Garth
Garth is undoubtedly one of the most easy-going birds at the Refuge. He steps up on just about anyone once out of his cage and can mimic a cornucopia of sounds that isn’t limited to whistling, clicking and supposedly the Andy Griffith tune. He gives great kisses and adores Lafeber’s popcorn. He also likes oranges, cantaloupe, corn and eggs and will take great pleasure in sitting in the steam of a shower. He is non-discriminate about the kinds of toys he plays with and is sweet towards children and adults alike; a great family bird.
Garth's Dad has become infirmed and unable to care for Garth any longer. Dad's son stepped up to the plate to help out with Garth and cared for him for several years until his life became too hectic to properly care for Garth and fearing for Garth's well-being, he reluctantly turned Garth in to the Refuge for placement. We are very happy to tell you that Garth has been adopted by a great family. Here is their story.
Garth’s Adoption- through a Refuge for Saving the Wildlife: I had thought about getting a bird for quite some time, as I have always adored parrots, had them when I was younger and hoped to own another one. My husband is also an animal lover, but was a bit hesitant about birds, since he had never owned one at all. I was surprised one day when he told me that if I wanted a bird, I could get one. We already had three Bouvier dogs and two dwarf bunnies, so I knew that we had to make sure that adding another animal had to be a good fit for our “pack”.
Since I already knew quite a bit about the different types of parrots, I started to zero in on what I thought I wanted – based on personality traits, size and beauty of the birds. I wanted a big, beautiful Blue& Gold macaw or a Green-Winged macaw. From there, we determined that we wanted to rescue an adult bird, rather than buy a baby. For weeks, I searched all over the internet - looking for the right bird to adopt and was unsuccessful. Many of the birds had issues or the adoption places had lengthy adoption criteria that I didn’t have the patience to deal with. I wanted to get a bird quickly with no hassles- my husband said that we should just buy one. I really wanted to avoid buying a baby bird, so I thought we should try filling out some adoption paperwork. We got approved quickly by one organization, but they didn’t have any birds that were a fit for us. We did hear back from a Refuge which was the beginning of a very long process- which at first- seemed unnecessary. We had phone interviews, a home visit and learned that we weren’t probably picking the best type of bird for our lifestyle. My husband thought it was silly and was ready to forget the whole thing. We then started to hear about Garth, a Congo African Gray, but didn’t get to meet him for a little while. African Grays were not a breed I considered, because they seemed too ordinary and weren’t that colorful. Garth was being recommended to us because he favored males and because of the fact that my husband never owned a bird before. I still wasn’t convinced…
Then, we met Garth and saw how sweet he was. He went to my husband right away, yet he is fond of me as well. Now we can see why the match has worked out so well for our home. Garth has no fear of our dogs; he is very comfortable in our home. And yes, my husband is his favorite-they bond together on the couch watching football.
While the adoption process seemed tedious as we went through it, we now see how effective the system works and we’re extremely happy with our match with Garth. A Refuge does a great job on re-homing their birds and truly cares about what happens to them.
Sue Nelson
Garth's Dad has become infirmed and unable to care for Garth any longer. Dad's son stepped up to the plate to help out with Garth and cared for him for several years until his life became too hectic to properly care for Garth and fearing for Garth's well-being, he reluctantly turned Garth in to the Refuge for placement. We are very happy to tell you that Garth has been adopted by a great family. Here is their story.
Garth’s Adoption- through a Refuge for Saving the Wildlife: I had thought about getting a bird for quite some time, as I have always adored parrots, had them when I was younger and hoped to own another one. My husband is also an animal lover, but was a bit hesitant about birds, since he had never owned one at all. I was surprised one day when he told me that if I wanted a bird, I could get one. We already had three Bouvier dogs and two dwarf bunnies, so I knew that we had to make sure that adding another animal had to be a good fit for our “pack”.
Since I already knew quite a bit about the different types of parrots, I started to zero in on what I thought I wanted – based on personality traits, size and beauty of the birds. I wanted a big, beautiful Blue& Gold macaw or a Green-Winged macaw. From there, we determined that we wanted to rescue an adult bird, rather than buy a baby. For weeks, I searched all over the internet - looking for the right bird to adopt and was unsuccessful. Many of the birds had issues or the adoption places had lengthy adoption criteria that I didn’t have the patience to deal with. I wanted to get a bird quickly with no hassles- my husband said that we should just buy one. I really wanted to avoid buying a baby bird, so I thought we should try filling out some adoption paperwork. We got approved quickly by one organization, but they didn’t have any birds that were a fit for us. We did hear back from a Refuge which was the beginning of a very long process- which at first- seemed unnecessary. We had phone interviews, a home visit and learned that we weren’t probably picking the best type of bird for our lifestyle. My husband thought it was silly and was ready to forget the whole thing. We then started to hear about Garth, a Congo African Gray, but didn’t get to meet him for a little while. African Grays were not a breed I considered, because they seemed too ordinary and weren’t that colorful. Garth was being recommended to us because he favored males and because of the fact that my husband never owned a bird before. I still wasn’t convinced…
Then, we met Garth and saw how sweet he was. He went to my husband right away, yet he is fond of me as well. Now we can see why the match has worked out so well for our home. Garth has no fear of our dogs; he is very comfortable in our home. And yes, my husband is his favorite-they bond together on the couch watching football.
While the adoption process seemed tedious as we went through it, we now see how effective the system works and we’re extremely happy with our match with Garth. A Refuge does a great job on re-homing their birds and truly cares about what happens to them.
Sue Nelson
Listing Details
Breed
Congo African Grey
Adopted
December 4, 2007
