2011 to educate and advocate for those passed over too often. Many are pit mixes. If they’re white with a spot, reminiscent of Petey in Spanky and Our Gang, people think they’re cute. But if they are black, people are fearful.”

Dawn also sees poorly-lit facilities as an obstacle. “Visitors can barely see a dark dog,” she says. “If the dog is a little shy and hangs back in the kennel, nobody’s going to coax that dog to come forward.”

Dawn’s story of sweet Aliza proves that beauty is truly in the eye of the educated beholder. “We exhibit photos of our available dogs at pet expos. We had Aliza’s photo

displayed, but it didn’t get much attention until a passerby took notice. She asked, ‘Why would you advocate for a dog like that, when so many deserving dogs are out there?’

“An 8×10 photo of Aliza had provoked this reaction — the dog wasn’t even there! Ironically, a police officer with two grandchildren saw the same photo and fell in love. She’s now a ‘nanny dog,’ watching over her kids. She’s the same dog the other woman called scary!”

Beyond the ability to instill fear, coat color can even affect the way a dog is perceived in terms of breed. Diamond, another alumnus of Lulu’s Locker is a perfect example.

“She was obviously a lab mix, but labeled a pit mix,” Dawn says of Diamond. “If a dog’s black, people automatically seem to call it a pit bull. If the dog is light and obviously a pit mix, they’re labeled lab mixes. Diamond finally was adopted after an

entire year in foster care. We heard from her adopters who cannot believe she sat for so long because she’s fantastic! Color should NOT matter.”

Many people like Aliza and Diamond’s new family members step-up and adopt an at-risk black pet. Unfortunately, however, “Black Dog Syndrome” remains a perplexing and troublesome issue. We can help enlighten others so black pets will have brighter futures. After all, we teach our children not to judge others simply by outer appearance. It’s what’s on the inside that counts. Can’t we open our hearts and extend this same unprejudiced attitude to pets in need?

Black is classy, elegant, beautiful… and real love is always colorblind.

Photos, previous page, courtesy of Gail Diedrichsen, Lulu’s Locker and Belly Up for Adoptions, clockwise from top left: Kyra, who was transported from Oklahoma to be adopted in the western suburbs; Aliza, adopted through Lulu’s Locker; Onyx, up for adoption through Belly Up for Adoptions in Lombard; Diamond, adopted through Lulu’s Locker; dogs awaiting loving forever homes and adoptable through Lulu’s Locker.