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            The history of the Minnesotan wolf encompasses two countries, and deals with several states. The wolf of Minnesota has known ideals from two continents and arguably tens of cultures. Through environmental studies done the world over, the definition of “wolf” changes continually, while genetics gives wolves many names and lines of descent. When dealing with the wolf bound to the land called Minnesota, it is difficult to be able to give a history of the animal without drawing from aspects that comes from outside of our borders. Wild and domestic animals in general, often including the human, do not understand territorial boundaries the way legal paperwork and treaty signings would have them defined. When people or animals move into an alien environment, they adapt while keeping teachings of old culture when applicable.

In studying the wolf of Minnesota, one must keep in mind that the wolf knows no boundaries of what humans feel it should be doing, and parallel to that, the human knows no boundaries to the extirpation or survival of the wolf, whichever they put their minds to. In understanding the wolf that calls Minnesota home, one must draw from European, Native American, and early American culture, along with biological aspects of the animal, and the land known today as Canada.

Until the advent of written language, much of the historical theories are just that – theories. When working with animal body types, population, and food source basically most theories are good theories. One theory states that wolves and our human ancestors shared the Great Lakes region for at least 10 postglacial millennia. ¹ Both the human and wolf species are very old, though stemming from two completely different biological backgrounds. It can be argued that the wolf is one of man’s greatest comrades, considering the theory that dog – or man’s best friend – is a domesticated version of its wild counterpart. Many other animals have become the tools of man, but none are celebrated as much as the dog. David L. Mech, a world-renowned wolf biologist, speculates that, historically, Minnesota held a population of between 4,000 and 8,000 wolves. ²

In all of the histories of cultures, the wolf is probably not more celebrated than among the Native American tribes, one of which call Northern Minnesota home. In a part of the Ojibwe creation story, the Original Man is the last creature to be created. He is given the task of walking the world to give names to all of the life forms that came before him. One of the many things he noticed was that all of the creatures came in pairs, while he himself was alone. The Creator responded by not providing a lover, but a brother: the wolf (Ma’iingan in the Ojibwe language). These two creatures then traveled the world together, and during their time together they became very close and grew to realize their unique brotherhood. When the travels were over, the Creator said that Original Man and Ma’iingan must separate their paths. Despite their physical separation, Original Man and Ma’iingan would be forever linked and The Creator told them, “What shall happen to one of you shall also happen to the other. Each of you will be feared, respected, and misunderstood by the people who will later join you on this Earth.” ³

There are dozens of species of wolves in the North American continent. Many are found in relatively small geographical areas, while some are found in huge territories. Many of these wolves appear to be similar at a distance, but at the microscopic level they are very different animals. In the Minnesota region it was widely believed the wolf that lived here was called Canis Lupus Lycaon (Eastern Timber Wolf), but today it is known to be Canis Lupus Nubilis (Great Plains Wolf). Scientists generally use the term “Gray Wolf” to refer to the animal of Minnesota, while laymen refer to it as the “Timber Wolf”. ⁴ Both of these species enjoy a relatively large area of homeland, basically splitting Canada in half and spilling over the man made border into the northern states, including Minnesota.

The emotional responses elicited by the wolf have two general beginnings one in the old world and the other in the new world. Europeans brought with them an all out hatred for the wolf, considering them to be “vermin” and “varmints.” ⁵ On the other hand, in the new world, American Indians owed thanks to the wolf, as the Indians learned about hunting techniques, social organization, and how to manage territories from the wolf. ⁶ These clashes of what the identity of the wolf was were problematic for those who came from the old world where extirpation was a common solution to predation. Those who lived in the new world and had learned to live alongside many of the life forms they shared their territories with, ranking the wolf as part of their spirituality.

