birdbrain9
Walking the driveway
I don't know how old Otto is. I don't know if he was born blind or it happened later in life. I don't know if Otto was ever loved. There is much I don't know about him. But what I do know will break your heart. Otto was rescued from a hoarding situation. He had been passed around for years, living in as many as 9 or 10 different places. When rescued, he was frightened, emaciated and almost totally plucked. It wasn't even known that he was blind. The rescuer stated to me, "I didn't know anything about birds but I knew that I had to remove this one from that horrible situation or he was going to die." Otto was lucky that day; he was rescued by a veterinary student who made it her mission to nurse him back to health. And she did for 3 years. Unfortunately, unable to keep him at home, Otto lived at the veterinary clinic; spending much of these three years alone without contact from people or ever meeting another bird.
At some point the staff at the clinic said Otto had to go. This is when I first met him.
There were some beautiful birds at the meeting of the rescue organization I belong to. Healthy, fully feathered, sociable birds all needing a home. And then there was Otto. A blind, scrawny, plucked Sulfur Crest Cockatoo that was so easily overlooked among the other birds. But when I picked him up and he pressed his trembling, little body against my chest there was no question. I just knew he was meant for me. Two days later I brought him home.
It is easy to forget Otto can't see. Here he was, in a home he was unfamiliar with; so many new birds he had never met before; and a person he didn't know if he could trust. But Otto surprises me daily. Nothing slows him down. He explores his environment at every opportunity, climbing up drapes, crawling under furniture, even following the sound of my voice into whatever room I happen to be in. I also take him with me everywhere, always exposing him to environments he is unfamiliar with and he seems to love it and the attention he always draws.
People say to me how wonderful it is that I took on the task of caring for a special needs bird but just the opposite is true. How blessed I am to have this little fid in my life. Every day I watch him learn something new and often forget myself that he cannot see. He shows me everyday that a handicap does not have to limit life's experiences. This is Otto's gift to me. And I will spend the rest of my life showing him how grateful I am to have him in it.
At some point the staff at the clinic said Otto had to go. This is when I first met him.
There were some beautiful birds at the meeting of the rescue organization I belong to. Healthy, fully feathered, sociable birds all needing a home. And then there was Otto. A blind, scrawny, plucked Sulfur Crest Cockatoo that was so easily overlooked among the other birds. But when I picked him up and he pressed his trembling, little body against my chest there was no question. I just knew he was meant for me. Two days later I brought him home.
It is easy to forget Otto can't see. Here he was, in a home he was unfamiliar with; so many new birds he had never met before; and a person he didn't know if he could trust. But Otto surprises me daily. Nothing slows him down. He explores his environment at every opportunity, climbing up drapes, crawling under furniture, even following the sound of my voice into whatever room I happen to be in. I also take him with me everywhere, always exposing him to environments he is unfamiliar with and he seems to love it and the attention he always draws.
People say to me how wonderful it is that I took on the task of caring for a special needs bird but just the opposite is true. How blessed I am to have this little fid in my life. Every day I watch him learn something new and often forget myself that he cannot see. He shows me everyday that a handicap does not have to limit life's experiences. This is Otto's gift to me. And I will spend the rest of my life showing him how grateful I am to have him in it.
You are both lucky to have found each other. Now we need to see pictures of your little angel
