Black Dog Bias

The Domestic DogBreed Type

Article: General Infomation » Black Dog Bias

A rescued BBD (Big Black Dog) from Globe Arizona

Black dog bias is a veterinarian and animal shelter phenomenon in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favor of lighter-colored animals.[1] This is also common with cats. Although shelters disagree over the empirical basis for the bias, many take active measures to make black dogs more appealing. Black dog bias is also known as “big black dog syndrome.” Shelters often use the term BBD, or big black dog, to describe the type of larger dark-colored mixed-breed typically passed over by adopters.

Theory

The phenomenon may be due to a number of factors, including fear stigma against certain breed types, and the fact that large, black dogs are often portrayed as aggressive in film and on television.

Some people believe that during the pet adoption process some potential owners associate the color black with evil, and this bias transfers over to their choice of dog.[1] Additionally, many shelters feature photo profiles of their dogs on the shelter website. Because black dogs do not photograph well, lighter-colored dogs have an advantage with potential adopters browsing the site.[1] A study done by the Los Angeles Animal Services challenges some of these claims, saying that a full 28% of adopted dogs are black. However, the bias simply asserts that predominantly dark animals take longer to be adopted than their lighter counterparts.[2]

See also

• List of cognitive biases
• Pet adoption
• Mixed-breed dog

References

1. Nakano, Craig (December 6 2008). “Black dog bias?”. Los Angeles Times.
2. Rescue Me: Black Dog Bias Dog Time Media Blog Dec, 2008

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It uses material from the Wikipedia article Black_Dog_Bias