Poor Buddy

I didn't mention this before, but a little over a week ago while walking the dog, I saw a cockatoo in the park a few blocks from my home. I tried to get close to it, moving slow and talking soft, but I'm sure it was a bit scared at being away from its home and flew away when I got too close. I watched where it went, and when I got home, called the cops and asked if someone had reported a missing bird. Someone had. So I told the officer where I last saw it, and he said he'd contact the owners.

A couple days later, walking Nipper through the same park, I saw a woman, probably in her 50s, walking around, looking up in the trees. It was the bird's owner. I told her I'd reported it, and we talked for a bit. The bird's name was Buddy, he really liked people and dogs even, and she said since he'd seen me once, he might come to me if he saw me again. I said I'd keep an eye out for him when we were walking.

And I did. When we'd walk through or near that park, I'd look up in the trees and listen, but never really did see or hear any kind of bird that wouldn't normally be there. I hoped maybe she'd found him that day I saw her.

She didn't. This morning, while walking Nipper through the park again, I came across what was left of Buddy. Something had gotten him, but wether it was a critter first or maybe the cold weather I couldn't tell. The remains didn't look real fresh, although I don't recall seeing anything when we walked through that same spot a couple days ago. I feel bad for Buddy, and his owner, and kind of wish I'd looked harder, but I also wonder why she didn't keep his wings clipped? When we talked, she had mentioned that last year one of the local cops had helped her get him from a tree in the same park, so this wasn't the first time he'd escaped. Maybe some would say not letting a bird fly would be cruel, like having a cats claws removed, but on the other hand, I don't let my dog off leash when we're walking near traffic. If you have a pet, it's your responsibility to keep it safe. Even if that means doing something "unnatural."