Join for free
Page 3 of 4 < 1 2 3 4 >
Tiffany's Avatar
Tiffany
Chatterbox
Tiffany is offline
Devon
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 14,088
Tiffany is female  Tiffany has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
10-07-2020, 01:57 PM
21

Re: Escaped Animals

Originally Posted by Besoeker ->
Apparently dogs can survive for about six weeks according to our vet.
They always think they are anyway.
Besoeker's Avatar
Besoeker
Chatterbox
Besoeker is offline
Doncaster, UK
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 7,276
Besoeker is male  Besoeker has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
10-07-2020, 04:04 PM
22

Re: Escaped Animals

Originally Posted by Tiffany ->
They always think they are anyway.
And our mutt is.
Pesta's Avatar
Pesta
Chatterbox
Pesta is offline
North of the South UK
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 6,337
Pesta is female  Pesta has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
11-07-2020, 09:12 PM
23

Re: Escaped Animals

Ramblings I'm afraid - but hey what the hec There's only one Escapee Tiff, but couldn't resist adding the Abandoned and the Poorly.

Long ago when I worked in Plodland, I was single and rented a flat on the ground floor of a lovely Victorian house. It was on a small Avenue and at the end was the River Mersey. I preamble with all that 'cos my lifestyle/working hours/accommodation didn't allow for pets and (sadly) the Mersey and the banks seemed the place to dump unwanted pets.

First The Cat. Abandoned.
For some reason a cat started yowling outside on my window ledge in the middle of the night. Eventually I went out to it and it wrapped itself around my legs. Physically it looked fine, no collar round it's neck. Perfectly healthy looking. So after petting it (and BTW I have an allergy to cats) and making sure it was alright, I went in and back to bed to try and get some sleep. It carried on yowling.

Coming back from work next day I bought a tin of cat food, just in case it might still be around. It was. I gave it some food and water but didn't let it in. I enquired at the other houses on the road (all family homes) if it belonged to them. No-one said it was theirs and none offered to have it. It was perfectly healthy, wanted lots of cuddles and attention - I've no idea where it came from so assumed it was abandoned.

It continued it's yowls at night on my window ledge over the next couple of nights. I was still feeding it, but not letting it in. The girl who lived opposite me went gaga over it. She loved cats and was moving out to live with her boyfriend (who was a friend I'd introduced to her) and his father and took the cat with her.
(BTW - she turned out to be a right bitch to his dad and they asked her to leave - but to leave the cat with them I still apologise to him to this day about introducing her to them).
As for the cat, he's no longer on this earth, but it was well loved and spoilt rotten.

...

Second The Pekingese . Abandoned.
Poor little thing. I found her shivering and trembling by my car on the drive as I was going off to work the night shift. She looked so lost and frightened and when I went towards her she coward.
As I've always been an early person to arrive at work, I had plenty of time to give to her and to see if she was hurt. She wasn't hurt physically, no collar. She'd obviously been dumped.

I decided the best thing and the only thing I could do (bearing in mind I was due for my shift) was to take her with me to the station and take it from there. She let me pick her up and I put her in my Moggy on the passenger seat. She was still shaking so in the end, I put her in my lap and cuddled her and she calmed, and that's how I drove to the station.

It was the time of shift changeover so the previous shift were still there. Lots of people and she wasn't comfortable with that. They obviously all wanted to know about her. I took her into a side room and a female officer from the previous shift came with me. I told her there was no way I could keep her and there was no way I would let her be taken to the 'pound'.

Joy of joy, this wonderful lady plod said she would take her home. I thought she might have just been saying it and pictured her taking her to the 'pound'. I didn't really know her. But by the way she was with the dog, the way she came across, I did believe her in the end. So she left with her. It was a while later I heard she did indeed take the dog home and it became part of their family. I can't tell you how pleased I was.
...

Third - Little Hog. The Poorly.
I can't believe how much noise baby hedgehogs make! Again it was night time. I went out to find the source of the noise with a torch and found it on the soil. Can't remember everything from then onwards, apart from bringing her in. Not too much later I heard the front door go and the local DJ (The Baron)who lived upstairs, arrived home.