As history played out, and as we know today, the old world overwhelmed the new world and generally “won” the battle of cultures. In 1849, a bounty system for wolves was instated in Minnesota, and each pelt brought a trapper $3. ⁷ By 1965 all bounties ended in Minnesota, and by this time a wolf pelt brought $35. ⁸ During the time between 1849 and 1965 hundreds of small events around the nation, and within Minnesota itself, helped turn the table for co-existence with nature and the rehabilitation of populations of all sorts of flora and fauna. Beginning in 1914, predator control became a national policy. ⁹ In all respects, it had been a non-legislative national policy before hand. In Minnesota from 1945 until 1964 it was legal under the bounty program for citizens to obtain permits to shoot wolves from airplanes. But, in the 1950s aerial shooting was eliminated over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). ⁹ This can be considered a pre-cursor to management, as ecologists, biologists and some of the private citizens were calling for strict policy to protect the dwindling natural beauty of Minnesota, and the sportsmanship found here. Several factors in the history of Minnesota wolf eradication are exclusively Minnesotan. While wolf populations in the southern prairie areas had been hunted drastically due to the excellent line of sight for hunters, by the 1900s only some wolves could be found in the area. ¹⁰ Though, most of the population was found in the northern Coniferous forests. ¹¹ Other factors present that affected the wolf populations in Minnesota at the time, while in other places they had been eradicated, were due to the industries of northern Minnesota. Farming was uncommon in the forested areas while mining, tourism, and logging were the big businesses, and these types of industry do not have special reasons to kill wolves, as compared with farmers. ¹³

In 1966 a pre-cursor to the Endangered Species Act (1973), called the Endangered Species Preservation act, classified the wolf of Minnesota endangered in 1967. ¹⁴ Because of the previous laws banning aerial hunting in the BWCA, the fact that federal lands were now havens for wolves was not too much to ask from the Minnesotan people – partial protections had already been in place, and fairly accepted for more than a decade. Minnesota Legislature authorized a predator control program in 1969, which is unlike the bounty program in that authorized agents are allowed to remove wolves only from certain areas under certain conditions. These trappers were paid $50 per wolf. ¹⁵ Wolf management zones soon cut the state into two areas. The first or Zone A is found in northeastern Minnesota, the Arrowhead region, considered to be prime wolf habitat, and wolves are protected to the fullest extent. The second or Zone B is the rest of the state where wolves can live, but are not necessarily desired. Both areas allow private citizens to protect their own lives, livestock, and pets, but Zone A only allows for short windows of state administered wolf control, whereas Zone B has licensed trappers to remove problem wolves lethally. ¹⁶ Decades of population studies have occurred in since the Endangered Species Act. These studies are important for many factors including the need to know how wolf populations are doing, how the prey populations are doing, how disease and parasites are moving through the populations, and to be able to manage conflicts between humans and wolves.

Each wolf takes between 18-20 adult deer through the year, averaging out at 40,000 a year. Compared to deer hunters who have taken between 60,000-80,000 deer during a similar time span. ¹⁷ Deer populations can be drastically hurt during extreme cold weather years, not only because predators kill them, but also because food becomes scarce and they can starve to death, which makes them better targets. On the reverse side, mild winters do not help wolf populations, because the fawns’ physical conditions are increased and are able to flee attacks by wolves. ¹⁸ Loggers have helped wolf populations grow because they clear areas that becomes prime deer habitat. With expanded habitat, mild winters, and better management, deer populations hit all time record highs in the 1990s, which in effect helped wolf restorations because, not only was there abundant food, but also myths surrounding the idea that wolves would wipe out deer populations were debunked. ¹⁹

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wolf population survey of 1978-79 estimated a population of 2,450 wolves in an estimated 385 packs statewide. This is up from the mid 1970s population count by David L. Mech, which counted between 1,000 and 1,200 wolves. ²⁰ This is several hundred more than the minimum population goal of 1,600 set by the Wolf Management plan of 2001. Coinciding with these population counts, the Endangered Species Act prohibited the killing of depredating wolves, as an alternative they were relocated, unaffecting the survival of the offending wolves. ²¹

