Allee
Well-known member
A couple of weeks ago my female quaker behaved so horribly and embarrassed me so badly during a routine vet visit that I still blush when I think about it, Harry's vet and her vet tech are probably still giggling.
Harry was a rescue with an obscure past, she came with lots of issues and baggage. Harry has come a long way and made amazing progress. Harry absolutely cannot be trusted in polite company. Harry's training is an ongoing process that I may not live long enough to complete.
As awful as Harry is, I have never met anyone that isn't completely charmed by her. Most of our visitors are aware of Harry's past and know the rules, first and foremost: Never engage the little green dragon. Lesser rules: Never argue with
Harry. Never reward Harry with laughter no matter what she says or does.
Harry is a party crasher, she loves being obnoxious and she can't resist performing for an audience.
A dear friend that I haven't seen in years recently moved back from out of state and stopped by today to visit and to meet my birds for the first time. This friend grew up being terrorized by her mother's macaw, so she isn't new to parrots, she loves animals and most animals love her. Sherry's husband has been trying to talk her into adopting a parrot for months. Sherry isn't convinced and the final decision is hers. With that in mind, I considered putting Harry in my studio and pretending I only have five, well behaved, polite birds.
I introduced Sherry to the flock one at a time, ending with Harry. Sherry asked me to let the birds out. She got a very shy kiss, wave and handshake from Poppy. Zeke whispered, 'giveussssakissss', and let Sherry give him a skritch on the neck. Sweet Pea stepped up for Sherry and sat on her shoulder for a while. Piper and Twinkle went to a corner of the play stand and whispered to each other. Sherry did not get bit or pooped on.
Sherry couldn't leave well enough alone and neither could Harry. By then, Harry was ordering me to Come Here! I warned my friend that I would not be held responsible for Harry's actions and I couldn't predict her behavior. She still insisted, so I released the dragon. Harry said, 'Thank You', in her most angelic voice, flew around the room, lit on Sherry's head and tried to pull all her hair out. I ordered Harry to my shoulder and she immediately complied. At that point I asked my friend if she would be more comfortable with Harry in her cage, I knew I would be. Sherry was not yet intimidated and insisted Harry remain at large. Harry had calmed down and cranked up the charm. She was dancing on my shoulder, wolf whistling at Sherry and calling her a pretty, pretty bird. I knew Sherry was falling for the act like most people do. I took advantage of the moment and gave Sherry a fat pumpkin seed to offer to Harry and warned her to watch her fingers. She handed the seed to Harry and Harry accepted it with the dignity of a prom queen accepting a tiara, she told Sherry, thank you in her sweetest voice.
Sherry and I had iced tea, I filled Harry's favorite crystal glass with cranberry pomegranate juice and we all sat down to chat, Harry on my shoulder with her seed. While Sherry and I talked, Harry sidled down my arm and drank from her glass, saying, yummy after each sip, she then retrieved her pumpkin seed and climbed back up my arm. While Sherry talked, Harry offered me her pumpkin seed several times which I repeatedly and politely refused, she took my refusal personally and tried to shove the seed up my nose sideways. She finally dropped the seed down my shirt and forgot about it.
One of the cuter things Harry does is rub her face against mine with her eyes closed while she softly purrs. Everyone who has ever watched Harry perform this trick would swear under oath that Harry is the planet's sweetest parrot and Harry's mother is a liar. I could tell Sherry's heart had completely melted. While Sherry oohed and ahhed at Harry, I remained skeptical, I know my beastie. Harry groomed my hair while she cooed into my ear. Then she hissed and lunged at my face, stopping just short of piercing my lip, I didn't flinch or react even when Harry yelled, Ow! I can and do trust Harry not to bite and to obey basic commands. I warned Harry she was pushing her boundaries, she crossed them completely by running down my back and clinging to my shirt, she knew she had gone too far, so instead of waiting for the inevitable walk of shame, she ordered herself to Go Back, put herself inside her cage and slammed the door. She let me know she was angry by saying, 'You're wearing me out, Give up, Give up, Give up.'
Harry entertained herself in her cage for a while as Sherry watched from a safe distance. Harry decided to do her stand up comic routine to Sherry's delight. She quacked, meowed, whistled for the dogs, then barked for them, clucked, and hooted like a monkey, at that point I told her she should build a cage for her pets and she imitated an electric drill perfectly. She could have stopped there, but no, she wasn't finished. She engaged Sherry in a two way conversation and my friend was mesmerized. Harry ended her command performance by repeating the absolute worst short phrase in her vocabulary, the very same phrase she recently used at her vet clinic. Sherry turned every shade of red trying hard to stop laughing. Harry used her demon possessed voice while clearly swearing in perfect English and Sherry rewarded her with knee slapping laughter.
A couple of hours after my friend reluctantly wished Harry farewell, she called to tell me she had fallen in love with my bird. Not the gorgeous, sweet cockatoo, or shy little Zeke, or always sunny Sweet Pea. No, she fell in love with incorrigible, horrible, unforgettable, Harry. Sherry called her husband at work to tell him she wanted him to meet Harry before they look for a breeder. It was very tempting to beg her to take Harry instead but I wouldn't wish Harry on an enemy and certainly not a close friend and I admit, I'm Harry's biggest fan. My darling Harry has had little to say since her visit, but I'm sure she's quite pleased with herself. Thanks to her, a quaker will probably soon be adopted by two happy parronts, unless of course, I can be a good friend and talk them out of it.
