Reply With QuoteDinoUndies (06-21-2011)
HARNESS TRAINING
I know that I am preaching to the choir here, but I am hoping that the story I heard today will give those of us in an occasional advisory position the courage to tell people not to be idiots...I also need to vent.
As I have mentioned in the past, Schroeder has a very active facebook page and this week one of his "friends" contacted me to ask about harness training. I told her that I used an aviator harness on Schroeder and that I liked it a good more than the feather teather for comdfort, ease of putting on the bird and safety. I also mentioned that the DVD that comes with the harness has excellent instructions on how to get your bird used to a harness and to follow them, even though it might take longer than she likes. I provided a few additional things that I had done with Schroeder and she replied that she had had her grey for 25 years and he wasnt some baby and she wasnt a novice bird owner and she was sure she could figure it out. (If shes had the bird that long, why is she asking me for tips?) That was Friday. I called her today to ask how her first training session went and she was hysterical.
Rather than following the instructions, she decided to just stick her bird in the harness, put him in his cage and let him get used to it. After he quieted down from screaming, she went to the cage to check on him. He was hanging from the harness with the cord wrapped around his neck, fighting to breathe and fading fast. As anyone would, she grabbed him, and began to try to untangle him. He was terrified of his owner and struggled, biting and fighting her while still unable to breathe. Before she could save him, he had a heart attack and died in her hands.
I know this is a terrible story, and certainly a rare, worst case scenario, but it is real. I have also noticed people that buy harnesses at the store I work at seem to return them a week after getting them because "bird hates them." This leads me to believe that most bird owners expect harnessing to be an easy, fun process. It isnt. It sucks. You have to be patient and take as long as your fid needs, not as long as you would like it to need.
For those of us lucky enough to have a fid that can go out in a harness, there is a joy and comfort in knowing we can take out bird out on field trips, have safe fun and serve as wonderful avian advocates. All of this takes a lot of work. The work varies from bird to bird. I have been working with Buddy on his harness for 8 months; we have just now gotten to the point that i can hold him and it at the same time. I cant even touch him with it yet. It only took Schroeder a couple of weeks and he was ok with it.
The best analogy that I can come up with is to imagine you are anxious and scared and your spouse is putting you in a straight jacket. You love your spouse(hopefully) and you trust them, but suddenly, with no warning they are sticking you in a straight jacket, despite the fact that you are screaming at them to stop. Scary isn't even the right word.
Please, please, please tell people to read directions, to pay attention to their pets wants and to be calm and patient. I am so sad. A sensitive grey, almost my age, died scared and betrayed by the person it thought it could trust last night because she couldnt stand to be patient. Please do what you can to keep this from happening to your friends fids, even if they dont want to listen. f they claim to knopw everything all ready, ask them if their ego and a few minutes of their time is more important than the health, well being and life of their baby. Harnesses are wonderful, but it is a serious piece of equipment, not a toy, and needs to be used properly.
Sorry about the downer guys, but I thought this should be shared.
Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 04:54<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 05:16
DinoUndies (06-21-2011)
OMG Jen, I can't believe she would be so impatient and so stupid as to put it on him and leave him in his cage and she has had this bird for 25 years, what an idiot.
I think you did the right thing in sharing it, who knows how many others out there would end up doing the same thing.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 05:14
Never take life seriously, no one gets out alive anyway!
I couldnt even comfort her. I was so mad. I know I was supposed to say comforting things like "It's ok, you didn't know." But the thing is it isnt ok and she did know. I told her to pay attn. I would have smacked her if she wasnt in another state.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/09/07 05:14
I am speachless.
That is so, so sad. I don't understand the mentality of anyone who would leave an Aviator attached to an unaccompanied bird.
I'm a fan of the Aviator - it's what we use - but I followed the DVD to a tee.
This should be a stern warning for those who "think they know better".
What We Do in Life Echoes in Eternity
Very sad story and infuriating at the same time.
It is unfathomable to me to understand how anyone could do that to their Parrot of any type.
I guess people do not realize the dangers involved and some don't even know that birds sometimes do die from heart attacks just by being toweled at the vets to under go "Tests or procedures".
Even Animals will sometimes die of fright leading to a heart attack, Humans too for that matter.
Thanks for posting this warning Jen. Hope people will read this and then watch the video and heed those instructions to a tee.
People must also understand, they may NEVER get their Grey to accept a harness.
Within all of us is a varying amount of space lint and star dust, the residue from our creation. Most are too busy to notice it, and it is stronger in some than others. It is strongest in those of us who fly and is responsible for an unconscious, subtle desire to slip into some wings and try for the elusive boundaries of our origin. ~K.O. Eckland, "Footprints On Clouds"
Dayo in flight....
I am stunned that there are humans without a BRAIN....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:evil:
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
You'll Always Be My Sweet Addiction........
What a prize PILLOCK!!!!!!!!!! Stupid, stupid woman :angry:
BTW There aren't enough angry smileys on this site, I need one with steam coming out of the ears! grrr
No fooling. On her facebook she made a comment about her baby dying unexpectedly and is getting a ton of attention. She failed to mention that he is dead because she killed him. Needless to say, I blocked her this morning.
Posting Permissions