In the year of 1978, not only were wolves in Minnesota reclassified from endangered to threatened, but the Minnesota Legislature also enacted a state compensation program for confirmed wolf depredations. ²² The depredation plans set forth from this act have attempted with all their might to allow humans and wolves to co-exist with minimal lasting hurt to either side. In theory, this is not a complicated idea, but it is complicated in the field. Wolf complaints are categorized as: 1. Confirmed complaints require evidence of wolves with canine puncture marks on the depredated livestock, wolf scat, and wolf tracks. 2. Probable complaints have inconclusive evidence of wolf tracks, scat, or evidence on the kill itself. 3. Confirmed non-wolf complaints are determined that another species took the depredated animal.  4. Unconfirmed complaints do not meet any of the above criteria. Also, complaints about wolves harassing livestock, perceived threats to human safety and property, and nuisance animals have been recorded. ²³ This act of compensation is a symbolic gesture to the heritage of farming in Minnesota. With enough prey, and state of the art animal husbandry techniques, depredations by wolves and other predators can be curtailed. Those who are in charge understand the mentality of the minority, those who have to battle between profits and predators, and also the emotional response given by those who see the wolf as a symbol of the wild – a beautiful creature who should come above humans in the scale of needs. This symbolic gesture does come with a high price. Between 1977 and 2006 in the state of Minnesota, $1,206,228.52 was paid out to farmers suffering from depredation of livestock. ²⁴ The amounts paid throughout the years go up and down as farmers are entitled to fair market payments, and the prices of livestock rise and fall at regular intervals. There is also a correlation between livestock killed in one depredation event and the livestock’s size. During the months of April through October, cattle are put out to pasture to calve and depredation incidents usually range between 1-2 calves. When wolves come in contact with free-ranging poultry, the numbers go up to between 50 and 300 animals lost in one night. ²⁵ During the years of 1975 through 2006, as part of the wolf depredation management, 2,991 wolves were captured and removed from depredation areas, while in 1978 through 2006, 2,656 wolves were killed, ranging from 2 to 216 wolves annually. ²⁶ Even with these high problem wolf removal strategies, this does not mean that wolf depredation on livestock is an epidemic. Some wolf packs live near livestock without ever depredating them, while proportionately few packs cause depredations. ²⁷

The history of the Minnesotan wolf comes from the population of Canadian wolves. Since animals can freely move between our two countries, this has helped the fact that when gray wolves only inhabited 3% of their former range in the lower 48, they still called northern Minnesota home. ²⁸ The Superior National Forest, bordering Canada, has been a huge factor. The revival of wolf numbers in Minnesota prompted Wisconsin officials to draft a management plan, and more or less waited for dispersers from Minnesota packs to cross their border and call Wisconsin home. In 1974, four Minnesota wolves were relocated to Michigan. Within one year all of them were dead, due to human or vehicle deaths. ²⁹ This is when Michigan decided to take the same steps that Wisconsin did – wait until their neighbor had a good sized population and wolves moved in naturally.

Originally, the intent of the Wolf Management Plan of 2001 in Minnesota had very specific goals within it, population, range, and prey abundance near the top of the list, which must be met for five successive years for the federal agencies to return control over the wolf to the state. ³⁰ This has been achieved many times over even with changes made to the plan in the last decade, namely upping the minimal population of wolves within the state. Many private organizations attack attempts at de-listing the wolf and in so giving control back to the states, Minnesota included. While it does seem that Minnesota has its act together and would have a very high success rate if they were in complete control of their wolves, many states are not working in favor of the wolves. It can be theorized, since this history is still in the making, that outside organizations do not have faith in several wolf management areas outside of Minnesota, and that giving one state the right to manage its resources would have a domino effect and states that are not ready for the task would fall into step too soon for their own struggling wolf populations.

