Are You Committed?

By Scott Robins, Head Trainer

Scott Robins Edutainment, Inc.

Before I get started, let me ask you a simple question. Do you truly understand the difference between the words “Involved” and “Committed”? A friend explained to me once that it is kind of like a ham and egg breakfast. The chicken was involved, but the pig was committed!

Approximately three weeks ago, one of my dogs had a stroke. I was devastated, along with the rest of my family. Our vet did not have overnight staff available and we had to make a decision. My dog was non mobile. He was dehydrated from vomiting, and he could not hold his head straight. If we made the decision to bring him home, we had to syringe feed and water him, carry him up and down stairs so he could eliminate outside while we supported him, and provide for any other needs to keep him comfortable. Our vet told us that the stroke was recoverable, but we, in that moment had to make a commitment.

Three weeks later, my dog has made major improvements. He is walking, holding his head straight, and he can feed himself. This ordeal is not over. Throughout this event, I was forced to face the reality of losing my dog and I said my prayers more than once for him.

This whole situation does apply to my work with birds, especially parrots. Again, I ask, are you committed? There is rarely a day that goes by without someone calling me regarding another bird that they want to get rid of. Parrots are very intelligent members of the animal kingdom but they rarely get the chance to choose their own owners. How many people go out and buy a parrot on a whim without investigating which bird would be the most appropriate fit to their life style? How many hobby breeders sell their babies to anyone with the right dollar in hand without taking the time to screen potential owner families?  From 1975 to 1978, the Baretta television series featured Fred, a Triton Sulfur Crested Cockatoo. The demand for these birds rose in the pet industry.  Some believe that this also flamed the fire for the demand of other parrots for pets. Too many people ran out and bought birds because they thought they would just love to have their very own Fred.  Sadly, today I see more cockatoos that have been given up than just about any other parrot. Owners did not understand their needs. The cute period wore out. The bird became a one person bird. The bird is a plucker.  The bird screams constantly, and do not forget the unlimited amount of dander.  This is just the short list of reasons that cockatoos are surrendered to rescue programs.

When you purchased your bird, did you consider the potential life span of your bird? Parrots can be extremely long lived. Brookfield Zoo is home to Cookie, a female Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo. Cookie is the only Bird or Animal that has been at the zoo since its opening in 1934. Although Cookie is currently retired from regular appearances, she occasionally visits with zoo guests on weekends and special events. Her keepers are committed to providing for all of her daily needs. This includes, care, nutrition, attention, and enrichment. Cookie is fortunate. She will have a permanent home for her entire life and a staff that will love her and provide for her.

How many of us got young birds when we were in our late 30’s or 40’s? A friend of mine recently lost a greenwing macaw that was in his family for nearly 90 years. He owned the bird for its last 20 years of life and the bird lived with his grandparents prior to him. Another friend of mine has a blue and gold macaw that is 72 years old. My avian vet has a client that owns a blue front amazon parrot that has lived in several generations of the same family and I have been told that the bird is over 100 years old.  Although these are only a few examples of longevity in parrots, we must seriously consider who will care for our birds when we no longer can care for them our selves.

Are you truly committed to loving and caring for a companion that can potentially out live you? Have you discussed any formal chain of custody if you are no longer able to care for your bird? If you are a breeder, are you truly committed to producing birds that you know that you can place in homes with committed owners?  Years ago when I was in the retail pet industry, I always maintained the right to refuse a sale if I did not believe that it was in the best interest of an animal to be sold to any particular individual or family.

Sybil Erden, the Director of The Oasis Bird Sanctuary has a very well written paper entitled “The Need for Rescue and Sanctuary in the 21^st Century. http://www.the-oasis.org/theneedforrescue.pdf . This paper outlines the known parrot population in captivity and the serious need for rescue and sanctuary programs. The numbers alone are astounding. For those of us that are committed to our birds, we need to read this document and understand that Sybil has done a great job in organizing and reviewing the known data.

Many of us do think about the type of extreme measures that they would allow loved ones to take in the event that they became seriously ill and unable to care for themselves.  My dog is fifteen years old and has had a number of health problems. We had already made the decision that we would not put him through any invasive procedures and we were going to make decisions based on the quality of his life.  What if something drastically changed with one of my birds?

Moe, my 16 year old blue and gold macaw is a bird that I rescued and took out of a not so great situation. When I first got Moe, no one could handle him. Over time, with love, and a lot of positive reinforcement, Moe became my buddy and worked with me regularly. In fact, Moe is the first bird that you see in the KeyLime Cove television commercial. At some point last year, Moe has gotten a bit aggressive and is very bonded to my scarlet macaw. I simply cycled Moe out of commercial work for a while. I know that male macaws sometimes go through a terrible twos stage in their teens. I understand Moe. Through target training and perch training, I can move him in and out of cages to play areas safely. When I adopted Moe, I made a commitment to care and provide for him regardless of what the future held. When your bird’s behavior changes abruptly, are you willing to work through the issues before you decide that your bird has to go? Are you committed?

I am very fortunate to have Mitch and Catherine as vendors as well as friends. Windy City Parrot has been a great supporter of my educational mission as well as my rescue work at Scott Robins Edutainment, www.scottrobinsedutainment.com . Together, we have been committed to expand the knowledge of other bird owners as well as potential bird owners. Your support of www.windycityparrot.com goes far beyond your own purchase. Several rescue and sanctuary programs purchase supplies from Mitch and Catherine. When you are doing your purchasing, an extension of your own commitment to your bird, think about the numerous birds that are out there in either rescue or sanctuary programs. Here is a novel idea. Purchase an extra toy, or perhaps a Windy City Parrot Gift Certificate for one of the sanctuaries or shelter programs. Mitch and Catherine have made a huge commitment to the bird owner community by adapting their business to survive in this tough economy. I have been fortunate to be in a public forum to promote bird adoption from ethical programs. I have met a number of great program directors through Mitch and Catherine. To Sandi out at Ollie’s Parrots Perch, to Irene at Bird Lovers, to the folks at C.A.R.E in Wisconsin, to Phoenix Landing, The Gabriel Foundation, and all of the other programs out there, together, this community must be committed to help you. Thank you for everything that you do.

Until next time,

Scott Robins

www.scottrobinsedutainment.com