I wish I could write something different. I would love to write the fairy tale, where everything is wonderful and nothing is wrong and it all worked out in the end. But I can’t. Mattie passed away very early Tuesday morning, June 29th at about 5:30 a.m. She died quietly in her sleep at Dr. Bob Schactner’s house lying next to his bed. Bob’s team was fabulous both for Mattie and for me. They were patient with my insecurity, my questions, my postulations and my hope. Because they were hoping right along with me that Mattie would make it.

Mattie wasn’t a particularly special dog. She wasn’t overly intelligent or clever. She had terrible conformation; she walked like John Wayne, snorted in her sleep, snored and while she hated going out because of the walk to the grass, she ran like the wind back home. It was her stocky box-like build that inspired me to have her now-classic “Mohawk Mattie” cut. I thought it would be slimming.

Well, she ran like a bow-legged John Wayne, but she did run. Mattie sort of ambled from side to side and although she did her business efficiently enough, she liked to stop and see what was up on the “Daily News Sniff Express” that was found delivered daily on all of the tree trunks, light poles and fence posts.

Mattie was a quiet dog from the moment I scooped her up in the parking lot and carefully carried her into my home. She seemed aloof at first, as though she didn’t care about me or what would happen next. I believed as a result of her previous life, she didn’t care anymore. And as for what I had done for her so far, forget about her being grateful. That wasn’t happening.

What I now realize is that she had no reason to care about me or where she was. I believe she had been neglected and subsequently dumped. How could she reasonably expect me to treat her any differently? So she waited and watched. She observed what was being put in her bowl and while she didn’t comment, she didn’t complain either. I wasn’t hurting her, all of her hideous mats that filled a gallon zip-loc had been cut off and she had a warm soft bed, treats and attention.

On the contrary, she seemed to relish the high quality diet I was giving her, demolishing her bowl of food. One day, she saw me coming to her as I walked in the door and I saw a slight tail wag. She didn’t look away. Progress!

Being the good rescue-type person I attempt to be, I had every intention in the world of placing Mattie, as I had already placed about a dozen birds and a dog a neighbor had found in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. I got those pets relatively squared away and found homes for them. I just learned today that an older Cockatiel I had placed for Phoenix Landing had finally passed away from cancer over six years after she found her new home.

My friend Lynn who lives over two hours away from the airport was flying a series of short trips called turnarounds and she didn’t want to make the drive everyday, so she stayed with me while she worked the trips. I thought she would be a great person for Mattie. Lynn had kids, a yard, a pool. What could be better for little Mattie? Free choice peeing and a selection of beds to sleep on.

Lynn adored Mattie and said she’d think about it. While I waited for Lynn to decide, something happened: Mattie began following me around the house. Ever so subtly, Mattie would notice I had left the bedroom and would follow me to the living room. If I was on the porch,she would wake up from her nap and come out and lie down. As I said, she never said much, but every time I looked up, there she’d be.

Lynn called about two weeks later.

“So how’s it going with Mattie?”

“I can’t believe it. She’s following me around!”

“You’re surprised?”

“Of course I am. She hasn’t given me so much as a ‘by your leave.’”

“Patricia, you can’t see her when you’re not looking. When you get up to go to the other room, her head comes up and she stares until you come back. When she hears your footsteps, she puts her head down. Patricia, she adores you. And that’s why I can’t take her.”

And so Mattie stayed, eventually finding comfort in sleeping beside me on my bed, napping on her pillow near the couch and walking up and down the length of me from my knees to my chest just when the sun was coming up so that I’d put her down on on her sheepskin next to my bed.

When I got the column at BIRD TALK, I knew I had to write her in. She was a natural as the perpetual victim character of the Greys in the column as she often was in real life. Yet in both the column and real life, her grace and dignity always carried her through with Parker and Pepper. Over the almost five years I had her, she went from completely ignoring me to greeting me at the door and poking my foot with her paw for a scratch. Mattie would follow me into the bathroom and of course, the kitchen to stare me down for a treat. She also got neighbors and visitors trained to give her a treat as they came in the door. I think she simply considered it her “entrance fee.”

There were so many moments with Mattie that were wonderful, just as it is with every dog we love. She became special not just to me, but to my friends and even the readers of my column. To this day, people tell me that the Memo, Pooping on the Dog, was their very favorite.

