http://www.rgj.com/blogs/mostlydogs/2008/01/is-nevada-humane-society-racially.html
The Nevada Humane Society is doing a promotion surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday called "Black Is Beautiful" where black dogs and cats are offered for adoption at a reduced rate.
It seems racially insensitive and not very respectful of King's memory. Of course, I'm not black so it's not really my call. Anybody out there have any thoughts?
I called NHS executive director Bonney Brown to find just what the heck she was thinking. She said that they have an abundance of black animals and wanted a promotion to find homes for them. She said they set up the promotion, then realized it was over the King holiday and were indeed concerned that some might be offended by it. So, she said, they ran it by their three black staff members and all said they were fine with it.
"We never intended to offend anyone," she said.
I mentioned how People magazine ran a story last year on black animals being less likely to be adopted from shelters and how there's a web site (www.blackpearldogs.com) devoted to encouraging adoption of big black dogs.
Brown said that she's also found a reluctance of people to adopt black animals. "We have black kitties with fantastic personalities and for some reason people overlook them," she said.
I said I had no problem with the "Black Is Beautiful" campaign in principle -- NHS did a special adoption event for orange cats in October -- but it just seemed ill-advised to do it over the King holiday.
She responded, ""Maybe this will turn out to be boneheaded and, if so, we'll learn from it."
Here's the press release:
The Nevada Humane Society is doing a promotion surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday called "Black Is Beautiful" where black dogs and cats are offered for adoption at a reduced rate.
It seems racially insensitive and not very respectful of King's memory. Of course, I'm not black so it's not really my call. Anybody out there have any thoughts?
I called NHS executive director Bonney Brown to find just what the heck she was thinking. She said that they have an abundance of black animals and wanted a promotion to find homes for them. She said they set up the promotion, then realized it was over the King holiday and were indeed concerned that some might be offended by it. So, she said, they ran it by their three black staff members and all said they were fine with it.
"We never intended to offend anyone," she said.
I mentioned how People magazine ran a story last year on black animals being less likely to be adopted from shelters and how there's a web site (www.blackpearldogs.com) devoted to encouraging adoption of big black dogs.
Brown said that she's also found a reluctance of people to adopt black animals. "We have black kitties with fantastic personalities and for some reason people overlook them," she said.
I said I had no problem with the "Black Is Beautiful" campaign in principle -- NHS did a special adoption event for orange cats in October -- but it just seemed ill-advised to do it over the King holiday.
She responded, ""Maybe this will turn out to be boneheaded and, if so, we'll learn from it."
Here's the press release:
For some reason that we can never understand, the many beautiful black cats and dogs at Nevada Humane Society seem to get overlooked. Black is always elegant and always in style. We are offering a special promotion to ask people to come into the shelter and give the black animals an extra look. All black, or mostly black, adult dogs and cats (six months of age and older) are available for adoption at special reduced fees -- only $40 for dogs and $25 for cats.
"We currently have about 150 black dogs and cats. These beautiful animals come in many sizes, shapes, and ages," said Denise Stevens, the Humane Society's Operations Director. "Traditionally, black pets get overlooked by potential adopters for no good reason, and we want to give them that extra change they deserve."
All dogs and cats are spayed and neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped before being adopted. These services would normally cost over $200. So this is a great bargain and the opportunity to give extra hope to these unique animals.
Visit Nevada Humane Society at 2825 Longley Lane in Reno from Thursday, January 10 through Sunday, January 27, to take advantage of the reduced fee and give these deserving animals a home and family of their own. For more information, call 775-856-2000.
By adopting a black dog or cat from Nevada Humane Society, you too can appreciate the beauty, elegance, and style of these animals -- Black truly is Beautiful!
In answer to the question "Is NHS racially insensitive?" I've got to say no, not all. But I could see how some might think that. One of my (black) co-workers, in fact, said she thought it was. Let's open it for discussion."We currently have about 150 black dogs and cats. These beautiful animals come in many sizes, shapes, and ages," said Denise Stevens, the Humane Society's Operations Director. "Traditionally, black pets get overlooked by potential adopters for no good reason, and we want to give them that extra change they deserve."
All dogs and cats are spayed and neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped before being adopted. These services would normally cost over $200. So this is a great bargain and the opportunity to give extra hope to these unique animals.
Visit Nevada Humane Society at 2825 Longley Lane in Reno from Thursday, January 10 through Sunday, January 27, to take advantage of the reduced fee and give these deserving animals a home and family of their own. For more information, call 775-856-2000.
By adopting a black dog or cat from Nevada Humane Society, you too can appreciate the beauty, elegance, and style of these animals -- Black truly is Beautiful!
