Dog Has Been at Shelter for 500 Days ‘Because of Black-Dog Syndrome’

• Butter, a 3-year-old Lab mix, has actually been at a shelter for “over 500 days,” a volunteer said on TikTok.
• The clip, published by volunteer Julie Saraceno, has actually been seen almost 156,000 times.
• Saraceno recommended “black-dog syndrome” might be to blame.

A viral TikTok video reveals a 3-year-old black Labrador mix who has actually been at a Washington shelter for over 500 days, according to the volunteer who published the video footage. The video, which has actually been seen over 155,000 times since it was posted on July 7is moving the heartstrings of TikTok users.

In the clip, animal volunteer Julie Saraceno programs Butter, who was required to the Benton-Franklin Humane Society in Kennewick in November 2021.

“POV you have actually been a shelter dog for over 500 days and no one wishes to take you home,” she composed on the clip.

Saraceno told Newsweek that Butter “constantly been an anxious person, and the shelter life does not help much either.”

Benton-Franklin is a no-kill shelter, which indicates that some animals can remain for a long period of time, like Butter or another dog, Balto, who had been at the shelter for 483 days in June 2023. In another TikTok video, Saraceno said Butter’s adoption charge is $55.

“I have no concept why somebody hasn’t embraced this valuable face!” one commenter composed on the July 7 video. “Come on people, let’s get this child a home,” another included.

Adult dogs stay in shelters for longer than puppies usually, Zazie Toddan animal-behavior professional and author, composed on her website. Todd said she compared 2 shelters in New York and discovered that puppies had a typical stay of 23 days, while adult dogs remained for almost double the time, at 42 days.

What is black-dog syndrome?

In among her TikTok videos, Saraceno presumes that Butter might be having a more prolonged stay because he’s a black dogand those tend to get embraced slower.

“Black dog syndrome or huge black dog syndrome is a phenomenon in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favor of lighter-colored animals,” Saraceno composed. “Observed by shelters and rescue groups throughout the world, BDS is a concern adversely impacting the adoption rates of black dogs.”

“It certainly exists,” Madeline Bernstein, president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times in 2008explaining that some individuals wrongly see black dogs as mean.

Kim Saunders, the head of shelter outreach for Petfinder.com, told ABC News in 2009 that black dogs are euthanized more than lighter dogs. She likewise said that she believed that she thought black dogs do not picture also, rendering them almost undetectable.

Saraceno concurred, informing Newsweek, “I do seem like, from what I’ve seen, black dogs remain in the shelter longer. I believe it’s some sort of unconscious predisposition individuals have walking through the shelter. The darker dogs simply do not stick out as much in their kennel.”

Whether it’s since of his coloring, his “anxious” character, or simply misfortune, Butter is still available at Benton-Franklin.