Losing Mattie has been raw and incredibly, physically painful. My eyes hurt, my chest is tight and my throat feels like it’s full of broken glass. Ever the writer, I have closely observed it, amazed at how much my body is reacting physically to the mental stress of the loss of her. I realize logically that this will pass. Like a flu bug, or a sprained ankle, it will get better. The physical symptoms will subside, as will the severe pain of my loss. Hopefully, it will reduce to a dull roar because it is totally exhausting me right now.

I am no different than any other Human who loses an animal family member that they dearly loved. And as I said, Mattie wasn’t particularly unique, or special. She wasn’t a hero like Rin Tin Tin or smart like Alex the Grey. She was simply Mattie. But she was very good at being who she was. In fact, she excelled at it.

I would wonder occasionally what she must have been like as a puppy. And I would ask her, “What was your other life like? And what was your name?”

She never answered me of course. And even if she could talk, I doubt she would have told me. You see, I think Mattie was stronger than me. She probably knew I wouldn’t have been able to handle it. Realizing this has made me feel infinitely better about her exit from this existence. She must have had enormous strength to have carried me through this trial in the classy way she did. I guess we kind of carried each other.

Perhaps the lesson learned here was not realizing how deeply I really loved her. It was learning that my dog was not only stronger than me, in the big scheme of things, she was far wiser. She took me on slow at the beginning, never trying to rush my emotions when she first arrived. She let me adjust. And then when she thought I was ready, she came to me slowly, easily and quietly, just as you are supposed to do with a rescue unsure of their surroundings. Mattie gave me a while to settle in. And when she thought I was secure, she began to reinforce what she wanted.

In the end, I realize that Mattie changed me. With Mattie, I became kinder, softer, less expectant and my patience grew. I even became less tough on myself. I became a better person.

And for that, I’ll always be grateful to her.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell in this business. I think some of the heroes are the people who train and educate about training. Susan Friedman is a hero. Barbara Heidenreich is a hero. Robin Shewokis is a hero for spreading the message about enrichment and foraging.

Susan Friedman is a hero for educating the field about the science of applied behavior analysis and getting people to understand why positive reinforcement works.

Then there are the people who do research. There are heroes in that line too. Irene Pepperberg is a hero. Ross Perry is a hero. The Hagen Company does extensive research on diet and I love the work that they do.

Companies who sell crap people don’t need, to people who don’t know any better are villains. Companies that put mite control devices in Wal Mart that can actually kill birds and sell those same people a pant-load of grit during the same shopping trip are villains.

Big Box Pet stores who can’t seem to find a way to educate their associates well enough to ensure that they have the correct answers to questions they are asked are big-time villains. And I want to eliminate quite a few items in their product lines as well.

Companies who sell training tapes that have “secrets the professionals don’t want you to know” to people who don’t have the first clue on training basics are villains.

I was at a bird store I know and love. They were selling round cages. I asked why. I was told that they sold them because people wanted them and if people were going to buy them “come hell or high water,” then they might as well make the money.

Well, this bothered me enormously. I love this store to death but that’s simply irresponsible. They aren’t villains, but they pissed me off with this particular move.

The world has been able to remove or discontinue many items from the market, including Phen-fen, Phisohex, the Ford Pinto and other various products deemed unsafe for consumption or use. Why can’t round cages go the way of the dinosaur?

I wish some bird food companies would knock it off and at least attempt to educate their consumers that an all-seed diet really blows. Couldn’t they branch out and come up with another product that doesn’t harm the very consumer they are feeding? Couldn’t they at least educate their customers?

I wish breeders with facilities the size of the state of Oklahoma would figure out that random breeding isn’t doing a damned thing to help the pet bird situation and leave that to the people who actually know what they are doing.

It’s big business. And I’m just one little person.

C’mon! Give a click!

I do the Animal Rescue Site thing fairly regularly where you click to give and your click feeds hungry animals 1/6th of a bowl of food. And of course I did a little research and found out that it was indeed legit, but it wasn’t a non-profit organization. Not that this bothers me really. If Barbara Heidenreich, Steve Martin, and most of the other people in the business were all non-profit, they’d have to get regular jobs. Even the people running non-profits get paid. They’re the lucky ones who have managed to survive quite nicely in a business where, unless you are actually manufacturing something concrete, like cages, or toys or you have a store, there isn’t a whole lot of free money lying around under all of those birds.

