Did I understand Chris to say he has 25-year-old dove? That is amazing. I once worked with a man that had a pet Bob White quail that ate table scraps stayed in the house and was let out during the day and let back in later when he pecked on the door. I have a pet cockatiel and a parakeet. The cockatiel does a catcall, Bob White and Woody Woodpecker sounds, but that’s about it.

I have a story. It’s a long one but very true. It all started 6 years ago at a friends New Years party. Along about midnight, they come in with 3 of the prettiest puppies. Well, in a drunken stupor, I agree it’s time for our 4 year old to have a pet. We picked out a male.
The mother is a full blooded, registered Golden Retriever. The father at the time was unknown. We now know the father was a German Shepard and Chow mix. Important to know because said puppy grew up to be a 101 lb beast.  Home we go.  Our son was elated and named his new pet, DJ. DJ being an abbreviation for Dale Jr. After 3 nights of DJ, I found the name totally appropriate. DJ would crap and pee on the floor faster than any human could ever clean it up. Fast forward 4 years. DJ is now a big dog and very much a member of our family. So, I take a vacation day one Friday just to have some me time. Wife is at work. Son was at school. I was chillin’ and headed to Bass Pro Shop to do some shopping. I slept in. Got up and poured my first cup of coffee. I walked to the backdoor to look out as I do every morning. Well, that’s when I saw something strange. It was DJ in the traditional dog poop position. Only this time there was something yellow hanging around down there. I did a double take. I got my glasses to see if I could identify the mystery yellow thing hanging from DJs’ rear. No luck. I got my binoculars and walked a little closer.  It was then that I made the discovery. DJ had eaten my sons yellow Pokemon bedroom shoe.  What I was seeing was the head of Pikachu as DJ tried to rid himself of this pest.  Now, I’m thinking “Great”. I’m going to end up taking him over to Florence to the vet. Not what I had in mind for my day off. So, I decided I would try to help DJ out. I went inside and got the wifes Playtex gloves.  I thought if I could get my hands on Pikachu then I might could snatch him out. Well, DJ had other ideas.  Everytime that I got close, Pikachu would disappear. He’d run off a few yards and assume that dog poop position and out would come Pikachu. Get close and Pikachu would go bye- bye. I was getting no where fast.  Now, I’m ticked. I know the day is going to be spent at the vet along with a big vet bill.  Light bulb went off.  I thought about slipping him a laxative in his food. Jumped on the internet and did a little research. The possibility of dehydration scared me away. Reverting back to my days as a student nurse, I remembered giving Fleets enemas. No fun but effective. I decided this would be my next course of action. Off to Wallyworld at 7:30 in the morning to buy KY Jelly and a box of enemas.  I will never forget the look on the cashiers face.  It was embarrassing.  So, I get home armed with all the necessary tools. DJ is now sliding is butt across the backyard.  I fixed him a nice plate of food to lure him.  The plan was to raise his tail and hit him with the Fleets before he had time to react.  It didn’t work. He tried to bite me. It really ticked me off. I decided I would tackle him, sit on him and get the job done. The problem was catching him. I ran that hairy sob all over the backyard.  After giving chase for about 15 minutes, screaming and hollering, I caught him.  I got a rope and tied him to the swing set. DJ was mine. I did what I had to do. He didn’t like it but there was no where for him to go. I finished and stood up to go back inside. It was then that I noticed my neighbor in their backyard. They had observed the whole ordeal.  They said nothing. They just stood there. Well, DJ finally passed Pikachu and is doing very well.  The neighbors haven’t said a word to us since.

Yes, Dave, you did hear right!  Chris has a 25 year old Dove. He’s had it since he was a kid.  If he checks out the blog today, I’m sure he’ll tell you the story.

I will Lyra. Mr.Mookie you are my kinda guy.

Yes Dave…I do have a 25 year bird.  Well, I really should say that he is at least 25 years old.  Actually, Valentine’s Day was the 24th anniversary of the day my cat at the time caught Dovey in my parents’ front yard.  Dovey was an adult when he was introduced to me, so for all I know, he could be 26, 27…heck, 30 years old or so.  The story behind it isn’t nearly as exciting as the fact the bird is STILL ALIVE!! 

As a very young boy, I was outside playing around dinner time and saw what appeared to be a white dove flying in our front yard.  Excited about this unusual occurrence, I ran inside to tell my mom who was cooking dinner at the time.  She shrugged me off and I went on about my business outside.  Minutes later, I heard a commotion on the carport at which time I discovered my cat had caught the bird.  Realizing I couldn’t get the bird away from the cat by myself, I ran inside, with more urgency this time, and got my mom.  The only thing I could think of to do was to pull the cat’s tail just as hard as I could.  As planned, the cat screamed, dropped the bird, and my mom scooped Dovey up.  All I had at the time was a small parakeet cage, so we put him in there until I used my allowance to buy Dovey the cage he still lives in today.

Amazingly, Dovey still happily “coos” his way through the day and into the night everyday.  I love to take him out of the cage to give him a taste of freedom, but at this point, he seems more content inside his secure cage, so I leave him there most of the time.

The cat that caught Dovey was hit by a car (how fitting!) about 20 years ago, but Dovey and my current cat Winnie are actually very good friends.  Who knew THAT was possible?!?

When he finally croaks. You can marinate him in some Italian dressing. Grill over hot coals for about 10 minutes. Turn only once. Serve with rice, gravy and grilled corn on the cob.

You ain’t right, Mr. Mookie!