Big Black Dog (and Cat) Myths, Debunked

Big black dogs and black cats are the hardest to get adopted. Why are they so often overlooked?

I spent a week of my summer volunteering for a rescue group. Our job was trying to pull as many cats and dogs as we could from a high-kill municipal shelter in southern Missouri.

We found homes for all of the animals that week, except four.

All were Big Black Dogs, or BBD's, as they're known among shelter and rescue workers.

I ended up adopting one of those big black dogs, a dog tagged as a "Lab mix," another common moniker. Chloe's cheerful nature earned her the nickname, "Wiggles." She is such a happy dog that her whole body joyfully shakes when she wags her long black tail.

There is nothing scary about Chloe, she joined our family already knowing some basic training commands such as sit, and fetch, and she has picked up other commands quickly.

Black Dog Syndrome

There don't seem to be statistics on Black Dog Syndrome, but ask any shelter or rescue and they will tell you all about it. "It's true that if there is a fluffy white dog, it will get adopted faster than a mixed black dog," says Kristi Littrell, adoptions manager for Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. "And if we have a yellow, chocolate and black lab, the yellow and chocolate labs will get adopted first."

Littrell also says some people have suggested that a big black dog barking through a fence, as they're commonly heard and seen doing in shelters, look more menacing than other dogs.

Black cats get just as bad a rap.

So, why are black cats and dogs overlooked?

Viking Lore

The answer may lie in Viking mythology and declarations made by religious leaders in Europe centuries ago, according to Dusty Rainbolt, vice president for the Cat Writer's Association and author of the book, "Ghost Cats: Human Encounters with Feline Spirits."

In Norse mythology, two black cats pulled the Goddess of Love, Freya's chariot and some lore reads that she rewarded the felines by turning them into witches.

Then there was her love interest, the God Odin. He had a hellhound his subjects feared.

Devil in Disguise

In the 1200's, the Roman Catholic Church in Europe took an official stance on black cats. Pope Gregory IX told believers in 1233 that the devil routinely meets his worshippers disguised as a black cat. "Prior to the 13th century, the church had no opinion on black cats," says Rainbolt.

As a result of the church's opinion on cats, especially black cats, felines were routinely thrown to their deaths off of castle walls. The mass killing of cats during those times is what some historians theorize gave birth to The Black Plague in the 1300s. Cats were no longer catching and killing rodents, which carried fleas and Bubonic Plague.

So there, historical cat-killers.

"During this time, many widows who had cats as pets were also killed as witches," says Rainbolt. Those same superstitions and myths made their way to the United States. Black cats played a part in the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s.

Not to ignore canines, black hellhounds were also portrayed in American lore involving devils, apparitions, and vampires.

Luck Strikes

By the 17th century, the hysteria had died down in Britain. King Charles I felt his cat brought him good fortune. He loved his pet black cat so much that it is said the feline had its' own full-time sentry. "Within 24 hours of his black cat's death, he was arrested and beheaded," says Rainbolt. "So black cats are actually good luck in the U.K."

In the 20th century, Winston Churchill, the prime minister of England during World War II, had a black cat named Nelson that sat in on his cabinet meetings. His counterpart in America, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, also had one of the most famous dogs in history, Fala, a black Scottish terrier, that sat in on strategic planning sessions.

Unfortunately, even after winning the war against tyranny and true evil - scary black dog and bad luck black cat myths continue in the U.S. Many shelters will not adopt out black cats around Halloween, for fear they will be used in Halloween rituals or pranks.

Most shelter workers and rescues have worked to dispel the myths. They bring attention to black dogs at adoption events by putting colorful bandanas on them. They also hold special adoption events for black dogs and cats such as "Black is Beautiful" and "Black Tie" functions.

It's slowly been changing throughout the years," says Littrell. "When I started here in 1997, I could look out and see a sea of black coats. We've tried to get people to focus more on an animal's personality than their looks."

It's a good thing I did. If I may help dispel the myth: My first big black dog rescue, Emma, literally saved my life six months after we adopted her. She fiercely protected me from a spooked horse that seemed intent on stomping little old me, standing helpless on foot.

You don't get luckier than that.