Furballs and Feathers
This is the crew that makes up the household fur and feather population.
George! Our 12yr old Basset/Spaniel mix, affectionately known as a Spasset. Such a lovely boy that draws lots of attention from everyone due to his personality and handsome looks. The photos below were taken when George was about 6 yrs old.
Moby is the newest member to our household. As of April 2011, he is 15 months old German Wirehaired Pointer (about 70lbs. of muscle) in need of LOTS of training. Maybe someday we will be having fun in the Agility ring! We are his THIRD home since the breeders in Washington. Poor guy. Needless to say he has fear aggression and separation anxiety issues.
Nigel the hunter of small vermin. Adopted from a litter down the street, he was the true keeper of the bunch. He loves sleeping anywhere he can. His motto is “A vole a day keeps the vet away!” and it keeps his teeth very clean!
MeMe the sumo kitty. She is the newest addition to our group, claiming our house as the best on the street. She moved in from down the street in September 2008 and hasn’t left. In fact, she refuses to leave. It did take a bit of adjustments between dogs, cats & birds, but things seem to be ok for now. An accomplished acupuncturist and giver of attention she will sit on any lap that’s free and demand loads of attention.
Barnaby the cockatoo. He is by far the oldest feathered/furry critter in the bunch. He arrived to Oregon back in the 1990′s from Dave’s sister from Shreveport Louisiana. As a wild caught bird, he has certainly traveled the world to end up in Oregon. We don’t know squat about his previous life before Shreveport, but he does have strong opinions on kids, household pets, and the evil hawks and vultures that fly by the house.
Kiki the first cockatiel to come home with problems when I worked at Pirate’s Cove Pet Store. He was 5 weeks old and had plugged nostrils from the baby bird formula. Poor little guy! Once he was freed from the blockage he gained weight and became a lovely companion. He was the first to talk and whistle in the bunch and proceeded to teach the others whisteling. He is also a survivor of the zinc poisoning 3 years ago. Hard to believe he’s over 18 years old now.
KoKo the second cockatiel arrived as a sick baby bird who healed at my home. We bonded but I took him back to the store. Well, only for a day and I couldn’t stand the thought of him going to someone else. He has now been with us for over 18 years. Tough and stubborn are good terms to describe him expecially since he survived the attack from Barnaby that almost tore his face off 6 yrs ago and zinc poisoning3 years ago. What a guy!
Quigley the 5th cockatiel who came to our house with mate and full clutch of chicks. Yikes! What was I thinking back then! Well, he is still doing great, avoided medical maladies and lives with his only surviving offspring Kibu. He has been a great dad. His mate Rico died from zinc poisoning 4 years ago.
Kibu the final cockatiel. He was hatched at our house over 14 years ago and still resides with his dad Quigley. They are perfect buddies together. Unfortunately he has terrible arthritis in his legs which makes moving about difficult. He too survived the zinc poisoning from bird toys. His mom was Rico.
