Is there such a thing as pet discrimination?
Possibly so, if a program to resettle stray dogs from Saskatchewan to Vancouver Island is any indication.
Many of the dogs that are among the hardest to place in Prince Albert, Sask. are black in colour. It’s such a problem in shelters there that it even has its own name: “black dog syndrome.”
The solution? Send some of them to Vancouver Island, where the locals appear to be more accepting of a canine’s coat colour.
“We have, over the last few months, had an influx of dogs in Prince Albert,” said Debbie Lehner, manager of the Prince Albert SPCA. “We partner with a lot of outside rescue agencies.”
Three dogs, ages two to four months, flew into Victoria this week courtesy of WestJet, and are in the care of Vancouver Island Dogs Rescue Society. One is being fostered in Victoria, and two are in Campbell River.
Many Prince Albert dogs seeking homes get moved to rescue groups in Regina or Saskatoon, but Victoria is the farthest the shelter has shipped dogs, noted Lehner.
Lehner said that people — at least in Prince Albert — will walk by black dogs and cats to pets of other colours. “They’re … the last ones to get adopted.”
Fortunately, black dogs and cats are easier to place on Vancouver Island, said Cecily Shaw of Vancouver Island Dogs Rescue Society. “People don’t seem to be as picky here,” she said from Nanaimo.
The Prince Albert dogs were greeted by Shaw and volunteers at Victoria International Airport Wednesday morning.
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“They’re sweethearts, absolutely sweethearts,” Shaw said of the dogs, which will live in foster homes until permanent homes are found.
But it’s not just black dogs that are often last on people’s list.
In B.C., black cats face some of the worst odds of all animals in shelters when it comes to finding permanent homes.
SPCA statistics indicate that, B.C.-wide, black cats and kittens take 15-to 20-per-cent longer to find homes than other cats.
The problem is so pronounced that, occasionally, a cat that is proving hard to adopt may find itself placed next to a black cat to increase its odds of being noticed.
Meanwhile, information about the dogs sent to Vancouver Island will be posted online at islanddogsrescue.com, petfinder.com and on Facebook.
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