Let’s be honest – I’m not your average gamer. I have only played Call of Duty once with my nephew and for some odd reason, I haven’t been invited back. *Ponders…* “Maybe it’s due to the fact that I managed to kill all of us???” I just couldn’t quite grasp the hitting of X, B, A plus shooting at the same time. And let’s not leave out the part where my little solider guy kept jumping up and down when all I ever wanted him to do was duck and cover. When I heard my nephew conquered the game in two days, I was in awe. “How did you beat those zombies!” He explained, “It’s about learning their traits and just being aware.” Simple enough if you take the time to learn. Unfortunately, if you are reading this in hopes of a few gaming secrets, I never did find the passion nor the time to learn the game and make myself more aware of zombie traits. Nor do I have the quick thumbs or a fast trigger finger to shoot a zombie…while jumping up and down. So, lets get down to a real life “Call of Duty.”
Personally, I am a new volunteer with Pflugerville Pet’s Alive. These folks share an amazing amount of love and passion for all animals. Paws UP for this group! I am constantly learning and made aware of issues and topics that I have never heard of before, such as B.A.S. Black Animal Syndrome (BAS) is a phenomenon where any animal who is black in color comes across as less approachable, less friendly and emotionally instable. Hence, most black animals stay the longest at any shelter.
“A study presented at the 2013 International Society for Anthrozoology conference that showed participants pictures of cats and dogs of varying colors found white cats were considered the friendliest, orange cats second friendliest, and black cats were considered least friendly. Among dogs, yellow dogs were considered friendliest, brown dogs second friendliest, and black dogs least friendly. Darker pets were similarly judged less adoptable, and black dogs were considered the most aggressive” (Wikipedia).
Great News!! If you suffer from BAS, you are not alone and there is a cure. All you need is a low dose prescription of awareness. Ignore those wives tales (or tails) of seeing a black critter crossing the road of being bad luck, I am sure he/she is just looking for a cozy home. Don’t forget everyone looks great in black. The color black makes us look thinner, so you can look fantastic with your fur-legged friend sitting next to you.
My Call of Duty ask of you is to bring awareness to this situation. The next time you see a black four legged friend, remind yourself Black IS Beautiful (and smart, and loving and friendly). Let’s celebrate these beautiful animals by adopting, fostering and educating others about them today.
To visit any of these great pets:
Plflugerville Animal Shelter
1600 Waterbrook Drive
Pflugerville, TX 78660
512.990.7387
pets@pflugervilletx.gov
11am – 6pm Th-T (except city holidays. Call the number on the gate if it is closed during business hours)
Adoption application: http://goo.gl/DYYdk
Foster application: http://goo.gl/uSFVu
Volunteer application: http://goo.gl/6nkIr