Officials at the dog shelter say black dogs make up more than half the dogs they have up for adoption, so, for most of the month of August, black dogs are $15 less than everybody else.
"Everybody loves a discount," spokesperson Mondy Lamb explains. "There is a $99.95 adoption fee, normally it's $115."
Mondy says black dogs often spend the longest time in shelters. Some - though none at the SPCA of Wake County - actually call it the "black dog syndrome."
There's no scientific reason for it. One theory is that black dogs look older sooner, perhaps because the have a bit of gray or white facial hair.
Another thought officials say is that some stereotypically scary dogs, like Dobermans and Rottweiler's, have black coats. Black dogs are sometimes harder to see in dimly lit kennels. Plus, the gene that causes black coats ia dominate one, so there are more black dogs.
"There's another theory when you have more of a selection of anything it's harder to choose so you're more likely to choose the thing that you don't have a wide variety of," Mondy said.
Right now, there's a wide variety of black dogs at the SPCA of Wake County. Darci Vanderslik explains there are a wide variety of black dogs. "It's not so much the color of the dog, it's the personality, and all the dogs, regardless of color all have different personalities."
Perhaps one of their personalities will mesh with yours.
The "Black Dog Blue Light Special" runs through August 20.
