Shelter pulls promotion offering black animals at cut rates

A Texas animal shelter canceled a program promoting the adoption of black cats and dogs at a reduced rate after critics complained that the event would have taken place the same week as Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating freedom for enslaved blacks in that state, the Associated Press reports:

The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter planned to reduce adoption fees June 14-20 for black-coated animals to $25 through a "Black is Beautiful" promotion, the Austin American-Statesman reported in its online edition Wednesday...

...[Shelter director Cheryl] Schneider put a stop to the adoption program after learning about the controversy. "It was just bad timing," Schneider told the AP.

"It's just a known fact that black cats and black dogs are difficult to adopt," Schneider said. "I think it is very unfair to the dogs and cats that are here."

Nelson Linder, president of the Austin chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, told the Austin-American Statesman that the shelter should have addressed why black animals weren't being adopted instead of offering a promotion based on color.

Commentators on the paper's blog had plenty to say.

"Whoever thought of this one should be put out to pasture! No excuses about unintentional offense. Not planned out well? Give me and everyone else a big break!" wrote one.

Another reader thought critics were being hypersensitive: "Poor animals -- deprived of a chance at a loving home, at life, because someone was offended by the phrase “Black is Beautiful” in reference to the color of the animals’ fur? What’s next -- protesting candy stores selling chocolate? Cafes selling smooth mochas?"

-- Tony Barboza

Photo: Bob Grieser/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Summer]

I'm black and a animal lover and I'm appalled at the hypersensitivity of the Texas shelter and the people in that community. We have a serious dog and cat overpopulation problem in this country and any efforts to find these wonderful animals responsible and loving families and homes should be applauded. Its not as if they called the promotion the emancipation proclimation, jeez. Black is Beautiful, so are all the other colors and shades we humans come in, and so are all the dogs and cats in shelters. Go Forth and Adopt!

[L.A. Volunteer]

I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. I'm as left-liberal as it gets, but for someone to begrudge dogs and cats who have a terribly hard time being adopted (and yes, I work at a rescue and it IS a fact that black dogs and cats get passed over for adoption all the time, msnbc.com recently did a story on how hard it is for them to find homes) -- for someone to decide that a one-day, non-national holiday negates these animals' right to a fair chance at getting a home is just plain inhumane.

Humans, no matter what color you are, it's not always about YOU.