There was one campaign I liked and I have to agree that it was kind of cool, where they encouraged everyone to go a day without shoes to “raise awareness” (as you know, this is a phrase I dislike immensely) about all of the people in the world who are shoeless. Of course, if I went to work without shoes I wouldn’t even be allowed onto the bus to the terminal let alone on to an airplane. But I’d be welcomed through security with open arms, because if there’s one place you’re forced to take off your shoes, it’s there. TSA frowns on shoes. Take ‘em off, people!

But there are people out there who seem to resent the “business people” in the business. You know, the ones who actually make a profit at working in the field of birds and I don’t understand that. I’ve heard statements like these occasionally:

“That seminar is so expensive! They should just make it free.”

And: “Why does it cost so much money to go to that seminar? That’s a rip-off! They’re trying to make money!”

Well, yeah!  Aren’t we all?

Training a Goat- Photo courtesy NEI Inc.

It’s not so much about the money as it is about making money doing something you love. Money is a necessity to accomplish things you need to do in life. Like eat. Pay your bills. Have enough money to support all of those non-profits we’re all so crazy about. If I could reduce my day job down to the minimum, throw that all into my 401K, and make up the difference through writing full time, I would.  I’m just not quite there yet. So, like a myriad of other people, I go to work every day. Then I come home and do my other job which is writing. So right now, what I am doing is like having two full-time jobs. And it isn’t easy.

Presenting at the Midwest Bird Expo 2011. Photo courtesy of Su Gould

Is it fun? Sometimes the writing is. Easy? Not at all. Neither of my jobs is a walk in the park. Double up two jobs that are both demanding and you have a real sweat-fest going on. And I know I’m not the only one attempting to make a transition like this. My friend Katie is a full-time Flight Attendant and she is now in the home stretch of getting her RN license. Hurray Katie! She’ll never quit flying, but she’ll be cutting back for a while, I assure you. I’m glad she’ll be done soon; it was a little tough flying with Katie when she was learning gastroenterology.

Hey Katie, isn’t that the lower tract you’re talking about? Ya mind waiting until after I’m done with my breakfast before you get into that? Kee-rist!

Why is it that when it’s something like education and information, people get their knickers in a twist about having to pay for it?  I’ve paid a lot of money for my “Psittacine” education and I don’t resent a dime of it. It’s enriched my understanding of avian husbandry, behavior, training and basic comprehension of aviculture immensely and given me some street credibility. There is an online class you can take that’s very inexpensive and it’s tough, but you’ll love it. It’s Dr. Susan Friedman’s course, LLP or Living and Learning With Parrots. You can find it and some other classes at Behaviorworks.org. And the 50.00 fee is a donation to a parrot rescue. Susan doesn’t make a dime on the class.

Susan Friedman's Laptop. Photo courtesy of me.

Susan does it because she simply loves teaching behavior. And she feels it’s important to get the information out there. It’s simply her way of giving back to the community and introducing the world to positive reinforcement training.

But please realize it’s not as if there is an oligarchy controlling the business from on high who are charging people through the roof for information. It just isn’t that way.

Some of these people have spent years learning their skills or their specialty. They’ve spent time and money getting their experience and education. It costs them money to do what they do. Expecting them to just hand it out on a silver platter, because, “It’s all about the birds!” is nonsense.

A Letter on Tarzan's Behalf

Now, If I had a brain in my head, I’d just post this photo above as a way of explaining what the Oasis Sanctuary is all about and call it a day. Now that’s economy. (To see the letter close up, simply click on the photo and it will enlarge for you.)

I went to the “Discover the Oasis” event this last weekend to meet people, talk a bit about my “Chop Concept” and get to know the people at the Oasis. I was in the main building when I saw this framed note sitting on a bookshelf. I immediately turned into a pile of water. Sometimes things just get to me. It doesn’t happen often, but this short, to-the-point framed letter innocently propped up against the wall on top of a bookshelf brought me to my knees. As far as I’m concerned, I really don’t have to say another word as a way of explaining what the Oasis does and why they exist.

But I will. I have a lot to say, and even though my instinct says, “leave it alone”  I will continue even though just looking at that photo of the framed letter chokes me up.

  I still have to write about the event.  This particular shin-dig thrown at the Sanctuary in Benson Arizona, (By the way, if you’re flying in, make sure you fly into Tucson, and not Phoenix. It’ll save you a lot of hassle.) was a fund-raiser for the Sanctuary to raise desperately needed funds for this very worthy organization. It’s run on a shoe-string and I don’t think I have ever seen a harder-working, dedicated and more focused group of people in my life.

