black dog syndrome

noun

A disputed phenomenon according to which black dogs tend to be passed over for adoption in favor of lighter-colored animals, perhaps because of superstition or the belief that they are more aggressive.

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Meanings

nounblack dog syndrome (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA disputed phenomenon according to which black dogs tend to be passed over for adoption in favor of lighter-colored animals, perhaps because of superstition or the belief that they are more aggressive.

    Black Dog Syndrome is prejudice and discrimination against dogs that are black, and it is a real issue.

    2019, KJ Fallon, Zen and the Rescue Dog, Post Hill Press, →ISBN
Cite this entry
APA

black dog syndrome. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20dog%20syndrome

MLA

“black dog syndrome.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20dog%20syndrome. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “black dog syndrome,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20dog%20syndrome.

Source: black dog syndrome on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.