Thursday, June 27, 2013

You Say Parakeet, I Say Ogre

Parakeets
Parakeets

Growing up, I had so many animals—dogs, cats, hamsters, hermit crabs—if it was at our local pet store, I wanted it. I would make posters and run pet-campaigns until I finally won my parents over. They called me the "pit bull" because I was so aggressive when I wanted new things.

But—we never had birds. I always heard, "Birds are messy. Birds live forever. Birds are loud," and I have no agree... all of that is true. But Daniel's parents have two small parakeets (named Shrek and Fiona—because they're green—of course), and I just love the little ogres. They're always singing and chirping away, making lovely music that fills the house. Daniel's parents had two small blue parakeets before (named Duncan and Doyle), but they passed away recently, so we went right out and surprised them with a new little pair.

I doubt that Daniel and I will ever have birds, but each time I visit his parents' office, I can't help but go peer into their cage and say hello. Man, I just love animals. My little chihuahua puppy Oso and our family dogs Tally and Scooter were my favorites. What was your favorite childhood pet? What's the one pet you always wanted?

35 comments:

Kristina McCoy said...

I had 2 blue parakeets when I was a kid -- I loved it when my mom would hang their cage outside on spring days and they would sing. I always wanted a brown cocker spaniel puppy after watching Lady and the Tramp. Finally, at age 13 I got one!! He is 11 years old now and he'll always be a favorite of mine! I also now have a Bengal cat and he's pretty awesome.
www.kristinakaye.blogspot.com

Laura Masbruch said...

Oh, I'm such an animal lover too! I grew up in the country, so we had horses, cats, dogs (we used to breed), rabbits, fish, hamsters, guinea pigs, and mice, but never birds. But now I'm married to a non-animal lover and he's agreed to letting me have two cats :) At least I can get my dog fix when I go to my parents (and their getting a new puppy next month!!). And for the last month, I've actually been thinking about getting birds... especially since I found out that Brad had birds when he was a kid. But I'm not sure about it since we have cats. Hmmmm? We'll see :)

Lauren Bryant said...

the question for me should be "what didn't you have as a pet?" haha :) first pet was a goldfish i won at a carnival. then, for my 4th Christmas Santa brought me a Scottish Terrier puppy, Lady MacBeth of Skye, that lived to be 12. i've had a hamster, hermit crabs, guinea pigs, anoles, turtles, beta fish...a menagerie! no birds though. but, there was some bad luck with cats (once my dad finally let me have one) during high school & college. Link ran away (he's known now as the "Missing Link"). Serendipity met her untimely death by garage door. Chloe was hit by a car. and, Trouble we think someone stole. however, the meanest cat of them all has survived the longest - Shivers. she has cat-titude, i tell ya. going on 6 years now, she lives in Arkansas with my family. oh, and they also have a shy little kitty that lives in the garage named Squeaky. she showed up one night smelling like like paint thinner and never left. they think someone abused her because she's very skittish around people. anyway, my boyfriend and I have two furbabies of our own. Annabelle McKenzie, an almost 11 year old lab-weiler, and her sister, Kitty, an orange tabby cat :)

goodness, i typed a lot...anyway, i LOVE your posts about your pets and the ones where you are able to get really close to wild animals! you're like a Disney Princess!!

Kelly Ann said...

Wow, they are beautiful! I never had pets growing up but my new roommates have hamsters!

xx
Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes

Joelle Duff said...

I'm very much just a dog person...I don't know that I would have the patience to clean up after anything else! Though I have suggested to Robert that we get Olive her own pet...maybe a hamster?

Yuli said...

What a cutie little pie!
I grew up on a mini farm so I loved animals since I was little, but for pets we only had a dog. I love my kitty cat we have now, but I have always wanted a mini poodle.
Perhaps we'll have one soon?

XOXO

Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird said...

I always wanted birds just because they seem like interesting little animals. However I've found that the only animals I'm really good at taking care of (and loving like children) are dogs.

Anna Sinclair said...

I always wanted a pug and I have one now! But I'd take in every stray animal if I could! They lady we got the pug from had birds, and they were huge, and their squawk was deafening - don't know if I could do that daily! :)

Paige T. said...

Ahh I just can't do birds! They just gross me out for some reason. My favorite childhood pet was my cat, Oreo, who was all black (despite the name) and I always wanted a little puppy, which I have now. I love my little chiweenie, Exo!

Cody said...

I have never had a bird but I have hear those things too. I don't think I will get one. I am to much of a cat lover. Unless there was a cat/bird combo somewhere. haha.
I always wanted a fish. I still do. I just can't get one yet because I don't want to leave my fishes care in the hands of my parents. One day though, I will have a BIG fish tank full of pretty fish.

Annelise Rowe said...

