Adopt a Black Dog and Break the Trend

I find this absolutely ridiculous. So not only am I racist against black people I am racist against dogs too. What’s next? Cats? Ferrets? Rats? Just for the record I own two chocolate labs and they are awesome!

The simple question is: Why is anyone telling anyone what they can think or prefer?

I think it’s got more to do with superstitions than race. Incidentally, I once had a few neighbors that had black (or mostly black) cats. They knew to keep them in the house on the days of October 30, 31 and November 1, even though they were outdoor cats. During a few occasions that I saw them outside anyway later at night on one of those days, and I didn’t want to wake the owners up, I put them in my basement until I could give said neighbor a call.

Seems like we haven’t come very far, at all.

I was lucky enough to grow up with an Irish Setter on each end of the fireplace. Nowadays, a once a year calender must suffice. When I asked the girl where the Irish Setter calenders were, she replied they were behind the Chihuahuas. I scolded her saying that Irish Setters were the Supermodels of the dog world and should be treated accordingly. She laughed and all but acknowledgeed my point, then moved them out front per my request…

That’s because black dogs tend to be less inteligent, lazier and commit more crimes than blonde dogs. They also expect to get watered and fed for free. Bill Berloni’s got to be kidding, right?

Oh, boo hoo! The poor black doggies be discriminated against ‘cause they be black!

I seem to remember seeing an abundance of black labs the last few years, and other canines of the sable hue, who seemed to be happily owned and loved. I suspect this story is just another excuse to unload some more “white guilt” onto the shoulders of us long-suffering Euro-Americans.

By the way, the information about lighter-colored dogs photographing much better is true; I used to take photos on my job. And maybe the people all-dressed-in-oh so-trendy-black in New York City prefer a light-colored dog because its color provides better contrast with their ebony garb. And what the heck does Ralph Ellison have to do with dogs, anyway?

There simply aren’t as many solid black dogs as there are color variations in the many other breeds - black labs are one of the few, along with Newfies and poodles - all fabulous dogs. The relatively rare black Shih Tzu is a gorgeous animal. The breed is more the issue; not the color.

This touted ‘canine racism’ is a bunch of hooey.

it’s interesting had this phenomenon occurs at animal shelters. it has long known that children - even black children - when given choices of dolls will choose white, blonde dolls over black ones. this doesn’t surprise me, however. black has always been perceived in western culture as being sinister or evil. it is entirely possible that subconsciouly this notion would influence the choice of a pet. obvioulsly, dogs have no ”race” but they do have breeds. in many cases, as everyone knows, black or blonde helps define the breed. and in many breeds such as doberman or rottweiler, black is the predominant color..although a ”red” variety of doberman exists, it is still a dark, ”rusty” red. everyone knows as well that these two breeds were developed to be guard dogs and to intimidate predetors and therefore guard or protect people or property.
no one is really scared of a happy, panting golden retriever. however most anyone is petrified of a doberman or rottweiler standing at attention, in attack mode, snarling.. even though the dobie is not as heavy as the retriever.

just a couple of thoughts i thought i’d throw in that are entirely independent of human race.

I am not sure that I buy this story. As someone who has bred and raised dogs I have never had a problem selling my dogs who happened to be black (with tan points) In fact, my first litter was entirely black and tan like the female and they all sold the same day I put the ad out. During the two years that I was actively breeding I had an assortment of colors ranging from light blond, red and black and tan and it seemed that the blonds were the hardest to sell. In Dachshunds, blond (cream on papers) is still a pretty rare color with some dogs having health problems due to overbreeding. I do know that most animal shelters will not give black cats for adoption during halloween due to possible abuse.

“It’s subconscious discrimination,” Berloni adds. “In fairy tales, the bad guys are always dressed in black, so in our collective memory, anything that’s evil or dangerous wears black.”
______________

You sir are a moron. This reminds me from a few years back black people claiming police dogs were “racist”.Btw, I have two black haired dogs.

“I would say at least 80 percent of our dog kennel is black 98 percent of the time,” says Katherine Christenson of Georgia’s Atlanta Humane Society.

Hmmmm…..