This is not an easy place. Visiting the Oasis makes you think about the entire point of what we’re doing by keeping birds. Or rather, not keeping them. When you come here, you have to come to terms with your own mortality, the fallout from economic hardship, lack of information, lack of education and just plain ignorance. What the Oasis does is pick up the slack when humans fail their birds in one way or another and ultimately themselves. Despite the messiness, the heartbreak, the difficulty of the work, they trudge on, making the most out of very little. They believe that what they are doing is a very necessary part of the big picture.

Unfortunately they’re right.

I wish they were out of business. I wish they could shut their doors. I don’t want them to exist. I don’t want them to be necessary. But they are necessary. They are needed. And they’re busier than hell.

It's not just Parrots you know...

The event was an Open House with tours, and speakers Dr. Susan Friedman and Noelle Fontaine.

Susan Friedman: An Extraordinary Speaker

Noelle Fontaine's Subject: "Where Do We Go From Here?"

I was there to “Kiss hands and shake babies” and write about the event here.

And I’m glad to do it. I also got to meet my friend Nancy who happens to be the “Mom” of my Facebook friend Bart Henry the African Grey. I’ve known Susan for years so it was great to catch up with her as well.

Me with Susan and Nancy

The Oasis had a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, lunch, the speakers, door prizes, and tours. Parrots were joyously yelling, people were talking and meeting and the ducks were honking away. I met Sybil Erden, the Founder of Oasis and we spent some time yakking and exchanging ideas.

Sybil Erden

One idea I came away with is this very cool “flight tunnel” that is a flight bridge for the Quaker enclosure. It bridges two separate enclosures and gives them some flying room between two enclosures. Very cool and a fabulous idea!

Quaker Flight Bridge

Flight Bridge Closeup

Lanette Raymond, who is the President of the Long Island Parrot Society and definitely has her plate full, took the time to come out and volunteer as well as attend the event. She worked her tail off.

There is a new Board Member who just recently joined the team and was responsible for making sure my boney rear-end was here to meet all of these incredible people: Janet Holt Hilton. Janet is a powerhouse and has already contributed so much to the Foundation with her ideas, time and energy:

And she intends to do more. In a very real way, Janet’s enthusiasm and vision can and will clarify, expand and improve the outlook of the Oasis. It can’t help but do so. Janet has so many thoughts on how to help the Oasis. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all pans out. I wanted to do more, but they had this event planned within an inch of its life and there wasn’t much for me to do. So I grabbed a brush and groomed a dog. Her name is Jewel:

Grooming Jewel

Naturally, I ended up hairier than the dog I had just groomed.  Why is is that every time I do a writing project, I end up completely filthy?

I was happy to be there, happy to be a part of the event, and perhaps to have contributed to a person’s knowledge about a great way to feed their birds. I loved meeting the people and seeing the work that they do. Sometimes the work is pretty grim. And sad.

As I said before, these incredible people pick up the shards and pieces of broken lives and attempt to put them back together the best way they know how. They are approaching the problem we ourselves created head-on.

They do the most admirable work and I know it can’t be easy for them. But unfortunately it’s very necessary.  And until we can figure out a way to make the Oasis obsolete, there will always be a need for them.

So if you can help them, please do so. Here is a link to their “Pennies for Parrots” campaign: Pennies for Parrots  Just five dollars can make a difference to these birds.

Quasimodo thanks you. And so do I.

"Thank You For Your Support!"

Photo from this Website: The Old Telephone Company

It happens on occasion. I get a phone call from someone about their bird. They need help. They need to re-home their bird. They need to know about training.

The latest call was Friday morning. I knew it was coming because Deb at “Chippy the Pirate,” a local bird store in Fort Lauderdale had called me a couple days before and wanted to know if it was okay if she gave my number out to a woman who needed help with her Cockatoo.

Wendy at Best Friends With a Cockatoo

Of course I said it was okay, but there is only so much I can do over the phone. The lady called me. It was the usual biting at unexpected times and aggression. But she did say, “The screaming I can put up with.”

I found out she used to allow her ‘Too to sleep in her bed, which scared me to death, but she said she had stopped that two years ago. Whew!

