Debbie Messina, Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), November 20, 2009
It’s billed as a “Blowout adoption event for our black babies.”
The Norfolk Animal Care Center, the city’s animal-control facility, is offering half-off fees on black dogs and cats starting the day after Thanksgiving, dubbing the event “Black Fur-iday.”
While the promotion might be for a good cause, some worry that the flier circulating about the event might be offensive because it refers to unwanted black animals as black babies. Animal groups everywhere say they find it more difficult to place black cats and dogs in homes.
“On the face of it, I do think it’s insensitive to African Americans who did come to this nation as slaves and were sold,” Norfolk NAACP President James Rivers said. “It does seem sort of strange they would use that as a promotion for selling animals.”
{snip}
Since The Virginian-Pilot’s inquiry earlier this week, the wording on the flier has changed to “Blowout adoption event for our black furry friends.” Hays was not working Thursday and could not be reached for follow-up comment.
But Norfolk’s animal care facility isn’t the only group that plans to host such an event.
The Virginia Beach SPCA also is reducing adoption fees on its black animals the day after Thanksgiving, known in the retail world as Black Friday.
{snip}
Christie Chipps, executive director of the Portsmouth Humane Society, said that while the society’s shelter has run specials on some hard-to-move animals, such as mature cats, “We try not to push the color issue.”
Still, they all said that black dogs and cats are considered the hardest shelter animals to adopt.
The trend has not been statistically documented, but animal groups across the country say it’s a universal issue. Many local shelters say they don’t keep those numbers and there’s no national clearinghouse to collect that information.
{snip}
And of course, there is also the matter of the variety of prejudices that tend to conspire against black animals.
For felines, a commonly held superstition is that black cats bring bad luck.
Canines are more complicated. Animal rescue groups call it Black Dog Syndrome.
Most black dogs are big and are mixed breeds, both considered negatives when it comes to choosing a pet, Terri Crisp, an SPCA International official, said.
“You could walk through any shelter in the U.S. and you’d count more large black dogs than anything else,” she said.
In the shelter world, they’re known as BBDs: big black dogs. Many are mixes that include Labrador, Doberman, Rottweiler and chow.
{snip}
BBDs carry a stereotype of being more ferocious, which animal experts bark about.
“Dogs are aggressive based on their environment, on the way they’re raised and treated, not because of breed,” Crisp said.
At least two Web sites were created to dispel the myths that surround big black dogs and to help find them homes—www.startseeingblackdogs.com and www.blackpearldogs.com.
{snip}
[Editor’s Note: Another story on pet adoption can be read here.
Original article
(Posted on November 23, 2009)
Comments
“Dogs are aggressive based on their environment, on the way they’re raised and treated, not because of breed,” Crisp said.
I hope this sort of thing metastasizes into a liberal household phrase, because it’s such obvious nonsense. Dog breeds vary widely in their aggressiveness (I think Cocker Spaniels hold the record as the breed most aggressive toward humans (APBTs get a bad rap because 1) the breed is being destroyed by NAMs 2) when they’re aggressive, they can do more damage than almost any other breed)).
As anybody who has had a shedding pet knows, hair color plays a HUGE role in how often one has to vacuum. (I’m talking housekeeping appearance, not allegeants.) That being said, equating hair color with skin color is as absurd as drawing temperment conclusions from eye color.
I have a very dark cat that upon my first impression was “not for me” looking at her dark coat, but upon getting to know her, shes the absolute best cat ever. Look beyond color when adopting a pet.
I heard about something similar in Georgia on the radio and I’m literally speechless that the NAACP would get involved in animal adoptions. What’s next? Auto dealerships not moving black cars fast enough due to White wickedness? Should Detroit “abort” production of black cars?
This is truly bizarre. I’ve had black Labrador Retrievers and black cats and never thought a thing of it.
The real issue to be concerned about is the degree to which animal rights advocates promote the well being of worthless animals over the suffering and degradation of human beings.
As one comedian put it….”I’m going to step over this disguting homeless person to pet this cute little kittie”.
Oh, woe, yet another example of latent racism!
Actually, I rather liked our last two German Shepherds, both of which were nearly all black, making them look rather ferocious and threatening, a desirable attribute in any dog one regards as a security measure.
And shiny coal-black cats are both beautiful and normally exude less dander than cats of other colorations, a desirable characteristic if one suffers allergic reactions to cat dander.
But I suppose it’s generally true that black anything is usually more threatening and often disconcerting, whether the creature is canine, feline, reptilian, or human.
Attributing little black animals to blacks is a disgusting disgrace. Only a half-brained fool would associate the two.
