SHEDDING LIGHT
Girl Scouts bring awareness to Black Dog Syndrome
Amid a busy Saturday morning at Church of the Servant in north Oklahoma City, few passersby could resist the opportunity to stop and offer some human love to the 10-15 canines on hand for a pet adoption and Black Dog Syndrome Awareness day recently at the church.
Black Dog Syndrome is a term adoption centers use to describe why black dogs and cats are less likely to be adopted than lighter-colored animals.
The event was the brainchild of Girl Scout Shelby Dye, an 18-yearold senior at Edmond Santa Fe High School, who is working to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Girls have an opportunity to receive three awards throughout their Girl Scout careers: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Dye had teamed with volunteer groups from the Yukon and Mustang animal shelters to host an event where she first experienced Black Dog Syndrome.
“When I was doing my Bronze Award … I ran across Black Dog Syndrome. They had a video that I watched, and I started crying. It was so sad. They are the last to be taken out of the adoption centers,” Dye said. “One of the things I'm passionate about is animals. I thought (an event like this) would be fun and spread awareness about what Black Dog Syndrome is.”
Dye's Troop 177 and the nonprofit Pets and People have agreed to make the event an annual occurrence.
The courtyard at the church remained crowded from 9 a.m. into the afternoon.
“She's very sweet and soft!” said 9-year-old Makayla Moss about one of the dogs she stopped to pet on her way from a piano lesson at the church.
Another group of teenage youths were there in support of Dye.
"Shelby is one of my best friends,” said Jaden Woods, 17. “I thought I would come out, get some lovin' from the dogs.”
`Great dogs'
Numerous theories have been suggested as to why Black Dog Syndrome occurs. Some believe it is harder to see a darker dog in a shelter. Others say people are afraid of black dogs.
In actuality, studies have shown that more dark-colored animals
typically come into a shelter. They often are adopted at the same rate as lighter pets, but there are more of them to find homes for, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
But volunteers at the Yukon and Mustang shelters say the phenomenon is an observable fact.
“We definitely see Black Dog Syndrome in our shelter,” said Sandy Reagan, with Friends of the Mustang Animal Shelter. “I have no idea why it happens. All my dogs are black.”
Just before lunchtime that Saturday, one dog had been adopted. But several others were getting a good deal of attention.
“We've seen a lot of people today,” Reagan said. “My message is `adopt and don't shop.' These are great dogs.”
Girl Scouts put in more than 80 hours of work on Gold Award projects with brainstorming, committee meetings, planning and executing. The Gold Award dates back to 1916.