Sobering story really: She’s elderly, she lives with her son in a mobile home, she’s had a stroke, multiple surgeries, and she’s a nail technician. I got a feeling for the situation by asking a few questions; diet, housing etc. It turns out that her bird is doing pretty well. I suggested she knock out the seed and the colored pellets but applauded the rest of the diet that included lots of vegetables. Her son has two cats and consequently, she doesn’t let him out much anymore. I suggested the obvious: put the cats in another room in the evening so the bird could come out and be with her. She said she hadn’t thought of that and would do that. (Huh?)

I explained that the bird was most likely in breeding condition which might account for some of the aggression. However she said this began a while back and it’s all of the time now. It was apparent that she loves this bird but is over her head.

Again, there isn’t much I can do on a short conversation over the phone except to recommend she read, Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor as an introduction. I also noted the diet, the fact that the bird has a play gym and I asked her to call me with questions once she had read the book. I then gave her a short course on positive reinforcement training gave her a few suggestions and called it a day, because there really isn’t anything I can do until she reads the book.

One other problem: she doesn’t have a computer. Now, this is indeed an issue because I was all set to give her my email address so she could contact me and I could send her all kinds of links. Umm, not going to happen. Now, I have been trained by Susan Friedman, Steve Martin and Barbara Heidenreich. But I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I know applied behavior analysis and positive reinforcement training, but not well enough to actually give an in-depth training session to another person over a course of weeks. And I’m a little rusty.

I’m also not too thrilled about the idea of marching over there, only to get carved up by a cockatoo who has never met me, doesn’t really give a damn about me and could care less about anything I might have to say about his behavior. I suppose I could do it, but I’d feel guilty about charging her and then there is that little matter of finding the time. At this rate I might have some time this coming September.

I’ve never gotten used to these phone calls. They make me feel helpless because I know I will never really be able to give her the help she wants. I’m sure she would prefer that I fix the bird, when it is indeed her that requires the training. And I simply don’t see that happening. But I can hope. And I can help as much as I can.

Jason Crean’s Mousebird

When it comes to parrots, the phrase, “A little goes a long way.” has numerous applications.

A little bit of everything good in their meal makes for a better and more balanced diet.

I think a little bit of attention here and there, scattered throughout the day is more valuable to the parrot than no attention at all followed by a big one-on-one sit down with them.

Lisa Licare With Buddy and Skittles

A few little toys strategically placed in their cages is most likely more fun and more enriching than one big honkin’’ toy.

A few small treats throughout the afternoon goes further and means more to them than one big “Pigfest.”

A few short training sessions works better than one big long one.

Irena Schulz with Snowball

A few short, but thorough showers throughout the week keeps their feathers in better condition than one big drenching once a month.

I know there are others, but this might get you thinking about how “A little goes a long way.” can work for your birds. Got any ideas?

I thought it would take off. I thought it would be massive. I thought it would be the next Marley and Me.  I was positive that Irene Pepperberg’s book, Alex and Me would be a smash hit putting the book about the world’s worst dog to shame. It was big, but it wasn’t the massive hit Marley’s story was.

Irene’s book did respectably well. And I’m pleased for her. The problem is, for a book this damned good, this interesting and this well written, it should have gone to the top and stayed there. Well, it didn’t. And that’s just not right.

For as popular and talented as Alex was, and still is, people who loved his interview with Alan Alda on the TV show,  Scientific Frontiers should have trotted right out and bought the book to get the back story on how that television special came about. If you enjoy the film clips of Alex and Irene on Youtube, watching Irene work with Alex, Griffin and Arthur, you should race out and buy the book. It is simply wonderful.

Irene and writer Roger Lewin crafted a book that not only gives insight and detail into the story of Alex, it gives you the backstory of so many things we know about him. How did he begin to say “corknut?” Where did he get the word, “Banerry?” How in God’s name did Irene and Alex end up at MIT anyway? Do you want to know? Buy the book. It’ll tell you all about it.

Following her life from her childhood and first bird, to her education and ultimately her choice to forgo work in her chosen field of chemistry to study animal cognition and communication, Alex and Me is a detailed chronicle of Irene’s life with Alex and their achievements, accomplishments and difficulties.

The book takes you to Arizona where Irene worked as a professor, back to MIT, her old stomping grounds where she earned her chemistry degree, and on to Brandeis University, where her lab is now. In her book, she discusses the struggle to raise funds for the Alex Foundation that still goes on today, and her battle to have her research and work taken seriously.