Harry on the corner probably telling Zeke and Sweet Pea to watch and learn.
Harry was a rescue with an obscure past, she came with lots of issues and baggage. Harry has come a long way and made amazing progress. Harry absolutely cannot be trusted in polite company. Harry's training is an ongoing process that I may not live long enough to complete.
As awful as Harry is, I have never met anyone that isn't completely charmed by her. Most of our visitors are aware of Harry's past and know the rules, first and foremost: Never engage the little green dragon. Lesser rules: Never argue with
Harry. Never reward Harry with laughter no matter what she says or does.
Harry is a party crasher, she loves being obnoxious and she can't resist performing for an audience.
A dear friend that I haven't seen in years recently moved back from out of state and stopped by today to visit and to meet my birds for the first time. This friend grew up being terrorized by her mother's macaw, so she isn't new to parrots, she loves animals and most animals love her. Sherry's husband has been trying to talk her into adopting a parrot for months. Sherry isn't convinced and the final decision is hers. With that in mind, I considered putting Harry in my studio and pretending I only have five, well behaved, polite birds.
I introduced Sherry to the flock one at a time, ending with Harry. Sherry asked me to let the birds out. She got a very shy kiss, wave and handshake from Poppy. Zeke whispered, 'giveussssakissss', and let Sherry give him a skritch on the neck. Sweet Pea stepped up for Sherry and sat on her shoulder for a while. Piper and Twinkle went to a corner of the play stand and whispered to each other. Sherry did not get bit or pooped on.
Sherry couldn't leave well enough alone and neither could Harry. By then, Harry was ordering me to Come Here! I warned my friend that I would not be held responsible for Harry's actions and I couldn't predict her behavior. She still insisted, so I released the dragon. Harry said, 'Thank You', in her most angelic voice, flew around the room, lit on Sherry's head and tried to pull all her hair out. I ordered Harry to my shoulder and she immediately complied. At that point I asked my friend if she would be more comfortable with Harry in her cage, I knew I would be. Sherry was not yet intimidated and insisted Harry remain at large. Harry had calmed down and cranked up the charm. She was dancing on my shoulder, wolf whistling at Sherry and calling her a pretty, pretty bird. I knew Sherry was falling for the act like most people do. I took advantage of the moment and gave Sherry a fat pumpkin seed to offer to Harry and warned her to watch her fingers. She handed the seed to Harry and Harry accepted it with the dignity of a prom queen accepting a tiara, she told Sherry, thank you in her sweetest voice.
Sherry and I had iced tea, I filled Harry's favorite crystal glass with cranberry pomegranate juice and we all sat down to chat, Harry on my shoulder with her seed. While Sherry and I talked, Harry sidled down my arm and drank from her glass, saying, yummy after each sip, she then retrieved her pumpkin seed and climbed back up my arm. While Sherry talked, Harry offered me her pumpkin seed several times which I repeatedly and politely refused, she took my refusal personally and tried to shove the seed up my nose sideways. She finally dropped the seed down my shirt and forgot about it.
One of the cuter things Harry does is rub her face against mine with her eyes closed while she softly purrs. Everyone who has ever watched Harry perform this trick would swear under oath that Harry is the planet's sweetest parrot and Harry's mother is a liar. I could tell Sherry's heart had completely melted. While Sherry oohed and ahhed at Harry, I remained skeptical, I know my beastie. Harry groomed my hair while she cooed into my ear. Then she hissed and lunged at my face, stopping just short of piercing my lip, I didn't flinch or react even when Harry yelled, Ow! I can and do trust Harry not to bite and to obey basic commands. I warned Harry she was pushing her boundaries, she crossed them completely by running down my back and clinging to my shirt, she knew she had gone too far, so instead of waiting for the inevitable walk of shame, she ordered herself to Go Back, put herself inside her cage and slammed the door. She let me know she was angry by saying, 'You're wearing me out, Give up, Give up, Give up.'
Harry entertained herself in her cage for a while as Sherry watched from a safe distance. Harry decided to do her stand up comic routine to Sherry's delight. She quacked, meowed, whistled for the dogs, then barked for them, clucked, and hooted like a monkey, at that point I told her she should build a cage for her pets and she imitated an electric drill perfectly. She could have stopped there, but no, she wasn't finished. She engaged Sherry in a two way conversation and my friend was mesmerized. Harry ended her command performance by repeating the absolute worst short phrase in her vocabulary, the very same phrase she recently used at her vet clinic. Sherry turned every shade of red trying hard to stop laughing. Harry used her demon possessed voice while clearly swearing in perfect English and Sherry rewarded her with knee slapping laughter.
A couple of hours after my friend reluctantly wished Harry farewell, she called to tell me she had fallen in love with my bird. Not the gorgeous, sweet cockatoo, or shy little Zeke, or always sunny Sweet Pea. No, she fell in love with incorrigible, horrible, unforgettable, Harry. Sherry called her husband at work to tell him she wanted him to meet Harry before they look for a breeder. It was very tempting to beg her to take Harry instead but I wouldn't wish Harry on an enemy and certainly not a close friend and I admit, I'm Harry's biggest fan. My darling Harry has had little to say since her visit, but I'm sure she's quite pleased with herself. Thanks to her, a quaker will probably soon be adopted by two happy parronts, unless of course, I can be a good friend and talk them out of it.
Harry on the corner probably telling Zeke and Sweet Pea to watch and learn.
