Ty is my African grey parrot compadre. He’s been with me since he was six weeks-old and now he’s 13 years old. In a lot of ways we’ve grown up together. He’s moved with me from California to Florida when I got my first job training animals for a company that was working on setting up the bird show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. (Which wasn’t even open yet.) Then back again to Cali when I decided to return home. He spent a summer with me at the Toledo Zoo. He was missed desperately the 6 months I spent in Australia. In the morning cacophony of sulfer-crested cockatoos, I dreamt he flew to my window, all the way from America to help me with my homesickness. He didn’t come save me, but he kept himself busy learning to make a water dripping sound and a spot on imitation of a white-faced whistling duck while I was gone.
Ty the narrator of my life… demonstrating what happens when there’s a security breach:
That video is too cute. Was the first sound of him trying to call 9-1-1 for you?
Oh that’s perfect! From now on if he rings first I’ll say, “No, there’s no TIME to call 911– Sound the alarm. It’s a security breach!”