It can truly be said of animals, what is nothing but malarkey about people, and that is color means absolutely nothing in the quality of a horse or a little pet. Nothing at all. And I resent the implication that there is. Having a sale associating these little creatures with blacks makes my blood boil, and if the promoters were anywhere near me I’d blast their socks off with some pretty harsh words.
There are no better faithful friends on planet earth than a little dog, cat or a horse, and there are others I’m pretty sure that could be included into that mix.
I have a horse farm with horses, cats and a dog, and they’re various colors and each one of these furry little monkeys is part of my family.
I’m a rabid amrenner, but also a dog lover.
But anything that gets a pet into a good home is a good thing. Let the shelter workers play their silly games, but if it puts a pet into a good home, I don’t mind.
nanook
Somebody should point out to the NAACP that this promotion is about the black fur (hair) of the animals, not the skin. I am a white person with black hair. Does that make me an African-American, entitled to the benefits of affirmative action?
I am largely drawn to dogs by breed and temperament, not color. I certainly don’t equate black fur with black or brown skin color. I don’t look at a black dog and think of a black person. In fact, I often find black fur to be shiny, sleek, and elegant.
Some people might unconsciously associate black animals with bad luck as with the example of black cats.
What make me mad here is that these white liberals refer to dogs as “babies’. They are DOGS - not babies, black, white or otherwise! People who refer to their dogs as their children because they were too self-centered to have their own REAL children (please, no offense to those who are unable to have children). And it is equally annoying when the parents of these self-centered twits refer to their adult children’s dogs and “granddogs” I just want to puke. Forget the “racial” aspect and focus on the loser aspect.
More Black group-narcissim. My God these people are self-absorbed! “Black” is, first and foremost, a color not a racial group! The term “white” appears everywhere and Caucasians never give it a second thought. Come January when the annual “white sales” hit the catalogs, perhaps we should all begin to wail and moan about our own past of indentured servitude and the like, and demand more “sensitivity” from society!
—Anonymous at 6
“The real issue to be concerned about is the degree to which animal rights advocates promote the well being of worthless animals over the suffering and degradation of human beings”
I think there are far more worthless people on this planet than the are worthless dogs and cats. The major difference between the two groups is that most dogs and cats are of little or no danger to people and are relatively inexpensive to care for, whereas a much larger share of our worthless people are of considerable danger to others, and are extremely costly to care for. Take a look at our U.S. prison population for a prime example.
Moreover, domestic animals which prove unfit to cohabitate with people are often put down or otherwise prevented from breeding. Can you say that about worthless people?—I think not. Worthless people can breed all they like, and the U.S. taxpayer pays up to 100% of the cost of raising each one of their little darlings, so the cycle can repeat again 15-20 years later.
At the very least, dogs and cats bring tremendous joy to the lives of people all every day. If they didn’t—these animal shelters would disappear overnight. But if things continue in this country as they have been, you may get your wish: plenty of poor, suffering, wretched human beings to worry about all day long—with no money left over to care for “worthless animals.”
Black Labrador Retrievers are wonderful dogs. They make wonderful pets. By the way I can’t understand why any black person would be offended by that poster.
Elvis Presley on his comeback special had the coolest jet-black hair I’ve ever seen on anyone, period. Not once did I ever equate his mane with a black person.
Not once when I see a beautiful temperament black labrador retriever do I think of primates or any other black animals literally or figuratively.
What a load of manure. Back in the 1980s we adopted a black kitten, and for more than 15 years she was the light of our lives. When we took her with us on a family visit, my grandmother was so taken with her that she adopted a black cat of her own soon after. The day in 2001 that our precious black kitty had to be put to sleep still stands as the worst of my life. It was nearly a year before I could think about her without crying. Even after eight years and a new cat in the family, I still miss that black furball every day.
“On the face of it, I do think it’s insensitive to African Americans who did come to this nation as slaves and were sold,” Norfolk NAACP President James Rivers said. “It does seem sort of strange they would use that as a promotion for selling animals.”
They are not “selling animals” for profit like the slave traders sold Africans. They are trying to find these animals good homes where they will be treated with love and care. The animal shelter is likely charging money to cover the costs of vaccinations.
Is President Rivers that obsessed with race that he cannot tell the difference between adopting a cat for companionship and buying an African to work in the fields all day? This guy is even worse than the official in Texas who ranted about how black holes were racist.
