Posted on 06/23/2025 9:27:44 PM PDT by logi_cal869
I really don't know why I'm posting this. Perhaps it's just venting, or a lack of ears and a heavy sadness. Therapy, perhaps, or possibly a couple of beers.
My bird - African Gray, "Puffer" - had an event tonight just before I arrived home. I noticed immediately that something was wrong when I opened the door: He greeted me whenever I entered the room - morning & night - and serenaded me when I was out of the room. Despite the species' intelligence & strong vocabulary, his go-to word was "Hello" and he used it smartly. It was oddly silent this evening.
The wife segued into birds after our last of 3 dogs she brought into our lives over 20 years ago - Pandora, a 16 y/o German Shepherd - finally mandated a QOL decision. After getting our first rescue - another African Gray, "Lolita" - a couple of years prior, she'd encountered Puffer at a local bird shop whose owner ran her business out of her home. Whenever she entered the shop the wife said Puffer would go from sad to perky, tossing multiple "Hello"s at her.
She'd inquired and found out that Puffer's prior owner had passed away. Due to stress from the separation, he'd become a 'plucker' and had large bald areas on his chest and wings. A strange looking bird, indeed. Naive myself, I learned that African Grays can live for 80 years. Given the short joy and long sadness over our dogs, I understood the wife's motivation. Initially upset at the arrival of a 2nd large cage in our small house, he grew on me immediately. However, birds are slow to accept others, especially Grays. It took 2 years for him to accept me and eventually he bonded with me stronger than the wife.
Though we had no knowledge of his age - or confirmation of sex - I was convinced that he'd outlive me and already assured that he'd be able to visit me in my passed state so that he could hopefully process why I was gone (in contrast to at least one of his prior owners).
2 weeks ago he was 100% normal. A week ago he clearly had some sort of event which I quickly isolated to one of his feet. But he was back to normal in 2 days other than some tenderness in his right foot. He was eating and dancing for his nightly treat: A small piece of crunchy peanut butter Cliff bar. Even this morning, the only sign there was anything wrong was the lack of his high-pitched TWEET which accompanied his "hello" and lick of my forehead. But note the lack, I did.
I arrived home to find him nearly motionless, my wife stating that he was normal when she went outside and found him that way just prior to my coming in the door. She hadn't even had time to text/call me.
He was on the floor of his cage. His eyes were closed, he was totally limp but his tongue was extending out his opening/closing beak with labored, broken breathing. I picked him up in a towel, held him and stroked his head for nearly an hour believing he would pass shortly.
He did not. In fact, though his body was totally limp, he opened his eyes after seemingly reacting to my words but remained limp.
It just got a lot harder.
I had my wife call the emergency vet, handed him to her and he was much unchanged for the 20-minute drive until I hit the speed bumps in the clinic's parking lot: His eyes opened wide. No apparent pain, but still motionless. I stroked his head and spoke to him as I carried him into the clinic, ANGERED as a gal took him from me into the back "for vitals" by the vet and we weren't allowed to go with him.
They promptly - after about the longest 10 minutes of the past 20 years - brought him back to the room we'd been taken, eyes still open, perhaps a bit of fear. I stroked his head, told him one last time "nighty-night" and said goodbye.
Rest in Peace, Puffer. See ya soon. ;-(
That is a beautiful and touching story for an animal your family was blessed to have had.
Thank you for sharing and my heart goes out to you both.
Birds are amazing little creatures. Even just backyard birds that can bond in pairs for life, share in nest building, feeding their young together, migrating long distances, etc., etc.
Of all of the emotions man can have, mourning is the strongest. You can really really hate someone. You can really really love someone but the sadness associated with loss or mourning weighs the heaviest of all emotions. I am truly sorry for your loss.
Heartfelt condolences on the loss of Puffer.
That was a beautiful tribute to Puffer. Birds are such cool animals. My kids got me a parakeet, Percy, who lived for 10 yrs. Hubby built him a large custom cage with scraps, which is why the vet thought he’d lived so long. Now I just feed wild birds in my yard (mainly sparrows, finches, grackles, doves and quail) and I love watching them eat in the morning. I’m sorry Puffer left before you were ready, but I’m sure you gave him an amazing life and he loved you for it.
