Ashley's Story

Bobby34231

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Jun 25, 2010
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Sarasota,Florida
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Quincy - Blue Throated Macaw, Skittles and Dusty - Rose Breasted Too's,
Joey - Yellow Crown Amazon, Ashley - CAG
As some may know I just adopted a CAG named Ashley, I was asked to share the story of how we came into each others lives, sorry I haven't posted sooner or been here on the forum as much as I usually am but I've been spending most all of my free time with Ashley as she's still in quarantine at the rescure till her test results come back and we know she's free of disease as I have other birds in the home that would be at risk, I should know Tuesday at the latest, if all is well she'll be comming home then.

Ashley is 17+ years old, a 1993 hatch from California, I sent out her DNA Tuesday for sexing and got the results back yesterday, much to my surprise I was right, she is a female, I rarely guess right....lol, (thanks avian biotech for the quick results, I highly recommend them) anyway, I'm sorry to say I only know about the last four years or so of her life, I'll start with the last week and a half and work my way backwards as the story was told to me, last Thursday the 28th I recieved a call from one of our rescue coordinators asking me if I was still looking for an african grey to adopt and I said I was, she gave me the phone number of a woman that was frantic to find a home for a CAG that she used to be the guardian of, now we go back about four years ago, the woman who I contacted and her boyfriend bought Ashley and had her about three years before they broke up, the woman, even though she couldn't really handle Ashley as she would bite her quite often was the primary care giver, making sure she ate healthy and was well taken care of, shortly after the break up Ashley started plucking, needless to say, her level of care was much less than she was used to, so the guy decided to sell Ashley to a young woman who was a close friend of the couple, she had Ashley for about 6 months, in that time her feathers grew back, her weight was good, and much to the surprise of the woman who was the caregiver for the previous 3 years, while visiting with Ashley she stepped up, gave kisses and didn't bite her, she couldn't believe it was the same bird, now comes the sad last couple of months, after having Ashley for only about 6 months the young woman fell on hard times and could no longer care for Ashley, so unfortunatly she gave her back to the guy that she originaly got her from, he needs to go out of town for a couple of weeks, so he asks an ex-roomate to watch her while he's away, the roomates is in poor health but agrees, so while out of town the guy gets himself in some legal trouble and gets arrested and placed in jail, where he still remains, shortly after Ashley was moved to the roomates house he finds out he's highly alergic to her, so she was placed in the back of a dark spare bedroom in a hallway between the room and a bathroom in a niche like a small closet, fed only a harts mountain parrot seed diet and kept in a small 18x18 cage, Thank God the roomate also knew the ex-girlfriend and managed to get a hold of her and let her know what was going on, unfortunatly for Ashley a couple of months late, so that brings it back to last Thursday when I got the call, as it was fairly late in the afternoon I was going to arrange to go Friday and pick up the bird, but in talking to her she said the man was so ill and unless I could come then and there he was going to call animal services to come get her, I jumped in my truck and headed over there to meet her, when we got there the man was sitting in a recliner coughing his head off and told us where Ashley was, there were no lights in the room so it was hard to see what we were looking at, I tried to coax her out of her cage and she was screaming and attempting to bite my hand off, who could blame her, I decided it would be easier and less stressful to towel her and place her in a small travel crate for transport, neither the woman or myself were prepared for what we saw, poor Ashely had mutilated herself pretty badly, and her cage was filthy and full of roaches, to say I couldn't get out of there fast enough would be an understatement, between the dark room, the smell and the tears rolling down my face from seeing the condition she was in I was tripping and falling all over the place, I placed her inside my truck, threw her cage in the back of the pick up said thanks to the lady and tore out of there, I felt bad for the woman as she was in total shock, having never seen Ashley in that condition or understanding how she could be kept it such horrible conditions, I talked to her later and assured her she did the right thing by calling us and getting Ashley the help she needed, the first couple of days were pretty rough, she would run and scream if you even went near the cage to change her food and water, I've got her eating pellets and fruits and veggies and other goodies, I've been spending an average of about 8 hours a day with her at the rescue, at first just sitting and talking to her, to having her step up, to going outside on a perch and getting daily showers, while trust has come fairly quick for both of us I'm still vary careful to allow things to progress at her pace and comfort level and not mine, I can't wait till she comes home :)