(Fast forward). The Baron took him to the vets next day while I was at work. He was riddled with blowfly and had a swollen tummy seemed not to be be able to wee. The vet showed him how to massage his tummy for him to wee. (Fast forward again). We took turns in looking after him. Massaging his tummy and droplet feeding him something the vet gave. Every night on his programme The Baron would update Manchester on Little Hog's progress and what we were doing

Sadly Little Hog died. We had a box and sprayed it with copper paint and 'RIP Little Hog' and we buried him in the garden. He had a small funeral and the listeners to the programme were given the sad news. Sounds silly, but those were the days

...

Years later..

Fourth The Budgie. The Escapee.
Taking the dog for her walk in the park - she was only relatively young, about a year old. It was a hot sunny day. I used to start in a lovely area (known as Lovers Lane). Very quiet and filled with wild flowers. Anyway, dog's off the lead having a romp, and I happened to look to my right. I couldn't believe there was a gorgeous green budgie reaching up having a nibble at the grass seed. Panic! Ooops, what do I do? I don't want to draw attention to it or the dog might run to it and scare it away. Can I catch it before it flies off?

Thankfully the dog came back to me nicely so I put her lead on, wrapped the chain part round my wrist and made sure she was close to me. (It was painful too that flippin' chain catching the skin round my wrist!) She knew something was afoot though, getting excited and pulling. Panting in the heat. (Are you still with this? )

Slowly went towards the budgie and caught it, no problemo! Quandary. Now what? It had settled in my hands, no protesting to get away (which considering the dog was so excited was brilliant). Have you ever tried to keep your hands together without squashing what was in it when one arm is being tugged by a lead?

As luck would have it I found a plastic bag, supermarket type in the bushes. I worried about it being plastic and the heat of the sun, but I had no other option but to gently put the bird in. I managed to carry it home in the palms of my hands with the bag ruched up loosely so some air could get in. Boy, that was hard crossing the main road while still trying not to squash the bird in the bag with an excitable dog tugging on my arm.

Put The Bird in Bag on kitchen work surface. Hmmmm. Now what? Phone dad! (Mum and dad only lived round the block). He came round with a large cardboard box, some wood and garden netting. Eventually we laid the box on it's side with the opening completely removed, made two holes at each end for the thin slat of wood for a perch and netting over the opening. Two smalls bowls, one with shredded lettuce (no bird seed yet), one with water, and an old mirror for him to preen himself in . So there he is on the kitchen surface in a wonderfully mashed together cardboard box singing his head off and prancing up and down in the mirror!
I left dad there budgie minding and went to the pet shop for food.

That evening I went back to the park with the dog to see all the usual dog walkers and told the story. Asked them to keep their ears open if anyone had lost a budgie.
Next day I bought a cage.
Eventually a dog walker told me a lady who worked at the vets had saved him from being put to sleep and taken him home. She had other birds. She'd been cleaning the cages and as it was hot weather, she'd opened the windows and forgotten to shut them when she'd let the birds out. She was happy this one had been found and said I should keep him.
Happy budgie, happy Mr and Mrs Pesta, happy dog - and I named him after the park.

15 yrs I had that noisy sod! Honestly, he was pure joy. Nothing phased him, always happy, always entertaining.

End of Ramblings.
Tiffany's Avatar
Tiffany
Chatterbox
Tiffany is offline
Devon
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 14,088
Tiffany is female  Tiffany has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
11-07-2020, 11:21 PM
24

Re: Escaped Animals

That was a lovely read Pesta.
I too have a budgie story. My late OH before we were married kept budgies that bred & he sold the babies. He had a large aviary for them, indoor area & nest boxes. He often had stray budgies attracted to his birds land on the mesh roof. Managed to catch them & put them in a seperate cage, his birds would have fought with them. He usually did find their owners. When we were getting married he gave all his birds away to a friend who also bred budgies with their aviary & the indoor part, as his parents didn't want the bother. I said I'd like one as a pet so before he gave them up, we picked one of the baby birds for me. Buddy lived for around 6 years, but sadly got ill & had to be put down. He never really learnt to talk.
Much later, living here, my neighbours had a budgie, who had been the neighbours late mothers & we used to look after Joey when they went away. I have never know a budgies with such a large volcabulary & he never shut up even when covered. He was amazing, neighbours mother being home all the time did nothing but talk to Joey, all day, every day. Neighbour said to me, Joey sounds just like her. Joey is no longer, but I'll never forget how he talked & at such length too.
Mups's Avatar
Mups
Chatterbox
Mups is offline
Northamptonshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 46,083
Mups is female  Mups has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
11-07-2020, 11:41 PM
25

