I don't think I ever shared how we ended up with Diego.
Many of you know my DH and I fought a LONG and expensive legal battle for Cindy. That is how we found Phoenix Landing.
So, we got a phone call one day from the founder because she knew we loved GW's and knew how to hand feed. There was a baby GW, 4 months old in Tennesse that was still on 2 feedings a day. He had been bought by a mentally ill woman while she lived in a group home.
She was finally told "Get rid of the birds" (and there were 4 of them, but the one in question was a 4 month old GW).
So, DH and I dropped everything and drove 6 hours to Tenn., picked up this stunted and malnourished baby.
We were in love! We named him Loki. He was everything a baby macaw is. A big old mush. We hand fed him every morning and night for 2 weeks. Then we got a phone call. It was the founder of PL. There had been a terrible mistake with the paperwork and the woman had not legally signed him over. Soooo...we could go through another legal battle or give this baby back to that woman. We were not emotionally prepared for another battle.
We were devastated. PL felt awful.
Then a few weeks later we got another phone call. There was a male GW needing a place ASAP. We were still raw, but said yes.
So, I went to an event to pick up Diego. Talk about a total world of difference from the sweet, loving mush baby. LOL. He was 5 yrs old and labeled "mean, aggressive, dangerous". We were quite intimidated by him. For almost a year I kept saying "Nope I am NOT going to adopt him. He is a foster." But we kept getting closer and closer to each other emotionally. Finally, I had to make a decision. I felt I owed it to him to commit to him for the long haul.
We've had him for 3+ yrs now and he makes me laugh every single day. He is loud and proud and lives large. I am still working on truly touching him. I can always pick him up, he is very compliant, but he does NOT want to be touched.
But when I come home from work, he starts yelling "com'ere! com'ere!" When I walk in he whispers "Hi!" We sing really bad duets together and just generally have a good time.
He is one bird that truly made me understand that I can never give him 1/10th of what he should have to stimulate him like in the wild, but I do my darndest.
Many of you know my DH and I fought a LONG and expensive legal battle for Cindy. That is how we found Phoenix Landing.
So, we got a phone call one day from the founder because she knew we loved GW's and knew how to hand feed. There was a baby GW, 4 months old in Tennesse that was still on 2 feedings a day. He had been bought by a mentally ill woman while she lived in a group home.
She was finally told "Get rid of the birds" (and there were 4 of them, but the one in question was a 4 month old GW).
So, DH and I dropped everything and drove 6 hours to Tenn., picked up this stunted and malnourished baby.
We were in love! We named him Loki. He was everything a baby macaw is. A big old mush. We hand fed him every morning and night for 2 weeks. Then we got a phone call. It was the founder of PL. There had been a terrible mistake with the paperwork and the woman had not legally signed him over. Soooo...we could go through another legal battle or give this baby back to that woman. We were not emotionally prepared for another battle.
We were devastated. PL felt awful.
Then a few weeks later we got another phone call. There was a male GW needing a place ASAP. We were still raw, but said yes.
So, I went to an event to pick up Diego. Talk about a total world of difference from the sweet, loving mush baby. LOL. He was 5 yrs old and labeled "mean, aggressive, dangerous". We were quite intimidated by him. For almost a year I kept saying "Nope I am NOT going to adopt him. He is a foster." But we kept getting closer and closer to each other emotionally. Finally, I had to make a decision. I felt I owed it to him to commit to him for the long haul.
We've had him for 3+ yrs now and he makes me laugh every single day. He is loud and proud and lives large. I am still working on truly touching him. I can always pick him up, he is very compliant, but he does NOT want to be touched.
But when I come home from work, he starts yelling "com'ere! com'ere!" When I walk in he whispers "Hi!" We sing really bad duets together and just generally have a good time.
He is one bird that truly made me understand that I can never give him 1/10th of what he should have to stimulate him like in the wild, but I do my darndest.