Being so long and drawn out I hope this wasn't as hard to read as it was to write, though it will be a highly gratifying story when all is said and done in the end, it's one I hope no one has to ever experience for themselves :(
 

antoinette

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Jul 6, 2009
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Sunny South Africa !!!
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African "Grey"
"Mishka"
Male
7 Years old
Bobby you mentioned briefly to me previously what Ashley's had been through in life.
I am in tears this very moment, OMG poor Ashley. So many sad incidences have occurred in her life, she is a tough birdie, hanging in there, surviving each episode.
God kept you waiting and waiting, for a special bird, knowing you and Ashley were meant for each other.
I can just imagine how excited you are, waiting for her to come home, and be a part of your life. Congrat's, getting her dna, and you were correct !!!!!! (for once) hehe
I know Ashley will adjust, with your patience and guidance, her life is about to change for ever. Ashley is going to live a life of love and happiness, which she so willingly deserves.
I am looking so forward to hearing all her progress on a daily basis (hint hint)
Now now please practice what you preach "where are the pictures" ?
here on this thread ........
Guess I had better tell Mishka she has a new cousin on the forum.......:grey:
 

Ladyeclectic

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Oct 6, 2010
232
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Central California
Parrots
Green-cheek Conure "Mishka" - Sun conure "Calypso"
You are an angel, no wonder that poor, sweet bird took to you so fast. I hope for everyone's sake the lab results come back clean but it doesn't sounds like a promising start. Still, she's so lucky to have found someone like you that's willing to do everything they can to help her.

Bless you.
 

Spiritbird

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Aug 20, 2009
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Greys are such intrinsically gentle creatures that do not have the tools to deal with the dark world that little Ashley experienced. It is a wonder to me that she survived. What inner strength she must have. These beautiful birds have long memories and their personalities are so greatly influenced by their experiences. Each human Ashley met taught something to her. Bobby you are now building a trusting relatinship with her that will overshadow all those dark memories.

The first time Ashley bends her head down to you for a scratch or comes close to your mouth for a kiss will be a celebration for the both of you. I hope you are keeping a diary of her life with you to share with us. Bless both of you.

1.04%20Raining%20Hearts.gif
 
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mellykyitus

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Oct 22, 2010
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south wales UK
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Angel the blue and gold macaw, mimsy the lesser sulphur too, rocky the galah & willow the blue crowned conure.
oh gosh bobby, my hearts breaking reading that. i'm so glad ashley has you now. xxx
 

Pheonix Rising

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Oct 9, 2010
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Pheonix-Alexandrine parrot
1 September 2010
mikki- barrarand x king parrot
21yrs young ;)
Bobby what more can I say but thankyou
thankyou thankyou thankyou
poor Ashley such a beautiful bird with such a strong and beautiful spirit to be treated that way
I'm more than estatic to know she is in such good hands for the rest of her life and that she is learning to trust you already
it really is a tribute to your soul and inner peace that she is so calm
with you after her life to date
your a true angel on earth
 

SharonC

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May 26, 2010
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Good grief, Bobby! I'm so glad that you were looking for a Grey at the same time that Ashley needed a home....A happy ending for all!!!:)
 

Billie&Lyd

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Nov 3, 2010
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Warwickshire, England
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Congo african grey
Billy
I have tears running down my face reading your story.
Very similar to Billy and my story. I have never owned a bird let alone a parrot before but i'm trying my best and his feathers have started to return already along with many other changes.
Your Ashley is a lucky bird to have found you and you her. Carn't wait for more new when she gets home
 

wuvzbirdies

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May 5, 2009
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Congo African Grey: Russell Peters (R.I.P. my baby)
What's that saying? Good things come to those who wait? Wow this sure does apply to both Ashley and you Bobby. While my eyes are welled up with tears like everyone else who's read this story, I don't know if they are tears of sadness of the life Ashley had to endour before her Hero Bobby showed up or if they are tears of happiness that you both have finally found each other. I reckon they are tears of both.
You have a great soul Bobby, I wish there were more people like you in this world.

God bless you and Ashley, and your other fids also.

ok time to go get a tissue.
 
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lisamarie973

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Sep 25, 2010
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Bradenton, FL.
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Maui - Male CAG (my baby) (Mom's babies) KiKi - Sun Conure, Fred & Wilma - Fisher Lovebirds, Gully,Sweetie,Baby - Cockatiels, Mork & Mindy - Zebra Finches Luna,Sky,Jilly - Budgies 16 Gouldian Finches
AMAZING STORY!! Ashley is about to be one seriously HAPPY birdie!!! Congrats to you for FINALLY getting your baby and Congrats to Ashley to have FINALLY found a FOREVER, LOVING, CARING, NURTURING and SWEET home with her new "Daddy"!
 

