Monday, January 26, 2004
Well, it's two weeks since losing Percy, and we've gone all out, contacting everywhere we could think of, distributing flyers, and advertising in newspapers and online.
Thus far, we've heard of eighteen or nineteen cockatiels being found, but no sign of Percy.
The possibilities are:
- he was fatally injured or starved in the wild
- he has been found by someone who hasn't seen our ads
- he has been found by someone who has seen our ads but decided to steal him (it amazes me that people think this is acceptable with birds, but not cats and dogs).
This weekend was particularly hard. On Friday, Jill and the children went to see a found bird answering Percy's description. He was with a middle-aged couple who had received him from their daughter-in-law. The man wanted to keep him, but the woman was keen to be rid of him and pressed Jill to take him, which she did.
The cockatiel was a young male, clearly handtamed, and he responded really well to me, even talking and whistling. He was also injured, with feathers damaged and a graze across his left wing, and bare patches on his back, particularly under the right wing. It took a day or two for him to recover from his shock, but he was a beautiful bird and we were happy to have him.
Then, on Sunday night, we got a call from the woman, demanding the bird back, to give to the Nursing Home where she worked, partly so her daughter-in-law could go and see it occasionally. She seemed angry, in the way that people doing the wrong thing often do, and consumed only with her own feelings, and not with the best interests of the bird. She also appeared irritated that I had contacted various vets and the RSPCA, in an effort to trace the original owner.
It was heartbreaking to return this cockatiel, particularly as we had bonded with him over the weekend, even managing to teach him the "Up!" command, and the joys of having his head tickled. Talk about compounding the grief of losing Percy! I wouldn't have minded at all if we could have reunited him with his original owner.
Fortunately, most people we have met while searching for Percy have been decent, good-hearted people who genuinely care about animals.
Thus far, we've heard of eighteen or nineteen cockatiels being found, but no sign of Percy.
The possibilities are:
- he was fatally injured or starved in the wild
- he has been found by someone who hasn't seen our ads
- he has been found by someone who has seen our ads but decided to steal him (it amazes me that people think this is acceptable with birds, but not cats and dogs).
This weekend was particularly hard. On Friday, Jill and the children went to see a found bird answering Percy's description. He was with a middle-aged couple who had received him from their daughter-in-law. The man wanted to keep him, but the woman was keen to be rid of him and pressed Jill to take him, which she did.
The cockatiel was a young male, clearly handtamed, and he responded really well to me, even talking and whistling. He was also injured, with feathers damaged and a graze across his left wing, and bare patches on his back, particularly under the right wing. It took a day or two for him to recover from his shock, but he was a beautiful bird and we were happy to have him.
Then, on Sunday night, we got a call from the woman, demanding the bird back, to give to the Nursing Home where she worked, partly so her daughter-in-law could go and see it occasionally. She seemed angry, in the way that people doing the wrong thing often do, and consumed only with her own feelings, and not with the best interests of the bird. She also appeared irritated that I had contacted various vets and the RSPCA, in an effort to trace the original owner.
It was heartbreaking to return this cockatiel, particularly as we had bonded with him over the weekend, even managing to teach him the "Up!" command, and the joys of having his head tickled. Talk about compounding the grief of losing Percy! I wouldn't have minded at all if we could have reunited him with his original owner.
Fortunately, most people we have met while searching for Percy have been decent, good-hearted people who genuinely care about animals.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
A sad day
I'm feeling pretty sad today, as our pet cockatiel, Percy, got out and flew away yesterday, as Jill was packing the car to go away for a few days. Easily enough done, as he could be sneaky: in the past, I've walked out the door with a bag of garbage and found him sitting on me!
Apparently, he flew up, up, into the sky, and then away.
Percy was talkative, and a brilliant whistler, so I'd taught him a few tunes, and he was also handtamed and liked to be tickled. Cockatiels are wonderful birds, but I suspect he was one of the best!
I'm missing him a lot, as he would usually be around when I was scripting or drawing (like most of our pets, he had the run of the house most of the time). He'd often be chewing the corner of my drawing board (or my pencil if I let him), or be perched somewhere close by, if not off visiting in the rabbit and guineapig cage.
The children are very sad and will really miss him when they get back.
I've put ads everywhere I can think of, and contacted various appropriate organisations. If you're in the Melbourne area and a talkative grey cockatiel turns up, then you know who to contact!
Apparently, he flew up, up, into the sky, and then away.
Percy was talkative, and a brilliant whistler, so I'd taught him a few tunes, and he was also handtamed and liked to be tickled. Cockatiels are wonderful birds, but I suspect he was one of the best!
I'm missing him a lot, as he would usually be around when I was scripting or drawing (like most of our pets, he had the run of the house most of the time). He'd often be chewing the corner of my drawing board (or my pencil if I let him), or be perched somewhere close by, if not off visiting in the rabbit and guineapig cage.
The children are very sad and will really miss him when they get back.
I've put ads everywhere I can think of, and contacted various appropriate organisations. If you're in the Melbourne area and a talkative grey cockatiel turns up, then you know who to contact!
Friday, January 09, 2004
Well, I'm a complete bloggin' novice! Not sure if my thoughts are worth anything, but a few things have happened that it'd be nice to note down, while I'm thinking about them.
My acrylic painting tips page at:Acrylic Painting Tips has attracted more emails than anything else. It's apparently useful, and I can see why! If only I'd known some of this stuff before I started, rather than having to learn the hard way.
Also, my second episodes of two comic series I started last year, Riffin' to Oblivion and Children of the Moon, are about to come out in The Ink, #2 and Xuan Xuan vol. 2. no. 2, respectively.
Last night, I finally worked up two new Manga characters for a short piece in new Australian Manga comic, Oztaku, if I can only get them done by the deadline. Funny how it takes a few goes to get character design right, and to actually start to get a feel for their movements, expressions and personalities, even with the script already done.
This morning, from the train, I saw a young fox looking out from some weeds on a siding, just casually watching the train go by. I know they're vermin here, and I'm a member of the WorldWide Fund for Nature, but at an aesthetic level it was still very pretty, and it's nice to see anything wild on an average day, even a feral :-).
Over and out!
Ian T.
Ian Thomas Graphics
My acrylic painting tips page at:
Also, my second episodes of two comic series I started last year, Riffin' to Oblivion and Children of the Moon, are about to come out in The Ink, #2 and Xuan Xuan vol. 2. no. 2, respectively.
Last night, I finally worked up two new Manga characters for a short piece in new Australian Manga comic, Oztaku, if I can only get them done by the deadline. Funny how it takes a few goes to get character design right, and to actually start to get a feel for their movements, expressions and personalities, even with the script already done.
This morning, from the train, I saw a young fox looking out from some weeds on a siding, just casually watching the train go by. I know they're vermin here, and I'm a member of the WorldWide Fund for Nature, but at an aesthetic level it was still very pretty, and it's nice to see anything wild on an average day, even a feral :-).
Over and out!
Ian T.
