Raven making faces
There are lots of humorous reasons to adopt a black cat or dog—
- a black cat doesn’t need a costume for Halloween
- a black dog goes with any decor
- their fur doesn’t show on dark clothes
- black dogs don’t show dirt
The best reason is more serious. Black cats & dogs are much less likely to be adopted because—
- they don’t photograph well
- they aren’t distinctive like a calico cat or a dog with spots
- they don’t stand out in a sea of black cats or dogs
- some people are still superstitious
If they aren’t euthanized, black kittens & puppies tend to stay longer in shelters. Then they are no longer cute kittens or puppies, making it even tougher to get them adopted. It’s such a pervasive problem that shelters organize special adoption events just for black cats and there’s a whole organization dedicated to promoting the adoption of black dogs called BlackPearlDogs.com.
In my experience, black cats are like any other cat. The can be sweet, silly, clever, feisty, loungers, or whirlwinds. They are as beautiful as any other cat if not more so. They aren’t identical. And those of us who share our lives with them are very fond of them.
Black dogs are just as wonderful as any other dog. And they are in such great need of adoption. Bark has an article on the plight of black dogs in animals shelters and what’s being done to help them. Black dogs aren’t identical either—they have a huge range of body types and characteristics. The can be herders, retrievers, pointers, or sleepers.
Every pet adoption is a life saved, but in the case of black cats & dogs, you’re saving a life that’s at an even higher risk of being cut short.
The U.S. Postal Service is releasing a new series of First Class stamps today—Animal Rescue: Adopt A Shelter Pet—to raise awareness of pet adoption and the needs of shelter animals. They’re pretty damn cute too! You can read each animal’s story when you mouse over their image.