It’s witty, thoughtful, and gives the reader a “bird’s eye view” so to speak, of Alex and Irene’s story. It’s not just an I-did-this-and-then-I-did-that tale. Irene’s book tells you not only what she did, but how she did them and why. It fills all of those questions you’d want to ask her if you had an hour or two to sit down with Irene and ask her anything you wanted to know.

For people interested in training their parrot, the book is inspiring. It also answers a common question Irene is always asked: “What was Alex really like?”

Well, let me tell you, from the sound of it, Alex was a real pistol. He had an attitude, confidence, and he was even a bit demanding. He also was somewhat of a bully from what I’ve been able to gather. In reading this account of Alex and what his personality was like, I had one constant thought nagging at me: “My God, this sounds a bit like Parker.”  And if you have an African Grey or two, you will see many similarities in your own birds.

Alex stunned the world with his ability and potential. And when he died, I know I wasn’t the only one who cried when I heard the news. I’ve seen person after person break down in tears right in front of Irene, trying to express how bad they felt when Alex passed away. I was emotionally paralyzed for two weeks after Alex died. This wasn’t even my bird, but it affected me deeply. However, I am pleased to know that I’m in huge company.

Alex is an icon, and will forever be remembered as “The smartest bird in the world.” He broke previously held scientific notions into pieces, shattering what it means to be human, and what it means to be cognizant. He changed many minds about the connection all creatures have in nature and in the world, including humans.

As Irene put it in the book, “…he (Alex) did leave me this great gift of what was once known and embraced, but was lost; the oneness of nature and our part in it.”

Irene’s book will answer so many questions you might have about African Greys, animal intelligence and the amazing story of Alex, a very special African Grey Parrot.

Alex and Me should be in every bird person’s library. It’s that good.

You can purchase your copy here: The Alex Foundation

Have you ever met a person who just isn’t cut out to be a bird person? You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all met them. They have no business having a parrot in their home. You know this in your bones and can feel that understanding in the deepest darkest reaches of your soul. You know this as well as you remember your own name.

They. Should. Not. Ever. Have. A Bird. Ever.

But why? Why shouldn’t they have a bird? I have listed some reasons below, the imagined quote from the person acquiring the bird and a few comments:

No time:

“They’re so little! They should be easy to take care of, right?”

(Sweetie, you think you’re short on time now? Get a bird and you’ll see how little time you have…)

♦ ♦ ♦

No patience:

“This should be a snap! He can just stay in his cage! They like that, don’t they?”

(I’ve seen you throw a fit when the person giving you a pedicure used the wrong shade of polish on your toes. Get a bird and that pedicure money is going to end up being used for food. Or toys. Or perches. Then you won’t have to worry about what the hell shade she used, because you won’t be able to afford to get a pedicure.)

♦ ♦ ♦

You know damned well they have no idea what they’re getting into:

“Awwww! He’s so cuuuuute! I want one!”

( Ummm, no you don’t. We’ll see how cute you think he is when you don’t train him and he’s hanging by his beak from your earlobe.)

♦ ♦ ♦

They’ve already unloaded the first two birds they ever had:

“Well, I think I just got a couple of bad ones. This little one seems kind of nice.”

(And now you’re getting ready to screw up a third bird. Great….)

♦ ♦ ♦

They think it’s a “cheap” pet:

“How much can they eat, right? And seed doesn’t cost very much, right?”

(How do you feel about selling all of your hideous knock-off designer purses in a garage sale?)

♦ ♦ ♦

They have no idea what they eat, and just think seed is fine because that’s what they “heard” you should feed birds:

“They just eat seed, right?”

(No comment here. Just the sound of my head banging against the wall: Wham! Wham! Wham!)

♦ ♦ ♦

They want to give one to someone else as a Christmas or birthday gift:

“Oh, he’ll love this little guy! And I’ll also buy a bag of seed and put it in a Christmas stocking! That’s a really cute idea!”

(Continued head banging…)

♦ ♦ ♦

They think because a bird is relatively small, they aren’t much work and won’t take up too much space in their apartment:

“I think I have space in the back utility room. It’s nice and dark back there. He’ll like that right?”

(The answer is, “No. No, he won’t like that, you blithering idiot.”)

♦ ♦ ♦

They were a big fan of the show, “Baretta:”

“Fred was soooo cute! They just do those tricks naturally, right?”

(I’m in pain now. If you don’t shut up and do some research, I’m going to end up going completely through this wall.)

♦ ♦ ♦

They refer to a Cockatoo as a Cockatiel. Or they reverse that:

“Those are like parakeets, right?”