In ‘93 we had a litter of chow mix puppies born on our property . Dec 22 , we actually had had a good snow . Closest I’ve ever come to seeing a white Christmas way down here in the black belt ( no pun intended ). We had way too many dogs as we owned a junk yard and kept them to keep thieves at bay . Lucy was solid black , no one wanted her so I carried her to the humane shelter . They kept her for thirty days , no one wanted her so I picked her up and brought her back home . There was no way I was going to let her be euthanized . The next day TS ALberta stalled out over us and we had what they called a 500 year flood . We thought we were immune to that type flooding because of our wide valleys and long sloping hills . We weren’t , 15 people died that night in our county . But Lucy was safe with us , every dog and cat at the shelter drowned that night . I kept Lucy for nearly 16 years , where ever I went in the yard and surrounding woods , Lucy was there . During the hot summers I would walk her out to a large utility house that I had an airconditioner in and sit there with her till she went to sleep and then quietly slip out . A couple of hours later she would emerge refreshed , I had dog doors on it . She went quietly on my front porch last summer on a cool night . We both had had a good day , we walked down in woods back of the house and she ate good that day . I did have her on tramedol because of her age , maybe that helped . I’ll never put another on nseds if I can help it . I had three on nseds like Prevacox or Rymadyl , they were old but they died ecruciating deaths in the middle of the night with no vet available . I’ll always believe it was the nseds . Anyway , if you can have one then do . It’s not easy but you will not regret it . They are indeed man’s best friend , regardless of color . My wife and kids are still constantly bringing another one home to my grief and when they get old , they become dad’s dog then . And yes , by my own summation , humble as it may be , most blacks prefer a black dog .
Many pet shelters refuse to place black cats with customers around Halloween, because some stupids will use black cats in witchcraft rituals. That makes sense.
Now, they lament that they can’t place black cats, period.
Ya can’t have it both ways.
Complete and total madness. No normal, sane person would confuse the blackness of an animal with the human phenomenon called race. This is nothing more than a sick White Guilt spilling over into animal adoption.
Getting a black animal means that you have black animal hair on your rug and furniture. Hard to clean up. It’s not racism!
Truly stupid beyond words-and this garbage is from supposedly educated people?The colour of an animal’s fur is in absolutely NO
“The real issue to be concerned about is the degree to which animal rights advocates promote the well being of worthless animals over the suffering and degradation of human beings.”
I disagree. Animals are wholly dependent on humans for their wellbeing. Humans, at least adults, can take care of themselves. My charity money goes to animal aid organizations.
It’s a shame these black race baiters aren’t as sensitive to real issues as they are to “manufactured ones.”
Here’s one for you, young blacks lead the nation in STDs, especially HIV. I guess stupidity is just too overwhelming for the most experienced race baiters.
Get a life, or get out of the way and make something on your own.
I have to drive through some non-White unsavory parts of town in my daily travels and it never ceases to amaze me how many stray dogs I see almost every day—I assume most of them are throwaways.
It seems in the Third World, animals are disposable and never to be neutered or spayed—yet all the vitriol about the huge numbers of unwanted pets overcrowding the shelters is aimed at the White community—where I never see stray animals roaming about.
On student told me her cat had litter after litter of kittens and her family just took them to the pound when they were old enough—she claimed that spaying the cat cost too much, the unwanted kittens seemed of no concern. There are rumors around LA that unwanted kittens are used as bait for fighting dogs—many of which also end up on the streets of LA, battered, scarred, tossed aside. I have trouble visiting shelters because I end up crying when I see the cruelty the poor animals have been subjected to.
The little black dog on the poster looks like my little pure black terrier-mix. He’s 10 lbs. of hell, racist to the core, and would defend our home with his little life. He’s more aware and alert and a better guard than my police dog/pit bull mix and is the first to sound the alarm if he sees a stranger. Once the large dog appears to see what the trouble is and growls deeply, the non-White immediately crosses the street, usually at a fast clip.
All of my animals are from the shelter, I wouldn’t have it any other way and they have rewarded us with companionship and protection.
And yes, if possible, donate to your local shelter—I have donated blankets and dog food since I do not trust any organization with cash donations.
Bon
This must be some type of made-up story. Made up to attack whites as usual. I doubt most pet lovers think about the “color” of some dog or cat that suits their fancy. I’ve had Rottwielers and Boston Terriers that were (mostly) black when it came to their fur color and never thought about it at all. Great dogs I might add. More lies with which to tar whites.
This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlantic (Atlanta?) Journal.
SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity not important.
Nothing reveals Americans as the softies they are like a discussion about animals, especially dogs! I mean that in a good way. The dog is central to our identity as humans and especially to cultures that emerged from pioneers like Americans or Australians, for whom a good dog could be the difference between life or death.