HRH Di

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Jan 9, 2010
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Poor Ashley! I'm glad that Karma stepped in and took care of her. After dealing with such a difficult life, she deserves a guardian like you.
 
OP
Bobby34231

Bobby34231

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Jun 25, 2010
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Sarasota,Florida
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Quincy - Blue Throated Macaw, Skittles and Dusty - Rose Breasted Too's,
Joey - Yellow Crown Amazon, Ashley - CAG
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  • #13
I want to thank you all for the kind words, I also want you all to know I didn't write Ashley's story for praise, I originaly wrote the story as well as that of Joe, my other rescue fid because I was asked to by other members, I also felt it was important to share their story to raise others awareness of the sometimes cruel and inhumane treatment of all the other Joe's and Ashley's around the world, some staggering statistics, in the US alone there are 1.5 million households that contain over 5 million exotic birds, and that 85% of all pet birds are either sold or given away in the first two years, I guess its no wonder why there are so many rescues filled with unwanted, neglected and birds that are unable to be cared for, I haven't always been an advocate of adopting rescue birds, but since joining the forum and being influenced by members such as Spirtbird and others, and then actually adopting myself, I couldn't recommend it more, hopefully with others reading this, they will also consider adoption as an alternative for a feathered companion in need :)
 

Vickiesbirds

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Oct 25, 2010
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What a beautiful story with a happy ending for Ashley! :) I wish there was more people like you in this world... more people open minded to rehoming a bird in need. I'm sure she'll really appreciate her new life and will come around soon enough! :D
 

Cowtown

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Aug 4, 2010
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Great State of Texas
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Abby 2 year old Female Eclectus & Solomon 12 year old Male CAG & Dickens 4 year old CAG.
Bobby... I commend you. If there were more people like you then this world would be a better place.
 

lisamarie973

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Sep 25, 2010
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Bradenton, FL.
Parrots
Maui - Male CAG (my baby) (Mom's babies) KiKi - Sun Conure, Fred & Wilma - Fisher Lovebirds, Gully,Sweetie,Baby - Cockatiels, Mork & Mindy - Zebra Finches Luna,Sky,Jilly - Budgies 16 Gouldian Finches
I'm in full agreement with all the others. You and ANY others responsible for giving a rescue a chance at a new, LOVING life SHOULD be commended. It IS easier to get a baby than it is to rescue a bird in need of lots of time, love, attention and perseverence. It's a conscious choice that we ALL make when we decide to get ANY animal, not just birds. There are so many that already exist that need good homes, yet, our selfishness finds us putting hefty deposits on ones that AREN'T even born yet, for what? a purebred? a kitten, puppy, bird, reptiles, horses, etc...

I have also decided to adopt in birds as opposed to purchasing in the future myself. I can't speak for my Mom, though I am working on her, LOL.

If there were more folks that would commit to adopting a needy animal instead of buying a baby or even a stable re home, maybe the shelters and rescues wouldn't be so overloaded with these precious creatures, that may or may NOT live to see another day by euthanization.

For ALL of you folks that have rescued, I commend you!! It is honestly a sweet and pure heart that does so.
 

SalsasMom

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Oct 21, 2010
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Central Wisconsin (USA)
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Salsa = Severe Macaw
Frank = CAG
Izzy = Blue and Gold
WOW poor girlie, i am so happy she found you, or you found here i spose is right? AWESOME and i can't wait to hear all the stories as you continue to become the absolute best of buds :) wahoooooo
 

Von1983

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Sep 3, 2010
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Oh Bobby....

Words fail me.

You are so special. Ashley is so lucky to have you and you're simply a wonderful human being.

I'm a bit chokey so I'm going to stop.

I'm so happy you have taken Ashley into your life and the only outcome can possibly be that she flourishes.
 
OP
Bobby34231

Bobby34231

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Jun 25, 2010
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Sarasota,Florida
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Quincy - Blue Throated Macaw, Skittles and Dusty - Rose Breasted Too's,
Joey - Yellow Crown Amazon, Ashley - CAG
  • Thread Starter
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An update on Ashley's test results, all test's came back negitive for disease and she is now home with the rest of her new family :D
 

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