Animal shelter volunteer reveals that black dogs have a more challenging time finding homes

An animal shelter volunteer reveals that big black dogs have difficulty being adopted.

While it seems everyone is snagging poodles, Schnoodles or cavoodles of sorts, Julie Saraceno, who works at Benton Franklin Humane Society in Washington, shared that one black labrador mix named ‘Butter’ spent 500 days in the shelter.

I’m not crying, I’ve just been peeling onions. Back off!

The volunteer recently shared a TikTok, with the adorable canine behind bars, with the caption: “POV you’ve been a shelter dog for over 500 days and nobody wants to take you home.”

Of course, many hearts were breaking over the gun-wrenching video, as one user wrote: “I just wish there was a way to adopt every single dog. Honestly.”

Another said: “Such a pretty baby.”

A third shared: “Can you adopt out of state? I will drive from NYC to get him he is perfect.”

While another said: “Come on guys, let's get this baby a home.”

The volunteer also shared an update on Butter, disclosing that many expressed interest in adopting the pup when she posted the video.

One family had offered to take in Butter; however, devastatingly, they backed out at the last minute.

In one of her TikToks, Saraceno suggested that the pooch might even have a hard time finding a home due to Black dog syndrome or big black dog syndrome - a phenomenon in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favour of lighter-coloured animals.

“Observed by shelters and rescue groups across the world, BDS is an issue negatively affecting the adoption rates of black dogs,” she captioned in the video.

According to a study conducted by the RSPCA, dog adopters cited appearance as the most important reason when choosing which animal to take home.

Similarly, a 2013 study by Penn State psychologists revealed that people find images of black dogs scarier than photos of yellow or brown dogs, with participants saying that darker dogs are more ‘intimidating’.

Marika Bell, director of behaviour and rehoming for the Humane Society of Washington said the effect is ‘baffling’, as per SBShttps://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/black-dog-syndrome-discriminating-against-dark-pets/07ucmuu7e

News.

"I just want to tell people sometimes, 'This is an amazing dog. You've got to look at this dog,’” she said.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/Julie Saraceno

Topics: News, Animals, TikTok, Dogs

Charisa Bossinakis

Charisa Bossinakis is an Associative Journalist at LADbible. Charisa has worked across various media platforms including, print, digital, radio and podcasting while maintaining the highest regard for quality work and integrity. She also covered everything from breaking news, to pop culture, entertainment and politics and is part of the editorial team for LADbible.

@CBossinakis