Posted Thursday, May 7, 2009; 1:18 p.m.

Camille the Underdog
If only Black Dog Syndrome meant you were as sick as a dog. Trishna Patel reports on how this term may show beauty is only fur deep.

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By Trishna Patel
The LA. Pilot

VAN NUYS-- CALIF. Camille, a small, black Chihuahua mix is the epitome of an underdog. 

She struts around her kennel with a hopeful swagger. She has all-black fur with the exception of a hint of white that accents the sides of her nose. And though her tail is constantly wagging, Camille’s eyes seem consumed with a human-like awareness of her desolate situation.  

“We’ve haven’t had too much interest in her. She’s really sweet but she just sits here. No one’s looked or asked about her. Nothing,” kennel manager and adoptions coordinator Alice Williams said. 

The five-year-old dog was rescued from the Riverside Animal Shelter at the beginning of this year. Since then she’s been at Pet Orphans of Southern California, a private shelter in Van Nuys. 

Camille is the “poster pup” for the Black Dog Syndrome, a term in the pet community, as the reason for why black dogs are overlooked and therefore take longer to adopt. 

And for lack of a better term, people pass her kennel as if Camille is plagued with some sort of syndrome. “She may actually be the easiest and most manageable dog to adopt in this shelter,” staff worker Tiffany Quiroz said. “It’s extremely unfortunate because she has the most pleasant disposition, but most adopters never see that.” 

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Litter of puppies also available for adoption at Pet Orphans

Photos by: Trishna Patel