Did you know that dogs with black fur are much more likely to be homeless? In addition to clothing and home furnishing products, the sustainable brand Printa has now come up with a dog collection, with which it draws attention to black dogs with a difficult fate.

At the shelters, it can be clearly observed that pets with light fur find owners sooner than their counterparts with darker fur. In America, this was given the name BBD - Big Black Dog - a term that refers to the phenomenon when a dog is not considered for adoption because of its temperament or health, but simply because of its black fur.

"When we adopted our dog in 2017, it didn't even occur to us that almost all the dogs in the shelter were black, except for a very old white pit bull, who was separated from everyone else. That's how our black dog Kira came to us, since there really wasn't any other option I don't know what would have happened if, for example, there had been a cute beige or brown puppy next to Kira. I didn't know about the phenomenon then, and in the absence of a conscious decision, it's easy to imagine that I wouldn't choose a black puppy either, but I'm very happy, that's how it turned out. Kira is the most beautiful, most wonderful dog!" - Zita Majoros, designer of Printa

The most obvious explanation for this lies in the symbolic meaning of the color black, as it is associated with all negative concepts, from evil to bad luck to mourning. History has not spared this connotation either, for example, according to ancient Greek mythology, the demonic-looking, three-headed black dog Kerberos also guards the gates of the underworld with black fur. In movies and fairy tales, it is rare to see a dark-colored dog in the good role, even a fictitious red dog gets a heroic character sooner.

Another hindering factor is that the facial expressions of black dogs are optically more difficult to discern, and it is more challenging to photograph them, so it is more difficult for them to find an owner in the online space.

After this, it is not surprising if people consciously or even subconsciously associate negative things about the color from their gut. Printa wants to draw attention to this and encourages adopters to take a closer look at the little pets with black fur when choosing them.

The Black Dog Club collection consists of practical accessories that every dog ​​owner would really appreciate! In addition to the basic pieces - natural and blue leather collar , leash , denim dog harness, dog jute mouth holder , dog poo holder made of 100% jute material - Printa also thought of the case when we travel with our four-legged friends: a cotton car seat belt for the safety of pets , and the portable dog bed is responsible for sweet lounging. Of course, the accessories for playtime cannot be left out: the collection includes a bone-shaped dog toy made of denim and the classic knotted rope toys.

The Black Dog Club collection not only sheds light on the injustice with black dogs, but also on their beauty and lovability, since any such prejudice is completely absurd and wrong.

The Printa Black Dog Club collection can be viewed on the webshop and in the Rumbach Sebestyén utca store.

Source: Leonard, A. (2011). The plight of "Big black dogs" in American animal shelters: Color-based canine discrimination. Pap Kroeber Anthropol Soc, 99, 168-183.