August 20, 2012 – Meet Gizmo. He looks sweet, doesn’t he. He’s not. Correction, he can be, when he chooses. Oh well, he’s our monster. For some reason we keep him around. I suppose he’s smart enough to turn on the charm often enough that we don’t toss him into the stew pot.
Twenty-odd years ago I worked in a pet store while I was working my way through my first graduate degree. I’d always liked birds and this little guy came through the doors. He was being unloaded by an owner who couldn’t keep him anymore, and he’d already been through an abusive home. He suckered us in, and by the time we figured out he wasn’t as sweet as he’d led on we’d already decided to keep him.
I hate the way pets that aren’t really good pets make the rounds when people discover that they really don’t make good pets. Parrots are a lot of work. They are perpetual two year olds. They have temper tantrums, shriek and destroy, and make a terrible mess. They also can be sweet and loving and can melt your heart when they want to.
And thus, 22 years later, this character still graces our home and drives us mental. But when you make a commitment to an animal I believe that you should keep that pact.
And so it continues.
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