Just like the human kennels (i.e. state penitentiaries/jails)!

I’m sorry, but posting this story here is just silly. I come here for news about the growing marginalization and discrimination against whites, not some abstract jab at other races because of the color of a dog’s fur.

But the discrimination against black furred animals is so distressing to me, as a “mom” to black dogs and a black cat who are just delightful and who bring so much joy into my life.

A reference to Ralph Ellison’s novel “Invisible Man”?

Boy, they really pull out all the stops on this one.

I wonder how many white people they can guilt into adopting black dogs? Maybe the black community should step up to the plate and do what’s right.

Sounds like another deluded person of our race that has bought into multiculturalism.

This is true, many people associate negative traits with black dogs. Unlike people, the differences in the coloring of dogs is only at the surface.

“That’s because black dogs tend to be less inteligent, lazier and commit more crimes than blonde dogs. They also expect to get watered and fed for free.

Actually, just the opposite: White dogs, cats and other animals are genetic misfits with higher levels of blindness, deafness, worse health and vitality, lower intelligence, etc.

You will never EVER see a white thoroughbred when a horse race.

“People always take the blond dogs first; it’s horrible.”

Horrible? Would they rather the “blond” dogs were left behind?

I’m tempted to say that black people should adopt them but they’d only be used in dog fights or beaten/starved/abandoned.

What kind of insane brainwashing leads numbskull Liberals to associate a colour preference in dogs with racism?

This is just stupid. Light coloured dogs are more attractive and serve a useful purpose in that you can see them in low light levels (I had a grey dog once and it seemed to disappear in the twilight when I was out with it - not good if you want to avoid losing it) and are easily distinguished from prey animals when used for hunting.

Actually, it isn’t JUST the color, it is the SIZE of the dog…. Little black dogs will be adopted because they are LITTLE. a dog over 40 lbs regardless of color has little chance of being adopted, because people want LITTLE dogs. The majority of apartment complexes that allow dogs, limit the size, mostly under 20 lbs.
check out blackpearldogs.com
and if you really want to get involved in doggy politics, there is the fight against Breed Specific Legislation. free book here: http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/ncrc-publications/

Read it and weep.

I think there is an internal aesthetic preference for the blond colour over black in us. This preference is very useful (and much more than aesthetic) when dealing with humans but is pointless when dealing with canines and other animals.

Funny they don’t mention the BREEDS of the dogs in question. Black labs are wonderful pets.

“It’s subconscious discrimination.” So, not adopting a black dog is a sign of canine racism? How absurd can you get? Many of the women I know have Black Labs. This is ridiculous.

I volunteer at an animal shelter and they always have an excess of black dogs, especially large ones; tiny and black is much more popular. I also round up strays that I find in our neighborhood and approximately 80% of the dogs I find are black. I don’t know why this is, are they more fecund,is the black color a dominant gene? are black dogs able to hide from capture? on the other hand one would think they are more likely to be hit by cars at night.
I suspect the excess of black dogs at the shelter has a lot to do with the fact that they all look the same and people like uniqueness when choosing a pet. Also large black dogs look fierce and more threatening which leads to the question why; I suspect it’s because in our culture darkness is associated with evil and danger and in every culture night is more dangerous than day.

On the other hand maybe the folks who choose pets are all just a bunch of evil White racists who pass their mistrust and fear of Blacks,(but not Yellows, Reds or Browns)on to their choice of pet.

According to Islam black dogs are of the devil and should be killed!

What I find amazing is people tell you the real reason for something, then go off on a tangent with some weird racial spin.

“Animal shelters tend to be dark and poorly lit, so black animals are difficult to see. And black dogs are tough to photograph, because their coats devour the available light, so very often the only thing you see in a photo of a black dog is his eyes.”

Duh! put an extra light or two around the darker dogs. Photoshop their pictures.

“…in Chicago, we put colorful bandannas on all the black dogs, to help them stand out in person and in photographs.”

Great, now why don’t you do that elsewhere?

“their coats devour the available light” Notice the word “devour?” That says it all, these people don’t like black dogs and subconsciously pushing the lighter dogs.

