Women Are Knitting Sweaters For Black Shelter Dogs To Help Them Get Adopted

All animals deserve a fair shot at a forever home, but shelters have long noticed that it's much harder for black dogs to get adopted. Many different methods have been tried to get those dogs a second look from potential animal parents, but these brightly colored sweaters by the Scottish Women's Institute may be one of my favorites. 

It's called "black dog syndrome." Though it sounds like a disease, it actually refers to the sad fact that black dogs (and cats) are often overlooked for adoption, either due to their difficulty to photograph or because they don't stand out among the other shelter animals. 

According to the Scottish SPCA, "This syndrome really does affect the adoption of animals in our care and, through no fault of their own, black dogs are almost always the last to find new homes." That's not really fair to the doggos but they sure look spiffy in their new sweaters!

The sweaters are meant to help the dogs get adopted and fight the issue of "black dog syndrome."

The project is part of the Scottish Women's Institute's 100-year anniversary, and I can't think of a more delightful way to celebrate. 

"It's sad to think of black dogs being less appealing simply because of the color of their coat," said SWI national chair Christine Hutton, "but we hope that our knitters will be able to kit them out in coats of many colors and improve the chances of them being rehomed more quickly."

The shelter couldn't be more thrilled! "Every knitted jacket that we receive will be put to good use at our rehoming centers across Scotland," said SSPCA superintendent Sharon Comrie.

"With the SWI knitters' support, we will be able to build up a collection of special jackets for our dark dogs to wear with pride."

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h/t The Telegraph

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