A full out war on wolves is not really a Minnesotan style. States further to the west completely resist any predators in their mainly agricultural lands. Their wars have been what some consider unethical. In 1905, Montana cattlemen forced the passage of a bill that mandated veterinarians to infect wolves with mange and release them to infect others. ³¹ A chemical called strychnine was also a common poison used for predators, namely wolves, which killed everything that ingested it. The last wolf that called Wyoming home was killed in 1943, while the last two wolf pups were destroyed in 1924. ³² These simple acts strengthen the opinion that the collective United States mentality is not ready to have complete control over its resource, the wolf. The battle of the future is not only at a state level, but at a cultural level too. Even today, the rebound of the wolf has great meaning to the Ojibwe people, who believe their future is intertwined with that of the wolf. ³³ These people may disagree entirely with Minnesota state management of the wolf, because the animal is not only a resource, but also a spiritual being going back to their creation, and considered a brother.

Even now, there is no real definitive outlook on what will happen to the Minnesota wolf. Recently, federal funding has been pulled for depredation programs, but it is still so uncertain, it is not even credible to cite such sources yet. This cut does not just include the wolf that calls Minnesota home, but many other subspecies are put into complete peril by these budget cuts, and in such a way that speculation says that this could be the end for these animals that still need special consideration. There is still confidence that Minnesota is ready to be given control of their wolves, but as Minnesota is the frontline for much of the research and ideals when it comes to wolf management, it has set very high standards. The plight of wolves in Minnesota has been a long road, and it will continue to get longer. Even though there is a lot of history behind the rehabilitation of wolf populations in the state, it is easy to imagine that the most exciting history is yet to be written.

End Notes

Secondary Sources

1. Curt Meine, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 2.
2. John Erb and Michael W. DonCarlos, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 53.
3. Peter David, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 267-268.
4. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 81.
5. Curt Meine, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 2-3.
6. Peter David, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 268.
7. International Wolf Center, Gray Wolf Timeline for the Contiguous United States (International Wolf Center, website)
8. William Berg and Todd Fuller, Wolf Population Expansion in Minnesota (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, website)
9. Curt Meine, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 3.
10. John Erb and Michael W. DonCarlos, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 50.
11. International Wolf Center, Gray Wolf Timeline for the Contiguous United States (International Wolf Center, website)
12. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 81.
13. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 82.
14. John Erb and Michael W. DonCarlos, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 49.
15. John Erb and Michael W. DonCarlos, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 51.
16. Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Wolf Management Plan (Minnesota DNR, website, 2001)
17. William Berg and Todd Fuller, Wolf Population Expansion in Minnesota (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, website)
18. David B. Ruid, William J. Paul, Brian J. Roell, Adrian P. Wydeven, Robert C. Willging, Randy L. Jurewicz and David H. Lonsway Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 280.
19. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 84.
20. William Berg and Todd Fuller, Wolf Population Expansion in Minnesota (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, website)
21. David B. Ruid, William J. Paul, Brian J. Roell, Adrian P. Wydeven, Robert C. Willging, Randy L. Jurewicz and David H. Lonsway Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 286.
22. International Wolf Center, Gray Wolf Timeline for the Contiguous United States (International Wolf Center, website)
23. David B. Ruid, William J. Paul, Brian J. Roell, Adrian P. Wydeven, Robert C. Willging, Randy L. Jurewicz and David H. Lonsway Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 280.
24. David B. Ruid, William J. Paul, Brian J. Roell, Adrian P. Wydeven, Robert C. Willging, Randy L. Jurewicz and David H. Lonsway Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 290.
25. David B. Ruid, William J. Paul, Brian J. Roell, Adrian P. Wydeven, Robert C. Willging, Randy L. Jurewicz and David H. Lonsway Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 281.
26. David B. Ruid, William J. Paul, Brian J. Roell, Adrian P. Wydeven, Robert C. Willging, Randy L. Jurewicz and David H. Lonsway Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 287, 228.
27. David B. Ruid, William J. Paul, Brian J. Roell, Adrian P. Wydeven, Robert C. Willging, Randy L. Jurewicz and David H. Lonsway Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 281.
28. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 82.
29. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 82.
30. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 83.
31. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 100.
32. Steve Grooms, Return of the Wolf (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005), 101.
33. Curt Meine, Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009), 276.