Out of the last four dogs I’ve owned, three of them have been black. Black dogs don’t show the dirt the way lighter dogs do.

“I would say at least 80 percent of our dog kennel is black 98 percent of the time,”

My daughter is employed at a local humane shelter and she says there are the same number or less black dogs than others, so maybe being a predominately white community has it’s advantages for the poor dogs supposedly rejected by us heartless racists? I personally have 2 dogs, a black lab and a brindle corgi… but I don’t invite black people into my home, or brindle (varying shades of brown) ones either…

Let’s see…..if Whites don’t adopt black dogs it is racism. If Whites don’t adopt black kids they are racists. If Whites don’t date/marry blacks they are racists. If Whites don’t have black friends they are racist. If Whites don’t vote for a black President they are racists. Even White babies are now called racists. Isn’t this getting mundane by now? How much more are we going to tolerate?

Tricia #18:

Thanks for the link.

I own a pit bull/shepherd mix (I rescued him from the pound, he was about to be destroyed) and it’s infuriating how both breeds have been vilified. My dog looks terrifying, which I don’t consider such a bad thing as my Kalifornia neighborhood becomes more ‘diverse.’

An acquaintance owns a large black, fierce-looking rottweiler that protects his and his neighbors’ properties from coyotes, which lately with the fires and droughts have become braver and more aggressive. His insurance company informed him his homeowners policy was going to triple and then dropped him completely because of his ‘breed of dog.’ The surrounding neighbors called the insurance company in support of the dog—don’t know how it turned out yet.

I also have a small black dog that is very difficult to see most of the time—DH trips over him at least once a day. The bandana helps a bit. This little dog does not go into the front yard because we have coyotes roaming around here. Many of my neighbors have lost cats and recently it was all over the news that Jessica Simpson’s little dog was snatched up by a coyote.

Some of my neighbors are installing a type of coyote-proof fence because coyotes have been know to climb chain link fences to get to (what they consider) food—your precious pets.

Bon

You’re Welcome:) I own a Rottie, and a German Shepherd/border collie/whippet mix, both rescues, so I am heavily into the doggy politics. Racism has nothing to do with it. Sizeism is more at fault in black dog adoptions.

My mom adopted two blonde dogs, and now that I’ve moved out, I miss them all the more. We were all proud of our blonde dogs, especially our gold-and-white Aussie mix, who looks like he should be in a Disney movie with his freckles, energy, and strikingly good looks.
Adopting a dog has nothing to do with color, and everything to do with personality. A dog that doesn’t like people is a lot harder to place.

And White Thoroughbreds do exist, and there is a farm that specializes in breeding white racehorses. http://www.thewhitefox.com/

Please, just adopt a shelter dog. That’s all.

27 Bon: I once thoughtlessly mentioned to my insurance agent that my dog was a pit mix. Uh oh, he says, we do not insure homeowners with such things. My vet wrote me a note on her office stationary stating that the dog was a lab mix, and the agent was satisfied. Tell your acquaintance with the black rottweiler, it’s worth a try.

Another intelligence-challenged guilty liberal seeing racism in everything. After all, didn’t a “news” magazine have an article that showed that even babies are racist?

I donate regularly to the humane society, however, if my donations are supporting idiocy of the likes of the Humane Society’s director of behavior, Bill Berloni, I’ll be rethinking my charitable support.

In keeping with my comments on Islam in another posting, I have to add that dogs (black or white) are generally considered unclean in Islam and are normally not permitted in the home. Watch dogs are acceptable in Muslim literature but even these are just tolerated in most Middle Eastern countries. Genuine affection for dogs is not unknown in Islamic culture but certainly not widely encourged.

“…however, if my donations are supporting idiocy of the likes of the Humane Society’s director of behavior, Bill Berloni, I’ll be rethinking my charitable support…”

Superman:

My local animal shelter gladly accepts donations of dog or cat food. Maybe that would be a better way to donate to animals in need?

I don’t blame you for being wary of any cash donations, it often ends up in someone’s pocket and not to those for whom it was intended (including animals).

Bon

Obvious logical error!

The total number of black dogs out number non-black dogs. The kennel’s ratio probably reflect the composition of the world’s dog population.