Lupine Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 Great post, Muse. I agree wholeheartedly. Truth is, the place from where we got Delilah is a pet shop I typically avoid. Their staff is (mostly) friendly and knowledgeable, but they do sell kittens and dogs from what I believe are backyard breeders. I *DO* know that reasonably reputable breeders will sell "pet-quality" animals to retailers they trust. (DISCLAIMER!) I'm OK with selective, responsible breeding (my own special-purpose hunting dog was, in fact, bred-to-order by a novice, but he did his homework, and had a waiting list among known potential clients within a very specific market). I do think that, other than certain working dogs, purebreds are overrated, but I don't want to be a hypocrite! I'm also not a fan of over-legislation. Education is the way to go. Support and give positive reviews to the retailers and rescues with whom you've been in contact, and let pet shops know why you do or do not support them. Many stores are learning the value of hosting adoption events or housing bona-fide adoptable pets. Note, there are as many bad rescues (and wildlife rehabbers) out there as there are irresponsible breeders and pet shops. I've seen some ugly stuff in my lifetime from all of the above. Now...back to Delilah...in a post that will follow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupine Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 (edited) Edited (duplicate post)) Edited December 6, 2013 by Lupine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupine Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 Here's a video we shot a couple weeks ago of Delilah, playing "Parrot School" with my step-daughter, who recently learned about Dr. Pepperberg in school: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Nice of the teaching session. Delilah seemed very interested in what your step daughter was saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inara Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Loved watching Delilah's reactions. It will be fun to see future "school" sessions and watch both of your cuties, your daughter and Delilah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupine Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Just an update. We got Delilah in early November, and in the past three months, she's really settled in. Her vocabulary is amazing, and I know we haven't even scratched the surface. While it seems I'm definitely her favorite, she's also very comfortable hanging out with David, and she really enjoys his daughter's visits. (Sorry, no more videos at this time). I happen to be a falconer, and while my birds are kept in a different building, I was bird-sitting a fellow falconer's tiny kestrel for a couple weeks, and this bird stayed in the house across the room from Delilah, on a pole perch. The kestrel is an imprint, and therefore makes a LOT of noise whenever we enter or leave the room. Whenever she'd start, Delilah would say, "Goddamnit...no...NO! STOP THAT!" or something similar. Her only "practice sessions" happen to be when we're watching a movie or TV program. By "practice sessions," i mean she trots out her repertoire, but often inserts stuff appropriate to the film. During "Bridesmaids," for example, whenever Mike Hamm's came on, she'd say, "Asshole!" Hysterical. If there's a big explosion, she'll go, "Wooooow", in awe. But sometimes, if somebody is getting hurt, she'll yell, "TICKLE TICKLE TICKLE!" or just plain giggle. She knows she's being a pain in the tailfeathers, and hopes we'll bring her over to sit on the sofa with us--where she's usually pretty quiet and content, pulling up a foot and watching intently. We can usually count on her to make a few quiet and usually astute observations, though. We're really getting a sense of her cues, and paying attention to them has cleared the way for the bonding process. Since she's basically a well-behaved, mellow bird, we usually let her do what she wants--if she leans toward her cage, we ask if she wants to "go back", and take her there; if she acts nervous when she's sitting on our shoulder, we learned it means she needs to go "bombs away". I'm so grateful for the serendipity that brought us together. She's a wonderful addition to our family, and makes us laugh every day. Though her imitations of the sound effects related to my recent winter (alder trees!) allergies have bordered on disgusting. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Very nice update on Delilah. Certainly sounds like she is fitting right into the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Great update! I'm so pleased to hear everything is going so well. If someone had told me how attached I would be to Timber I would not have believed them. I have had "pets" all of my life and they have always been special to me. The bond between Timber and I is just different, in a class of its own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Delilah sounds like she is doing great! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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