(Could someone call the paramedics? I seem to have damaged my frontal lobe.)

♦ ♦ ♦

They want one just like their neighbor’s bird because he can do tricks and he talks. You ask them what kind of parrot their neighbor has and they answer, “Green:”

“He was just the cutest thing. And he could swear and everything!”

(Gee, how cute. I’ll bet he’s a big hit at the church picnic. Why is the room spinning?)

♦ ♦ ♦

They like the idea of a bird as a pet because they don’t need to be walked:

“You see, if I get a bird, they don’t have to go outside and they’re easy, because they don’t need much work or attention. And they’re small, see? So no barking and they’ll just sit there and chirp and…”

(No comment. Just the sound of an ambulance siren slowly fading away.)

The Enrichment Genius: Kris Porter

Kris Porter put together an absolutely incredible book and website about parrot enrichment. There are enough ideas in both to keep your birds busy for years. The book is free and downloadable and it’s absolutely packed with cool ideas to keep your birds happy and busy. You can download the book at her website and you can also watch videos with other great ideas on ways to entertain your parrots.

Click on the photo of Zorba to get to the Parrot Enrichment Website:

The Parrot Enrichment Website! Click on the image of Zorba above.

If you don’t quite understand what “enrichment” is, it’s simply anything that enhances your bird’s life. It’s toys, music, places for climbing, foraging for treats, hanging out with you, sunshine, just anything that is fun and engaging. Kris has found photos, made videos, and explains in depth some of the items you can find in thrift stores, dollar stores and around the house to arrange your bird’s environment for for fun, play and interest.

Something as simple as a cardboard bottle carrier can be enriching!

Buddy, pictured above is foraging around in a cardboard beer bottle carrier that has been stuffed with “Stuff.” Looks like he’s intrigued.

You can sew buttons onto some kid’s used overalls you might find at the thrift store, fill the pockets with bird safe items and hang plastic toys from the straps. Bingo! An engaging activity for next to nothing.

Working to get at the Vegetables

Leigh Ann Hartsfield sent Kris a photo of her Grey Franco climbing up to investigate a basket of vegetables. This Munchkin Basket was zip-tied right to the cage door.

These are just small samples of the incredible array of stuff you can do to enrich your parrot’s environment. It’s a wonderful website and I thank Kris for putting it together for the rest of us.

Kris states, “My goal with this website is to cover all areas of parrot enrichment; foraging, training, nutrition, etc.  Also provide video instruction on how you might encourage your own parrot to learn to forage or engage in enrichment activities both inside and outside the cage.”

Kris? I think you accomplished all of that and more!

Rescued and Adopted.

About a year ago, I did a presentation at the Rocky Mountain Society of Aviculture about getting the word out about your club, rescue, agenda, your work, your product; whatever it was that you were promoting. It was a pretty solid presentation about “branding” your organization and lifting your profile. And unlike me, it was funny.  In one of the sections of the presentation, I made a reference to Susan Friedman and her work with educating the masses about positive reinforcement behavior training. I asked how many people knew her six years before. No hands. I asked how many people knew her now. TONS of hands! Then I asked the same question about myself: How many people knew me now? Some hands. How many knew me three years ago? One hand. What? Hey! There weren’t supposed to be any hands! I laughed and we all got a chuckle that this one person happened to read the first article I’d ever written for Bird Talk.

Relinquished and Adopted.

I have a point here, bear with me. The point is, if you know me, if you’ve read my work and if you even have an inkling about me and what I believe in, you know that I support adoption and rescue. I regularly glue my fingers and pant legs together making items from molted feathers to be auctioned off for adoption and rescue foundations. I support Phoenix Landing, the NPRPF, and scads of others who are attempting to do the right thing. Well, apparently that little fact has escaped one website completely. Well, maybe it didn’t, but they didn’t care.

Here’s what happened: I put together a pretty nifty little video for my friends at the Parrot Garden at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest animal sanctuary and adoption foundation in the country. Thought I’d show my appreciation for their kindness, and for letting me ask them incessant questions, stick my video camera in their faces every five minutes and have them repeat what they just said so I could show the world the incredible work they’re doing.

One of the BF staff members posted the link to the video on a rather hard core adoption-supportive forum. It was taken down due to the fact that I had a link to a woman who has amazingly good information on her website. She happens to be a breeder. Doesn’t matter that she is brilliant. Doesn’t matter that she is very helpful to all who contact her. She’s a breeder. Apparently she is evil.  And because that link was on my website, I must be censored.

