- Joined
- 5/10/10
- Messages
- 423
- Real Name
- Anna
As many know, Heather (MoluccanZoey, Jaded1313) is not only my right hand at M&C Rescue, but also one of my dearest friends. When it comes to showing kindness for those she loves, and most especially for animals, she really opens up her tender, gentle heart and knows no end to the love and generosity she shows. Heather has a special way with animals in general, but she really seems to connect with the weak and elderly ones and she has found joy in caring for every need - big or small, for elderly companion animals, especially with those who have been abandoned during their greatest times of need.
Heather has always loved animals, but this love was especially fostered when she started a rescue for unwanted ferrets. Along the journey, someone gave her and old, geritric, & overweight, ferret who was well above the prime of his life, and she lovingly named the nameless little soul "Bezil." Bezil had cancer and instead of giving up on him right away, Heather was determind to make his last days extra special. I think she wanted him to know what love felt like before he died, but I think the love she got in return was more than she could ever hope for and when her sweet little man finally left this world knowing that he was the most special creature on the planet, Heather must have had a hole in her heart bigger than she felt could ever be repaired.
I think that ferrets will always hold a huge place in Heather's heart, though she decided later in her life that she could no longer bare the heartbreak of watching so many of her old rescue ferrets die so soon after knowing the joy of love. Ferrets do not live very long - 6, maybe 7 years, and she found that many of them were given up in their older ages and when something was medically wrong with them. It was for this reason she sought out parrot ownership - to find a companion that would not break her heart so quickly after capturing it. Unfortunatly, Heather's soft spirit could not ignore those special needs or elderly birds when she started helping me with my rescue and once again she filled her life with those who were old, tired, & abused for so long that we cannot even begin to understand what they have been through. I feel that it is simply her nature to reach out to these precious ones - and when she does, she connects so deeply.
Touche (Too-shay) was a Salvin's Amazon that our rescue pulled from a hoarding situation in July 2009 where around 30 parrots total were taken from a home where they had been uncared for and kept in filthy conditions for many years. This was the same home from which we had taken a blue front amazon named Sadie, a bird whose beak grew straight out from her face like a duck bill and was rotting away. We could tell that Touche was old and fragile - he was arthritic and had a cateract on one eye, but he had a lot of spirit to make up for what his body lacked and we had hope for him. When he first arrived at the rescue, he had been unable to perch because he had been kept in a cage large enough for a parakeet and he could not even turn around. We worked hard to get some strength into him and he made great progress. Eventually, we asked Heather if she would take him in because we knew how she would pamper him in his last days. We knew that he did not have much time left, but we had hoped it would be years and not months. What we didn't know is that this little parrot would become Heather's little "Beazel" of the birdy world and it both warmed and saddened me to hear her gush about her sweet old man.
Heather remained diligent daily at making Touche as happy and comfortable as possible, despite my warnings that he might not live long. By this time nearly 1/3 of the birds from this hoarding case had died of old age, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, liver failure, septicemia from old infections. Touche had gained some fighting strength, but he was still fragile. Heather would lovingly clean his nose daily (he had chronic sinus trouble), and made sure he had his favorite treats, toys, and mashes. She loved how he would greet her with such joy to be alive and such excitement to see the person who showed him love- the person who had saved him. Earlier this summer, I went to visit Heather's flock and we took Touche out to do a beak trim. He had a seizure while doing the trim and we thought we had lost him before it was over. Thankfully, the episode passed quickly and Touche was ok, but he was not going to be quite the same again and after that time, even small activities would set him into another episode.
Yesterday Heather came down to the rescue for a visit to bring home a few of our newest birds to foster. Among them is an adorable little mitred conure named Apache. Apache is supposely 38 years old and likely has months, not years to live after suffering multiple strokes in his last home that leaves him wobbly and in a drunken state. We could choose to have Apache put to sleep now or we could give him a wonderful experience during his last few months of life by sending him with Heather. Of course, Heather hit it off with little Apache right away and already I could see that her heart was gone. I had to let her take him. We loaded the birds into the car and said goodbye.
I know Heather. The moment she arrived back home she was peeking in to the bird rooms to say hello to everyone, making sure that everyone had survived a few hours without her. Touche did his usual "It's my mommy!" trilling - just the way he had done every time he saw his favorite face. This time though, the sweet little guy was trying to tell her goodbye, instead of hello. He fell from his perch and seizured, and died in her arms only a moment later. She called me up in tears - she had to let me know that he had waited for her. He had waited all day for her to come home, just so he could say goodbye. Just so he wouldn't be alone.
I know that like Bezil, Touche was a unique little guy and nothing will ever be like him again. Please say some loving prayers for Heather tonight as she mourns the loss of her very first bird, her precious little guy. Her little Touche.
Rest in peace and be free of all this earthly pain and suffering little guy. May you fly high in the heavens and eat as many pistachios as your little heart desires!