Amen, FRiend. So very sorry for your loss. Prayers offered for you and your wife, and for Puffer. Heavenly Father, please hear our humble prayers.
He suffered little or so it sounds. I respect your feelings and understand your loss. My weakness is my cats and I won’t go into my recent loss except to say it has been a month ago and it hit me harder than almost all of the many deaths in my large family over the years. I never want to forget her but I would like for the pain I feel to ease some.
We also lost our little Quaker many years ago. Gonzo was part of our son’s childhood and when he passed it marked the end of that childhood. They do bond and bond tightly. We were only acceptable to Gonzo because his real friend was our son and he blossomed when he came home.
They must have souls because without that heaven can’t be complete.
Time for a new body. ✍️
Amen to that.
Sorry to hear.
He sounds like a Good Boy.
The bible is clear. All animals have a spirit, and when they pass, that spirit returns to God, their Creator.
We will get them back.
Dang, I’m sorry. What a lovely little story about Puffer. I hated that it had a sad ending. I offer my sincere condolences.
They just steal our hearts, don’t they? At least Puffer was a happy, loved bird in his last years.
I understand this completely. My dog and friend and protector of my family and I died in my arms as tears streamed down my face. She was ill and would die soon. I told the Vet to push the drug. It was most sad to say the least.
Greta was a smart dog. She would sit on the front porch and act as the policeman. If a stranger came to the door she would bark but not attack. If I or my wife came out and said it is okay, she would run up to the stranger and this meant pet me. Even more oddly is she differentiated between the protection I needed verses my wife. If it was just my wife she would stand between my wife and the stranger mildly aggressive but not in attack mode. Once my wife said okay, it was then pet me you are okay.
With me it was different. Greta would just lay down and watch everything. It was like she was saying, “You can handle this but if you can not, I AM HERE.”
In the winter my big tomcat would lay cradled in her legs for warmth. They both liked being outside even in the winter but had shelter in the house when they wanted.
Greta was friends with the UPS and FED-EX man. When they came she would jump up into the open cab. The deal was, “Pet me Fed Ex and UPS man. On day the Fed-Ex man came that was new. I found a terrified driver and a whimpering dog trying understand what was wrong.
I told him, Pet the dog and let her smell you. She wants to be your friend. More than once I saw the Fed EX and UPS guys give a little extra time to pet the dog.
She was a great dog.
I see that part of the Bible as clear and the logic of it is sound. Sadly though, as part of all creation they suffer the same curse of chaos as mankind does for the original sins even though they are without guilt. All creation will die but must it also suffer? Especially the innocent?
I have struggled a lot to understand the logic and lack of consistency, even truth, in some of the promises of God. I am not even close to the first of endless legions of men who have struggled with these things.
Two old songs stick in my mind that show just how many have struggled to understand and have not been able to:
“Farther Along”
and
“Trust and Obey”
The terms of faith are to Sit-down, Strap-in and Shut-up. All theologians who try to explain questions about logical inconsistencies of God end up throwing up their hands and ending up something like this.
I hope your are correct and I know that without hope the people perish.
I’m so sorry for your loss. What a great friend he was to you. Thanks for telling us about him. May the Lord comfort you.
I’m not being lazy when I address this to all:
Condolences & comments are much appreciated. I’m still coping with a loss I believed we’d found a way to avoid for many years.
Whatever purpose, I’ll find it eventually. For now - tonight - it’s just too much to reply to each.
Apologies, and heartfelt thanks.
Ask that question but put Christ in as the “innocent” you are thinking about. Thats what He wants you to ponder.
The answer is yes. Both the guilty and innocent both suffer and also receive blessings. It rains on the just and the unjust. Good things happen to the innocent and the guilty. Bad things happen to the innocent and the guilty.
The animals are linked to man. Our futures affect their futures. Our lives affect their lives. Some are family, some are wild. The animals fate is tied to ours. They also look forward to the day things are set right again. Mans redemption is also theirs. He makes everything new again.
And really, we are all guilty. A better way to frame it is saved and unsaved. Or believers and nonbelievers.
A very nice accounting of your sad day. Thank you.
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