Sammy – The African Grey Parrot
The first time I ever met Sammy, the African grey parrot , he leaned up against the cage so I could pet him. I reached in and started scratching his neck beneath his feathers and he loved it so much his eyes rolled. His owner, who would turn out to be my abuser, gasped. I looked at him and said what’s wrong. He said Sammy never lets anyone pet him…ever! If you reach in to pet him he bites.
The African grey parrot with the cognitive level of a 4-6 yr. old child…
Did you know… African grey parrots are highly intelligent and can perform at the cognitive level of a 4-6 year old child in some tasks? They are notorious for mimicking noises around their environment and use them tirelessly. I read in one case where an escaped pet in Japan was returned to his owner after repeating the owner’s name and address. That just amazes me!
Let’s see what I can teach you…
Some of the things I was able to teach Sammy was singing the first few bars of a song…such as Twinkle Twinkle…I’m Dreaming Of A White Christmas…Jingle Bell Rock…Jesus Loves Me… and Happy Birthday, with a name included! He even learned my laugh, my tone of voice and my sneezes.
He would mimick things all the time… A one sided phone conversation right down to the beep that the phone makes when you press on and off. The hello…the pauses…the laughs…the comments…the good bye…the beep and the click that it made when you put it on the charger. (it was a cordless phone)
At Halloween he learned the routine of trick or treaters….The knock at the door… the door handle turn and the door squeaking as it opened…then in a child’s voice “trick or treat”… thank you…have fun…bye bye…door squeak and shut.
Sammy the African grey parrot….my friend and my joy.
The nighttime comfort…
One night about two a.m. I heard Sammy fall off his perch. I ran down the steps and found him a little dazed at the bottom of his cage. I started sratching his neck and in a quiet voice said; “What’s the matter Sammy? Are you okay? What’s the matter, are you okay?” And then I gently cooed to calm him, like I used to do to my children when they were babies.
A few days later, Bill, my abuser was in another one of his mean moods. When he came to bed around three a.m., I grabbed my pillow, went down to sleep on the couch and cried. Sammy’s cage was right next to the couch so when I put my head down on my pillow, the top of my head was touching his cage.
I heard Sammy shimmy down the side of the cage and he started gently pulling on my hair. I looked up at him and he softly said; “What’s the matter? You okay? What’s the matter, you okay” and he started to coo. I was crying and laughing at the same time.
Our morning routine…
Because an abuser tries to strip you of your self-confidence and self-worth, you really don’t hear many kind words. So I taught Sammy a few things. My favorite one was our morning routine.
Now, before I tell you what I taught Sammy, you need to imagine the scene… Bill and I were renting an old home that was built in 1924 while we were building our log home. It was a quaint little house, but everything creaked. Our bedroom was on the second floor and Sammy was on the first floor, at the bottom of the steps, around the corner.
In the morning I would get up, throw my bathrobe on, my hair at that time was very long, thick and naturally curly, so in the morning it was a big mess. I had no makeup on and always woke up tired looking. As soon as I would put my foot on the first step, which creaked like crazy, I could hear Sammy getting excited and shuffle to the right side of his cage. From there he could stretch his neck and see who was coming.
I would look down and as soon as he saw me he couldn’t stand still, he got so excited and it made me smile. As I came around the corner I would stop and say; “Good morning Sammy”. Then he would stand still and with great pride would say; “Good morning Pam. Your looking sexy today”. I would giggle, tell him thank you and as I walked away, he would whistle. That was our morning routine.
Our pets, our comfort…
I left my abuser back in 2000 and I haven’t seen Sammy since, but he will always be in my heart, he will always make me smile and I will always remember how he made me feel loved during a hard time in my life.
I know most of you have had pets like this in your life. Whether they are frolicking through the wildflowers in heaven, or they are still here giving you their unconditional love, they will always be special. Whether it’s a dog, a cat, a horse, a bunny or African grey parrot, whatever your pet was, I truly believe they are here to connect with us and to comfort us in times of need. Let’s love and appreciate them as much as they love and appreciate us.
A couple of suggestions for the special pets in your life…
Essential Oil Choice… Young Living Essential Oil Infused Products for your pet. More items on the YL website.
Pretty Puppies… Custom made walking harnesses fit specifically for puppies and small breed dogs, up to 14 lbs. Fashionable and safe harnesses, leashes and beds. New fall/winter coat pictured.
