TV Schedule

Black pets need love too


  3. smorrisey
  4. related topics
A promotion by the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter to boost the adoption of black-coated dogs and cats has drawn criticism for being racially insensitive.

The shelter has halted its "Black is Beautiful" Week after the president of the Austin chapter of the NAACP raised concerns in the media. They had planned to reduce adoption fees for black-coated animals to $25 for a week. The normal fee for adoption is $85.

Nelson Linder, president of the Austin NAACP, said it was a "violation" to use "Black is Beautiful" as a promotion for an animal shelter and that the shelter was right to halt the promotion. The phrase became popular during the 1960s civil rights movement as a way to promote equality and African American self-esteem.

Black-coated animals do not get adopted as quickly as other animals. Either out of superstition or fear that they might be a more aggressive dog, they tend to be underadopted.

The shelter has 12 black adult cats available for adoption out of about 25 and that about half of the shelter's dogs are black. Two of those dogs have been at the shelter for two months. The average stay for animals is about 11 days. The shelter does euthanize animals based on factors such as space and adoptability.
smorrisey

8 responses // Black pets need love too

  • save them! sure they get hot a little faster in the summer, but then you can take them swimming.

    how can you say "eh...no. i feel that the color it is making me feel like it will bite me quicker than a yellow lab would"

    ...psh.
    MissAmanda
  • Why did it get so critisised? I see especially the sweetest blak labs get ignored all the time, just because they're so common,so the person normally looks straght through the poor feller and either gets another animal they'd like the personality less really, or no animal at all even though they'd just love the dog when they get to know them.

    I know the sweetest dog, she's an English black lab retriver, and she's 7, she's honestly the nicest dog I've ever met.

    (to buyers: English labs are shorter, less strong and wild tempered then the American sub species, which is taller, more musculer and more of the sport hunting wild tempered dog, where as the smaller English lab a freindlyfamily pet, so watch out while adopting, PDSA are even thinking of splitting the breed altogether fo the large but hard to notice difference)
    steadward
  • It's ridiculous they got criticised, why don't NAACP step up and adopt some???
    They were obviously using a well known phrase in a funny way to drum up publicity for these poor animals.

    Taking shots at charities is pretty weak.
    Owwmykneecap
  • I read somewhere that black dogs are less likely to be adopted because their facial features are harder to distinguish. But whatever the cause may be for them being under-adopted, it's really unforunate and I think it's great that the shelter is doing something to remedy the situation.

    I've got a black labrador mix who I rescued as I puppy and he's honestly the best dog I've ever known. He's got such a calm temperment and he's great with kids.
    SpookyFish
  • That's the shame in it, it's just to rare when a black lab gets scooped up, but they are hinestly the sweetest and most greatful dogs I've known and heard about by coincidence. They're really freindly, you won't find a kind nicer, not even my own dog Mac and he's really sweet, but even black labs I don't own are even sweeter than him.
    steadward
  • you fine folks seem to be missing the point entirely


    just as you all think so to does this shelter believe that there is no correlation between coat color and aggression, and that black labs are the cutest (i have one lol)


    however in anycase, as a half black and half white person, "using the black is beautiful" catch phrase immediately rubbed me the wrong way.

    It does so not in any particular contextual manner of this shelter, but because of the implications.

    I immediately thought, wow is this going to be yet another issue or stereotype of label that black people are going to have to contend with.

    Think of it in these terms (connotations):

    Angel food cake vs Devil food cake

    I person who has a few "black marks" against them is what

    To be blackmailed

    Believe it or not all of these play to the psyche of our culture in subtle but compounding ways.

    etc, etc,

    for me its like damn this stuff again, can they just find another way to promote this campaign that

    I don't want to have to fight this stereotype also

    Plus, it already sorta highlights the type of racially motivated thinking that - apparently from this article widely held and bought into - is allowed to exist in the first place.

    What scientific evidence is there that black animals have different behavioral traits than other dogs???

    If you catch yourself believing that black dogs are more aggressive than other dogs then perhaps you should ask yourself on what grounds???

    Why do I believe this? What proof do I have?
    Is it because, many other "black" references (a few of which are listed above) have these negative connotations, that this thing about dogs falls inline with other associations so it must be true???

    Again I ask on what grounds? We all need to ask what is the basis for this???
    Defi
  • Even racism in our animals!
    HM...thats sad
    I have an all black cat and we couldnt give her to the Shelter near by because of her color:/
    Arden
  • they learn it from they're Owners(masters). >>OUcH<<
    Blackfoot777

Add your response

Login/Registration is required to add a response.