Information is information. Good information is even better. And I believe in good information. Now apparently, this particular group doesn’t even like people who have rescues if they have anything to do with anyone who is even associated with anything to do with breeding.

Well, gee whiz! Does that mean they don’t give their birds commercial pellets because breeders use the same product? Or don’t buy toys from certain bird toy companies because they sell their toys to stores who sell birds? How far does this go? Where does it stop? How much disassociation from breeders do you need to have before you are considered “pure?”

How well-intentioned is “well-intentioned?” How many degrees of separation do you need before you are considered worthy of being considered as, “One who promotes adoption?”

Rescued and Adopted.

For example, I’m not the kind of person that will hang out with Charles Manson just because we both like to write. I won’t be spending much time with that kind of person because that’s just crazy.

But conversely,  I’m not going to be hanging around much with Handmaids of the Precious Blood either. (It’s a cloistered convent) I’m sure they’re a real nice group of gals, but we don’t have a lot in common. Doesn’t mean they’re bad. How bad can a convent of nuns who pray all day really be?

It just means that we look at the world differently, that’s all.  I’m not going to try and get them to understand why I promote rescuing birds when they’re busy trying to save souls by praying.  Does that make me bad? No, at least I don’t think so.

Rescued. Re-habbed. Rehomed.

Does that make them bad, when I think they would serve the world better by coming out of their cloistered convent and help the world with their hands rather than their prayers? Again, no. It’s just a different point of view. It’s been said that the Rescues are overflowing due to breeders. While I’m not a fan of breeding, I don’t think that’s the root of the problem.

I think the problem is lack of education.

Let me repeat that:

I think the problem is lack of education.

Jacque of Best Friends Parrot Garden says it best right here:

She said, “It’s all education.”

I take no money from writing this blog. I don’t take any money because I don’t advertise. That’s not what this blog is about. This blog is about education and information. Let me repeat that:

This blog is about education and information.

Relinquished, Rehabbed and Re-homed.

It’s not about supporting breeders or condemning breeders. It’s about getting information out. Frank Abignale was the focus of the film “Catch Me If You Can.” According to Wikipedia:

Frank William Abagnale, Jr. (born April 27, 1948) is an American security consultant best known for his history as a former confidence trickster, cheque forger, skilled impostor, and escape artist. He became notorious in the 1960s for successfully passing US$2.5 million worth of meticulously forged checks across 26 countries over the course of five years, beginning when he was 16 years old.

It goes on to say this:

He is currently a consultant and lecturer at the academy and field offices for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He also runs Abagnale & Associates, a financial fraud consultancy company.

Sounds to me like the FBI condemned what he did, but liked his information enough to hire him and they pay this convicted criminal to help them solve crimes. Does that make the FBI bad?

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary had a great series about them called “Dogtown.” It ran for four years on National Geographic. It brought their profile up tremendously while simultaneously raising their volunteer rate and donations. It went up so much so due to that show, they were overwhelmed with people who wanted to help.

Problem is, Nat Geo also has “The Dog Whisperer” on the same channel. Caesar Milan’s training methods aren’t all positive reinforcement. His methods are criticized by many for his use of flooding techniques, etc. Best Friends doesn’t use those techniques. They don’t condone those techniques from what I’ve gathered.

Rescued. Re-habbed. Re-homed.

Does that mean Best Friends shouldn’t have had that show on Nat Geo because they also run “The Dog Whisperer?” Isn’t that throwing the baby out with the bath water? Well! Let’s censure Best Friends because National Geographic had another show running that doesn’t use pure positive reinforcement training! Now, how does this make sense? It doesn’t. That’s just silly.

National Geographic also sells leather footwear on their website. Best Friends has a ton of vegetarians working for them. Their lunch dining room is vegetarian. Again, should Best Friends censure Nat Geo because of this?  A lot more good came out of “Dogtown” than bad.

I think we need to choose our battles. And keep our eye on the ball. So all of this fuss because I had a link to a woman who is very knowledgeable about birds who happens to be a breeder.  You know, it just isn’t that important having that link. Never was. I really didn’t even think about it at all until this dust was kicked up. I thought I was doing the right thing by getting good information out. Apparently I was wrong. Now, I have to be careful of who’s information it is and where it comes from. Even if it might help someone.