Fighting Discrimination on All Fronts: Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-“Pet” Day!

Between six and eight million cats and dogs enter the U.S. shelter system every year; half of these animals won't leave alive. As if the odds aren't daunting enough, some animals face added obstacles to adoption: old(er) age; medical and/or physical problems; behavioral and/or emotional issues; a need to be the only animal in the home; a bond to a friend or family member necessitating joint adoption; membership in a so-called "dangerous breed"; and dark coloring.

It's for these dogs and cats that Petfinder has designated August 12 "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day." The holiday is meant to highlight the plight of "less adoptable" animals, and to encourage adopters to give them special consideration. (Even if you're not likely to adopt a dog or cat any time soon, please help Petfinder spread the word!)

We can find parallels to some of the obstacles faced by "less adoptable" animals in the human world, where they are the basis for stereotyping and discrimination. For example, ageism is "a tendency to regard older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment." Replace "employment" with "adoption," and this term can be applied to senior cats and dogs. Similarly, ableism is "discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities, especially physical disabilities." Deaf and blind animals, those missing one or more limbs, animals with chronic medical or behavioral conditions such as diabetes or separation anxiety - all of these may be passed over in favor of "less defective" animals.

While some "less adoptable" animals may prove too much for less experienced adoptive families to handle or will not fit into every family's household or lifestyle, please consider opening your heart and home to these "throwaways" if possible. It's true that a senior dog probably won't be with you as long as a shiny new pup - but your time together may prove all the more precious for its abruptness. A cat with urinary incontinence may try your patience - or caring for her may bring you both closer together. (Don't believe me? Go read Alec's story - and bring some tissue!)

Not to mention, all animals age, and many will develop medical issues at some time in their lives. Unless you're willing and prepared to tackle these problems as they arise, animal guardianship may not be the right choice for you, or not at this point in your life. Instead, nurture your love for animals by volunteering with a local shelter or rescue group: be a weekend dog walker or open your home to foster cats - it’s a win-win!

Many "less adoptable" animals don't demand any extra care whatsoever. Potential adopters need only be conscious of which animals are less likely to be adopted - and willing to seek these cats and dogs out. Take, for example, black dogs - particularly big, black dogs.

Black Dog Syndrome

Though available statistics don't usually make note of coat colors, numerous anecdotes from shelter workers suggest that black dogs are slower to be adopted than their lighter-colored counterparts. The phenomenon is so widespread that it even has a name: Black Dog Syndrome. The reasons for this are multifold. Against the dark, oftentimes dimly lit backdrops of shelters (and cages), black dogs tend to blend in with their surroundings. Likewise, black dogs don't photograph well; their eyes and facial featured can get lost in their dark fur. Tufts of white fur, when gracing the faces of black dogs, can make them appear older than they are. (Again with the ageism!) Potential adopters who search for their new companions online may unintentionally scroll past row upon row of black dog listings, as their photos tend to look even more uniform when viewed as thumbnails.

More troubling, subconscious stereotypes surrounding the color black may also dissuade people from adopting black dogs. In the black and white dichotomy, black denotes nighttime (complete with the "witching hour"), darkness and evil to white's daytime, light and goodness. Black magic vs. white magic; the Dark Ages vs. the Age of Enlightenment; white-clad virgins, angels and fairies vs. "dark" fallen angels, witches in black capes and black-clad movie villains: awash in Western culture, we're all brought up with these stereotypes, and its is through them that we view and interpret the world (intentionally or not).

The stigma of black also plays out on the bodies of black animals. In mythology and popular culture, black dogs are symbols of evil; they are depicted as mean, vicious, dangerous, violent and foreboding. For large black dogs - especially those belonging to so-called "dangerous" breeds - this fear is amplified. Black cats, too, are considered evil omens, the consorts of witches.

At its most nefarious, Black Dog Syndrome may be related to racism. Writing of the link between BDS and racism, Joselle at Vegans of Color observes:

Of course, all of these theories are inextricably linked with how people of color are so often viewed–menacing, strange, foreign, bad, unattractive.

The issue is a complicated one - well beyond the scope of this single post - but it's worth noting that the Wikipedia pages on African American stereotypes are rife with the color black and the themes of evil and criminality, which parallel those surrounding black animals.

To learn more about BDS, go to Black Pearl Dogs or Start Seeing Black Dogs.

--

From Stephanie E.: Kelly has graciously included dogs I personally love in this post--pictured above are my friends Chance, whom I adopted at 7 1/2 years old and who had medical problems that, along with her age, had made it difficult for her to find a home, and Sara, a goofy sweetheart who unfortunately falls into the category of nondescript big black dogs who are too often overlooked, but who was adopted at age 4 from a shelter by a friend.