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Posted on Wed, Jun 20, 2012 : 6 a.m.

The much-maligned big, black dogs and black cats are the focus of this week's Pet Photo Friday

By Lorrie Shaw

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Can you imagine a dog or cat that has a great temperament, solid health and no problems getting passed over at a shelter?

It does happen, at shelters all over the country.

There's one reason for the ongoing trend in the case of dogs: They're Big Black Dogs, or BBD, as shelter staff say. It's a sad and unfair stigma attached to canines who were born as a large-breed canine with dark fur.

This sort of thing has always puzzled me. I'm a huge fan of any dog or cat.

Because of their appearance, they are thought by some to be menacing, ill-tempered, dangerous — something to be feared. In folklore, the demonic death hound in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is depicted as a large black dog.

Some humans find it difficult to "read" the dark faces of these canines: their black coats can make it difficult for their facial expressions to shine through. Because of that, they often do not photograph well, either — ask anyone who has tried to snap a photo of a sweet face that seems to get swallowed up by darkness.

Those working in animal shelters can attest to that: posting photographs of faces that are dominated by black fur seems futile. Most of them get passed over by prospective dog adopters because the facial features appear to be nonexistent.

The idea of a happy, expressive face is what comes to mind for many when you say "dog." Of course! Seeing flop-eared, seemingly smiling open-mouthed dogs with enormous brown eyes melt most human sensibilities. How can one be afraid of that image?

There are some who find black dogs plain, uninteresting. Really?

Its not a canine's fault if they were born without the fur and markings that accentuate the awesome physical features that they all possess. It's a human fault for not recognizing those attributes.

But, dogs — typically large-breed — are the ones who pay the price. They frequently get passed over, ignored, scorned, left behind — all because of a bias that we humans have unfairly bestowed upon them. As if it's not hard enough to be a shelter dog.

Black Dog Bias, Black Dog Syndrome, BBD — whatever you call it, it's a death sentence for some dogs. It's been well documented in articles and blogs. One article in The Bark chronicles the phenomenon and one woman's mission to dispel the myth of these worthy creatures.

Sadly, cats are part of this trend, too. The unwitting mascots of Friday the 13th, we've all heard how "unlucky" it is to have a black cat pass your path, among other unfortunate effects of folklore.

Rescue groups devoted solely to black dogs and black cats exist because of this thinking. Shelters often have special events designated solely to get pets in this demographic adopted out.

We know that there are aficionados of these perfectly worthy creatures out there. To highlight how great they are, you're invited to share your photos and stories of your special pets with us.

For the next two weeks, our focus and theme of Pet Photo Friday is "Big Black Dogs and Black Cats."

Participating is easy!

Simply email a photo of your furry friend to ppsa2mi@gmail.com, at any time of the week, and be sure to give a little anecdote about what's best about them. Your photos will be included as part of a very special edition of our ongoing Pet Photo Friday feature.

Please include the animal's name, age, and city or township of residence in your email. Be sure that your photos are 1200 pixels wide and in .jpg format.

We'll put the series' photos into a slideshow, publish and promote on the next two Fridays here in the Pets section.

Lorrie Shaw leads the pets section for AnnArbor.com. Connect with her on Google+ or e-mail her directly.

Comments

Ann English

Thu, Jun 21, 2012 : 12:23 a.m.

I had no idea that black dogs could be considered faceless at a Humane Society; one such nine-week-old puppy communicated with HER eyes that she wanted a home while another one, gold and two weeks younger, paid no attention to us but slept. If the black puppy hadn't communicated to us first, we probably would have purchased two males instead of two females. I wonder if any studies have been done regarding black dogs being safer than lighter-colored dogs on snow-covered roads. In any case, our black puppy lived only seven more months, hit by a truck in the winter. The gold one lived twelve more years and was the friendliest dog in the neighborhood. But I thought the black fur on the older one was beautiful. It was shiny. I never considered black fur to hide or communicate something evil about any dog.

Madeleine Borthwick

Wed, Jun 20, 2012 : 4:07 p.m.

LA, you are completely right!!! one of our 2 kitties is a 5-year old black cat. "Esther" is very sweet, likes to climb up on my chest, stick her face in my hair and chew(my hair that is). I've said it before and I'll say it again, anyone who would reject a cat simply because it's the "wrong color(?!)" should not be allowed a cat. EVER. this is just plain ignorance.

LA

Wed, Jun 20, 2012 : 2:17 p.m.

Yay Great idea. (said the owner of a black cat!!)

Lorrie Shaw

Wed, Jun 20, 2012 : 7:23 p.m.

We can't wait to see a photo of your pet, LA!