Though all the animals at the Humane Educational Society want to be adopted, three dogs on the wait list for more than three years are particularly eager to have someone take them home, said Jeanine Cloyd, HES community outreach manager.
Landis, Bonita and Comet have been overlooked for various reasons.
“Landis is black, [and] black dogs are often the last to adopt out, for whatever the reason,” Cloyd said. “Whether it’s because they don’t photograph as well, or people think they look mean, or maybe they are just too ordinary.”
According to Landis, the phenomenon is known in the industry as black-dog syndrome because there are more black dogs, especially medium to large animals, in shelters than any other color.
“But they are just as sweet on the inside and are also strikingly beautiful on the outside,” Cloyd said.