Had you been in the Anderson household last night, you would have found the four of us humans sitting around watching the "Gridiron Gang" while Lilly, our spoiled Weimeraner, sprawled herself out over the three of us sitting on the couch.  Our 95 pound baby stretched out over three of her humans and snored contently. Meanwhile, Grace, our white-faced cockatiel, sat contently on Mom's shoulder. Darwin jumped happily from person to person in hopes that one of us would abandon the movie so that we could continually tell him that he was the "best boy ever" until HE was tired of it. Oliver, the hedgehog, played in his cage and waited for us to turn the lights out so that he could really have some fun.  This scene is one that is played over and over again at the Anderson house. We humans are at the mercy of our furry, feathered, finned and spiked babies. We wouldn't have it any other way.

 

The day that we met Darwin,  we made the trip from Gardner to the 75th & Metcalf PetSmart store in hopes of meeting, Mango, a Sun Conure.  We had been interested in Conures for awhile and had done some research on them.  We weren't totally sold on a Conure as we had read and heard that they were quite noisy. We knew that we needed a quieter bird as it would be coming to our auto repair shop with us each day. When we arrived we met Jennifer Hammett and struck up a conversation. While talking to Jennifer, Darwin introduced himself and the rest, as they say, is history. Mom was taken with Darwin immediately, as was Dad. Lauren wasn't quite as sure and Ben thought Darwin was "okay." Ben is a 14 year old. Like most 14 year old boys everything in life is just "okay" right now. They certainly have better things to think of than birds.  Of course, who did Darwin like the most, BEN!  He let each one of us hold him but it was obvious that we were simply his gateway to Ben. He continues to display and show off more for Ben than anyone else. Darwin will do anything for Ben. Dad has been working with Darwin on letting him cuddle him like a baby. Darwin will do it begrudgingly and only if it is on Darwin's terms.  Ben, however, can flip the little guy upside down and hold him like a baby all day long. Maybe the rest of us try too hard with Darwin. Ben must be his challenge.

 

Having Darwin around is a blast. It's like having the best days of a toddler again. Darwin makes us laugh all of the time. He is very animated and very opinionated.  Darwin goes to work with Dad and Lilly each day. He loves to meet new people. Customers love him. Lilly tolerates him.  She has been very good about sharing her spotlight. We see Darwin throw her pieces of treats every now and again. They must have a system worked out. 

 

Darwin is rarely away from the rest of the "flock."  He does fine on the rare occasions that he is left home alone.  I'm sure that he enjoys the quiet and alone time a bit. When we are home, he is out of his cage and with us.  Having Darwin in the house is like living in a PBS show. We love to watch him display, especially in front of a mirror.  It's fun to hear him talk. He's very talkative if he thinks that he is being left out in a situation. At that point he talks fast and is repetitive. When he wants to be picked up he'll say, "Hello Darwin. Hello Good Boy. Step. up. Step up. Hello Darwin. Whatcha' doin?"   I must admit, sometimes we walk slowly to retrieve him just because it's funny to hear him talk so excitedly.

 

We have tried to become involved with Beaks N Wings since Darwin adopted us.  (We have come to understand and accept that EVERYTHING is done on Darwin's terms. He owns us, not the other way around. It's the same with Lilly, and Oliver, etc.)  We have made some really great friends at Beak N Wings. We have referred people who have joined the club and sadly, have referred folks who needed to give up their birds  The club has been a great asset to us as new bird owners. We have learned a lot through the website, the newsletters and the meetings. The best asset has been the ability to contact other bird owners when a problem or question arises.  When Darwin decided after two weeks that he would have nothing to do with Mom and run away then sit shaking when she would speak to him, a quick call to Michelle Barrier helped to calm Mom's fears. An hour later, while Mom was talking to Dean Tyson, Darwin decided that he would like Mom again and all was well with the world.  We were referred to an incredible avian vet through the Club. We have met some fantastic birds and their owners.  We laugh every time we take Darwin to a membership drive, meeting or other event. We walk in and you hear, "DARWIN" from around the room.  It reminds us of the old "Cheers" series when they would say, "NORM!"

 

Our family waited a long time to fill the wish of having a larger bird for a pet.  We wanted to make sure that the timing was right for us. When it was right, the right bird came along and stole our hearts. We had an immediate connection to Darwin.  We were worried about adopting him because Mom and Dad were going on vacation four weeks later. Dean and Jennifer advised us and let us know that we would bond with him before we left. They were right. As soon as we began the adoption process, everything fell into place. We received a Macaw sized cage and a new play gym for free for Darwin through a friend of a friend. We found another large cage for cheap that we could keep at the shop for him during the day.  Ben built him a play gym for the shop.  We bombarded Wendy and Dan (Darwin's foster parents) with tons of questions during our home visits.  They graciously answered all of our questions and encouraged us to keep studying. We did the same to Dean and Jennifer when they came for the home and office inspections.  I think that the entire family was as nervous about bringing him home as we would have been had he been a new human baby.  We all wanted it to work out well, especially for Darwin.

 

Of course, we sit boundaries for Darwin and he does well with them. We like to say that he runs the house but being a bird owner takes commitment, determination, patience and tenacity.  Darwin knows what he can and can not get away with. All four of us are committed to keeping on board with discipline and rules.  We believe that it much like having a toddler in the house again. They need to feel independent yet safe at the same time. Darwin prefers Ben when he wants to play and show off. He wants Dad when he wants to talk and strut. Darwin likes to be with Lauren when he wants to sit and just "be."  Mom's turn with Darwin comes in the evenings, when he wants his head and ears rubbed right before bed.  He also seems to prefer Mom when he is getting tired of new people in a social situation.

 

Darwin has his Grandma totally in love with him, as well. He gets very excited to see Grandma and runs to her and up her leg. He'll sit on her lap and wait to have his ears rubbed. If she stops rubbing him, he'll say, "Hello Darwin. Hello Good Boy" over and over again until she pets him again. Darwin will leave anyone to go to Grandma, even Ben. Grandma has finches so Darwin is quite a big bird to her. She loves him and spoils the little guy, just like the rest of us. Darwin goes to family functions with us and is always the life of the party.

 

When we adopted Lilly, we started carrying around a "puppy bag" of supplies. Now we also have a "birdy bag" for Grace and Darwin.  He has been a blessing to our family.  He makes us laugh.  Darwin is great to have around if you have had a bad day. In an instant he can put things back into perspective for you. It's hard to not be in a good mood when you are around him.  Darwin was a great fit for our family.  We are so glad that Wendy, Jennifer and Dean thought that as well.  We believe that Darwin was meant to join our home.  There was a large series of events that worked out perfectly for us to meet him and then for him to join us.  When the time was right it all worked out.  We're so glad Darwin chose us and allowed us a chance to love him.   We are thankful that Beaks N Wings were there to help Darwin find us.  Thanks, Beaks N Wings for completing our family!

 

John, Teresa, Lauren & Ben Anderson