Jeez... you have the COOLEST pets! I love the bengal cat thing... I'm not a huge fan of cats, but if it's a cool one like that, I would love it!

Annelise Rowe said...

Oh my gosh, you had the IDEAL animal situation as a kid. What a lucky lady! Would love to hear if you get the birds and what kind you get!

Annelise Rowe said...

Lauren, I just love you. Do you know that? I also had betas, and before I got Dobby I almost picked up a couple of anoles. We had goldfish, too... and a golden retreiver and a schnauzer and beagle... and one calico cat. Which brings me to say... so sad to hear about your cats. Poor things.
Oh, and the Disney Princess comment? Made my day :) You saw this post about the squirrel, right? http://www.auniesauce.com/2012/06/rascal-squirrel.html

Annelise Rowe said...

HANNAHHHHH. Dying laughing. The end one with the running dog? Oh my gosh. And the baby kitty whose mommy snuggles him? OH MY GOSH. That video made my day all sorts of great.

Annelise Rowe said...

Hamsters are so fun... love those little guys!

Annelise Rowe said...

Haha, if any pet would have it's own pet, it would be Olive. She's not even really a dog, is she? Just a tiny chihuahua human? :)

Annelise Rowe said...

Mini poodles are precious! Do it!

Annelise Rowe said...

I agree with you wholeheartedly on that one! Dogs it is!

Annelise Rowe said...

I love that you take in stray and loving pups! My sister is the BIGGEST pug fan... I'm sure she'll have one at one point!

Annelise Rowe said...

Oh Mom... you know that you loved my cute little hermits. And yes I was a pitbull, but if the posters and signs didn't go in the fridge or coffee cup, they may have been ignored! You've always wanted that little pygmy goat... just get one! Or even better... get one for us! :)

Annelise Rowe said...

OOH chiweenies! So cute! Ha... birds are rather messy... but for some reason I have a huge attraction to them. I could sit and talk to them all day. Is that nerdy? Maybe. I would love to have some of our own someday.

Annelise Rowe said...

Eek... bird bites are the WORST. That terrifies me. Birds and babies are a big no no ... so good thing ours belong to the (future) grandparents. But oh man, Great Pyrenees... now that's a pet I would love to own!

Annelise Rowe said...

I had a tropical fish tank once and it was my favorite thing! I had all sorts of fish in there, but my favorite was my albino rainbow shark and my little loaches! I also loved my plecos, snails, and bala shark. I even had mini puffer fish!! Alas, I went to college and had to sell it all... bummer. But if you ever get one, you'll love it!

Lauren Bryant said...

:) of course! and the post about you and Daniel catching lizards in the desert! i think you remind me most of Rapunzel because of the hair and her sidekick, Pascal. oh! i was scrolling through this website and found a post you will absolutely LOVE: http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=77061

Annelise Rowe said...

Ha!!! The tiny knitted beanie is the funniest! You're absolutely sweet... I will be Rapunzel any day! :)

Hannah Scott said...

Those are my favorites too!!!

Cody said...

WOW! That sounds amazing and hard. I can't wait to have one. I am sure as soon as I get one I will let the you and the blogiverse know. I am hopping that it will be soon.=)

Annelise Rowe said...

Crossing my fingers for you :)

Laura Masbruch said...

I'm surprised- Brad is actually open to the idea of getting birds. Apparently he had parakeets when he was a boy. So who knows... maybe this Christmas my kiddos will find a bird cage under the tree :)

Annelise Rowe said...

Hehe, if there are birdies in it, they'll hear it before they find it! What a fun gift for kids!

Laura said...

My kids are weird. They sleep with a sound machine at night and most nights they have it set on "songbirds." So I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't notice birds chirping. The curios cats however... :)

Annelise Rowe said...

How do they sleep to that? Teach me their ways! :) Those darn birds ALWAYS wake me up in the morning!

RoyalPet Care said...

We love animals too! When I was growing up I tried to bring everything home with me. I worked at the Los Angeles Zoo for several years and my favorite bird I cared for were Baby Flamingos! Did you know they are gray when they are born. (Man do they stink too!) but as they grow and eat shrimp they turn Pink.

When I was a kid we had a pet crayfish. I named him Larry the Lobster. We would put Tuna (from a can) on a string to feed him until he started eating all the other fish in the tank. :(

Annelise Rowe said...

You officially have the coolest pet stories... I bet baby flamingos are just precious, and had NO IDEA they were gray! Who would have thought! And hand feeding a crayfish? That's awesome, though I'm sorry your other fishy's didn't last because of his voracious appetite! What fun stories :)

Autumn said...

I was the same way growing up about pets and it drove my parents absolutely NUTS. The one pet we never ended up having was birds and that was what we bought- a cockatiel. I love my bird and I can't imagine having more pets or a different kind. He is so funny to watch, I love hearing his singing, and he really likes being with us.

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