Rescues and or

Rescues and/or Sanctuaries

My husband and I are animal lovers who share our hearts and home with many feathered and furry critters. We contribute to many rescues and sanctuaries across the United States but geographically it's almost impossible to physically visit all of them. However, if you are considering a 'sanctuary' to leave your beloved companion in the event that you can no longer care for them, then you owe it to them to check out the facility yourself!

Simplified: A "sanctuary" is a permanent residence; there are no adoptions. A "rescue" is often given or removes an animal out of a situation (with the hope of finding a home for the pet). Frequently there is remedial work (health issues, behavior modification, etc.) and then they help educate people wanting to adopt. Know the difference when you're looking to place your bird. Do you want him/her to ever be adopted by another family? Many birds thrive in areas with children and interaction with other animals and family members. Other birds have no other place to go except to a sanctuary for reasons too numerous to list here. Make informed decisions because their lives are worth it and YOU are responsible!

There are many people that claim to be a sanctuary, rescue, rehab or adoption facility when in fact they use the animals for breeding programs or are the worse form of collectors … hoarders!

Definition (www.wordreference.com ) Noun: hoarder, a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use.

Hoarding is a bona fide mental illness related to obsessive compulsive disorder. An animal hoarder is a person who amasses more animals than he/she can properly care for. Such individuals generally fail to recognize or refuse to acknowledge when the animals in their custody become victims of gross neglect.

About ten years ago, I was donating to a facility that we later visited and discovered was in fact operated by a hoarder (and it is STILL in operation today). Since that time, we have become more thorough when investigating long term options for our feathered and furry family. You should too! What you see in print, what you hear from their spokespeople can often be misleading. If you are never allowed to visit, there is typically something wrong. Most sanctuaries have times that they prefer not to have visitors (feeding time, cleaning time, etc.) but typically there is a schedule for all these functions including visitation. Naturally, there are areas that you will be asked to respect (hospital, quarantine areas, infirmary) but all in all, you should be able to go and see the facility.

We have a business where we are frequently asked for our opinion on who would WE recommend for taking care of their birds should the need arise. I have a list of facilities across the country but won't personally "recommend" any one. We strongly feel that this is a personal choice and YOUR responsibility. (By the way, saying "Uncle Joe will take care of my bird," when in fact Uncle Joe hates birds and lives on social security probably means Uncle Joe is NOT the right choice.)

There are many ways to plan ahead for your pets so do your own homework, join your local bird club, search the internet, go to chat rooms, take the time to investigate, ask questions, educate yourself! It's very important and they're worth all the effort it may take! Most reputable facilities will have printed information on their websites (or you can request by mail) that you can review on your own. Collect this information to aid in your education so you can make an informed decision.

They are many reputable sanctuaries and rescues that need our help so whether you are considering one for the caring of a companion parrot when you're no longer able or in the name of a beloved one or just because you CARE … please consider donating! If you can't donate money, check out their wish list or donate your time! You'll be glad you did … we are!

Let's all be part of the solution … not add to the problem! In a perfect world, we wouldn't need 'sanctuaries' but then again in a perfect world, all birds would enjoy life just being birds.

Jan Graham

This page was last updated on 11/25/2024

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