Re: Escaped Animals

Tiff, that could have been me you were writing about, as I too, used to keep and breed budgies in my aviary. Lovely little birds, real characters.
I do miss my birds to this day.
Tiffany's Avatar
Tiffany
Chatterbox
Tiffany is offline
Devon
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 14,088
Tiffany is female  Tiffany has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
11-07-2020, 11:48 PM
26

Re: Escaped Animals

Originally Posted by Mups ->
Tiff, that could have been me you were writing about, as I too, used to keep and breed budgies in my aviary. Lovely little birds, real characters.
I do miss my birds to this day.
Did you get strays too?
Mups's Avatar
Mups
Chatterbox
Mups is offline
Northamptonshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 46,083
Mups is female  Mups has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
11-07-2020, 11:54 PM
27

Re: Escaped Animals

Originally Posted by Tiffany ->
Did you get strays too?


No. Only bloomin' Sparrowhawks dive-bombing the aviaries.
I used to keep Cockatiels too.
Mups's Avatar
Mups
Chatterbox
Mups is offline
Northamptonshire
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 46,083
Mups is female  Mups has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
12-07-2020, 12:01 AM
28

Re: Escaped Animals

Pesta, you're a good kind gal to rescue all those little creatures.
It's so good to know some people bother, cos not all would.
Tiffany's Avatar
Tiffany
Chatterbox
Tiffany is offline
Devon
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 14,088
Tiffany is female  Tiffany has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
12-07-2020, 12:01 AM
29

Re: Escaped Animals

Originally Posted by Mups ->
No. Only bloomin' Sparrowhawks dive-bombing the aviaries.
I used to keep Cockatiels too.
Barbwire on top perhaps, no that is cruel.
Pesta's Avatar
Pesta
Chatterbox
Pesta is offline
North of the South UK
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 6,337
Pesta is female  Pesta has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
13-07-2020, 09:19 PM
30

Re: Escaped Animals

Originally Posted by Tiffany ->
That was a lovely read Pesta.
I too have a budgie story. My late OH before we were married kept budgies that bred & he sold the babies. He had a large aviary for them, indoor area & nest boxes. He often had stray budgies attracted to his birds land on the mesh roof. Managed to catch them & put them in a seperate cage, his birds would have fought with them. He usually did find their owners. When we were getting married he gave all his birds away to a friend who also bred budgies with their aviary & the indoor part, as his parents didn't want the bother. I said I'd like one as a pet so before he gave them up, we picked one of the baby birds for me. Buddy lived for around 6 years, but sadly got ill & had to be put down. He never really learnt to talk.
Much later, living here, my neighbours had a budgie, who had been the neighbours late mothers & we used to look after Joey when they went away. I have never know a budgies with such a large volcabulary & he never shut up even when covered. He was amazing, neighbours mother being home all the time did nothing but talk to Joey, all day, every day. Neighbour said to me, Joey sounds just like her. Joey is no longer, but I'll never forget how he talked & at such length too.
Thanks Tiff.

I'm chuckling here with this post of yours and Joey nattering on ... hilarious! Not sure I could stomach the nattering after the cover up though. At least mine shut up then

We had a budgies when we were kids. Peter lasted years and he never shut up. Even though mum was 'out of it' quite a lot, in her good phases she talked to him endlessly, and always the same thing: 'My name is Peter and I live at (blah blah) .......... and I'm a good boy'


I've had a canary too - such a beautiful trill. Not as sociable as budgies, or as much fun, but the bird song I could listen to all night. It's more restful whereas budgies are frantically frantic
 
Page 3 of 4 < 1 2 3 4 >

Thread Tools


© Copyright 2009, Over50sForum   Contact Us | Over 50s Forum! | Archive | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Top

Powered by vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.