Paws for a Cause

Buddy is probably the best-known bird in this area. He is our delightful, incorrigible Umbrella cockatoo who has ruled the front lobby for 16 years. Buddy has us all trained, and he is a wise fellow who is willing to share some simple rules he lives by.

1. Buddy’s first rule of life: Say “Hello” to everyone. It is hard for anyone to sneak into the front lobby because on most days, Buddy will say a quiet “Hello,” but will get louder if there is no answer. Buddy does not care about your gender, ethnicity, age, or income bracket. Everyone is the recipient of his salutation. Late one Friday evening, I had to come back to the shelter. Buddy was asleep, but woke up when I opened the door. I must have startled him because he started yelling; it took him a couple of seconds to realize I was not a stranger coming through the door. I just said, “Buddy, it’s me.” He stopped yelling and said, “Oh, hello, Paulette,” in his sweet, sing-song voice. My heart melted.

2. Buddy’s second rule of life: Make sure the people you love know you love them. Buddy has been in love with April, the shelter manager, for almost as long as he

WRITTEN BY PAULETTE DEAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY

gone for a week for the first time since we got Buddy, I had no idea how he would survive the week (or how we would survive his yelling). I took a picture of April, printed it on a sheet of paper, and taped it to his cage. The entire time she was gone, he sat by her picture. Do your loved ones know you love them? Be a Buddy and never hesitate to tell them.

MEET MR. ENERGIZER CAT

has been here. There is no doubt about that at all. Buddy calls for her all the time, if he cannot see her. “April, April, April, April, April…..” You get the idea. Years ago, when April was going to be

3.Buddy’s third rule of life: Do what you need to do with energy and passion. Buddy plays with toys, squawks, observes, and even dances with such joy. Now, to be transparent, what Buddy thinks needs to be done is not necessarily what we think needs to be done. We really did not think that the window frame needed to be destroyed in the couple of minutes someone put his cage too close to the window and then left the office. Buddy stays out of his cage all day, but we had been careful to make sure he was not close to the wood window frame. He certainly destroyed it with energy and passion.

Wouldn’t the world be happier if we all lived by Buddy’s rules?