Big, Black Dogs Have Trouble Getting Adopted

black-dog.jpgLast month at the city animal shelter in Rogers, Ark., 13 of the 14 dogs euthanized were large and black.

According to ASPCA, although there are no official records kept of the types and number of dogs put down nationally, the organization regularly hears from shelters that big, black dogs don’t get adopted.

In addition to size, animal shelters say black dogs of all sizes are difficult to photograph for Internet listings, especially in dimly lit kennels.

According to The Associated Press, labradors and pit bulls, two breeds of dogs that often have large numbers of black dogs, tend to have big litters of puppies (often five or more), which can increase the black dog population even more.

K9 Commentary:
It’s pretty ironic that I’d stumble upon a story about this, because just last week I was telling Cindy that if we ever get a big dog, I’d like to get a black lab.

I would love to do some sort of survey in order to see exactly what it is about big, black dogs that keeps so many people from adopting them. Is it simply because many people prefer smaller dogs these days, or because a large black dog seems more menacing?

Whatever the reason, looks like I’ll be getting that big black lab for sure now.

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