Heather meets Apache:
When Touche first arrived:
And then he started being able to perch:
And he was such a handsome little guy:
We love you Heather and we're here for you.
-Anna
Heather has always loved animals, but this love was especially fostered when she started a rescue for unwanted ferrets. Along the journey, someone gave her and old, geritric, & overweight, ferret who was well above the prime of his life, and she lovingly named the nameless little soul "Bezil." Bezil had cancer and instead of giving up on him right away, Heather was determind to make his last days extra special. I think she wanted him to know what love felt like before he died, but I think the love she got in return was more than she could ever hope for and when her sweet little man finally left this world knowing that he was the most special creature on the planet, Heather must have had a hole in her heart bigger than she felt could ever be repaired.
I think that ferrets will always hold a huge place in Heather's heart, though she decided later in her life that she could no longer bare the heartbreak of watching so many of her old rescue ferrets die so soon after knowing the joy of love. Ferrets do not live very long - 6, maybe 7 years, and she found that many of them were given up in their older ages and when something was medically wrong with them. It was for this reason she sought out parrot ownership - to find a companion that would not break her heart so quickly after capturing it. Unfortunatly, Heather's soft spirit could not ignore those special needs or elderly birds when she started helping me with my rescue and once again she filled her life with those who were old, tired, & abused for so long that we cannot even begin to understand what they have been through. I feel that it is simply her nature to reach out to these precious ones - and when she does, she connects so deeply.
Touche (Too-shay) was a Salvin's Amazon that our rescue pulled from a hoarding situation in July 2009 where around 30 parrots total were taken from a home where they had been uncared for and kept in filthy conditions for many years. This was the same home from which we had taken a blue front amazon named Sadie, a bird whose beak grew straight out from her face like a duck bill and was rotting away. We could tell that Touche was old and fragile - he was arthritic and had a cateract on one eye, but he had a lot of spirit to make up for what his body lacked and we had hope for him. When he first arrived at the rescue, he had been unable to perch because he had been kept in a cage large enough for a parakeet and he could not even turn around. We worked hard to get some strength into him and he made great progress. Eventually, we asked Heather if she would take him in because we knew how she would pamper him in his last days. We knew that he did not have much time left, but we had hoped it would be years and not months. What we didn't know is that this little parrot would become Heather's little "Beazel" of the birdy world and it both warmed and saddened me to hear her gush about her sweet old man.
Heather remained diligent daily at making Touche as happy and comfortable as possible, despite my warnings that he might not live long. By this time nearly 1/3 of the birds from this hoarding case had died of old age, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, liver failure, septicemia from old infections. Touche had gained some fighting strength, but he was still fragile. Heather would lovingly clean his nose daily (he had chronic sinus trouble), and made sure he had his favorite treats, toys, and mashes. She loved how he would greet her with such joy to be alive and such excitement to see the person who showed him love- the person who had saved him. Earlier this summer, I went to visit Heather's flock and we took Touche out to do a beak trim. He had a seizure while doing the trim and we thought we had lost him before it was over. Thankfully, the episode passed quickly and Touche was ok, but he was not going to be quite the same again and after that time, even small activities would set him into another episode.
Yesterday Heather came down to the rescue for a visit to bring home a few of our newest birds to foster. Among them is an adorable little mitred conure named Apache. Apache is supposely 38 years old and likely has months, not years to live after suffering multiple strokes in his last home that leaves him wobbly and in a drunken state. We could choose to have Apache put to sleep now or we could give him a wonderful experience during his last few months of life by sending him with Heather. Of course, Heather hit it off with little Apache right away and already I could see that her heart was gone. I had to let her take him. We loaded the birds into the car and said goodbye.
I know Heather. The moment she arrived back home she was peeking in to the bird rooms to say hello to everyone, making sure that everyone had survived a few hours without her. Touche did his usual "It's my mommy!" trilling - just the way he had done every time he saw his favorite face. This time though, the sweet little guy was trying to tell her goodbye, instead of hello. He fell from his perch and seizured, and died in her arms only a moment later. She called me up in tears - she had to let me know that he had waited for her. He had waited all day for her to come home, just so he could say goodbye. Just so he wouldn't be alone.
I know that like Bezil, Touche was a unique little guy and nothing will ever be like him again. Please say some loving prayers for Heather tonight as she mourns the loss of her very first bird, her precious little guy. Her little Touche.
Rest in peace and be free of all this earthly pain and suffering little guy. May you fly high in the heavens and eat as many pistachios as your little heart desires!
Heather meets Apache:
When Touche first arrived:
And then he started being able to perch:
And he was such a handsome little guy:
We love you Heather and we're here for you.
-Anna
She is an angel here on earth to help these wonderful birds...and to loose them rips holes in our hearts...Fly Free little one but tell Heather they are always around us after they leave and will find others so desperately need her love and care and send them to her.....