Bibliography

Berg, William, and Todd Fuller. “Wolf Population Expansion in Minnesota.” International Wolf Center. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources , n.d. Web. 12 March 2011. <http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/intermed/inter_population/mn.asp>.

“Gray Wolf Timeline for the Contiguous United States.” International Wolf Center. International Wolf Center, n.d. Web. 12 March 2011. <http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/wow/regions/United_States_Subpages/History1.asp>.

Grooms, Steve, Return of the Wolf, (Nova Vista Publishing, 2005).

Minnesota. Minnesota Wolf Management Plan. Minnesota DNR, 2001. Web. 11 March 2011. <http://www.fws.gov/midwest/wolf/stateplans/pdf/mn-wolf-plan-01.pdf>.

Wydeven, Adrian P., Van Deelen, Timothy R., Heske, Edward J., editors. Recovery of Gray Wolves in the Great Lakes Region of the United States, (New York: Springer Science + Business Media, 2009).

From their website:

The Wildlife Science Center is an independent non-profit organization located 30 minutes north of the Twin Cities. We were established as a non-profit organization in 1991 after a 15-year history as a federally-funded wolf research center, the “Wolf Project.” When the federal funds ended, some of the existing staff chose to assume financial responsibility for the 30+ wolves living here at the time. Staff increased in number, and the diversity of the animal collection expanded to include black bears, raptors, bobcats, gray fox, critically endangered red and Mexican gray wolves.

http://www.wildlifesciencecenter.org/

Title: Money Breeds Misery

Thesis: Cruel treatment of the animals in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop.

I: American farmers began looking for a new cash crop after WWII ended, beginning the American puppy mill.

1. From WWII until the 1990’s animal treatment was fully substandard for a living creature.
2. Year 2000 to the present showed a lot of changes in the public opinion of commercial dog breeding centers

II: Puppy mills are the worst possible situation a family pet can come from.

1. There is no medication or socialization of the dogs born in a puppy mill.
2. When a female is no longer producing the ‘crop’, she is destroyed in an unspeakable manner.

III: Mill owners exploit their animals to generate maximum profits by cutting corners to produce as many dogs as quickly as possible without spending much money.

1.  Many mill owners view their dogs as livestock, and do not treat them any differently than a cow or chicken.

2. Medication, toys, and healthy foods are left out of the mills in order to generate more profits.

IV: Animals of all species have evolved in the minds of American owners from working to pleasure animals.

1.  Families welcome pets into their home as part of the family.

2.  Dogs are not looked at as working animals in the modern American home.

V: Psychological problems in puppy mill dogs make them unsuitable for living in a home with humans.

1.  The dogs are mentally abused by the mill owner when he does not give the animal enrichment toys.

2.  Mental illness is prevalent in animals that are bored and un-trained.

VI: The physical problems puppy mill dogs endure are quite commonly easily treatable and preventable.

1.  The dogs are left outdoors without shelter which is considered abuse in modern America.

2.  Non-treatment of medical conditions mixed with no preventative measures creates very sick animals.

Conclusion: Mistreatment of dogs in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop. In the majority of American households, dogs are not the equivalent of money, but that is how they are treated in these puppy mills. Mental and physical abuse destroys these dogs’ ability to be a family pet because they either die at a young age, or are so wildly handicapped that they cannot be kept in the average American household. Americans do not view their pets as working stock, as they once did before, but are purchasing from people who believe the dog who is going to be living in your house, should be treated no differently than a cow or a chicken. Worldwide, people are sickened by animal abuse but these mills thrive in our nation, our back yards, where when female dogs cannot breed anymore, they are simply killed. This is not the standard we hold true in our households so it should not be a standard we hold true in the neighbors’ back yard. Dogs deserve to be treated with dignity. If we expect a dog to live in a household with a human being, they need to be able to trust and accept that human being. The dogs do not learn trust being born in a mill, they learn only distrust. The heartbreak that follows the death of a beloved pet is very similar to the heartbreak of losing a grandparent, sibling or parent to death. It is even more tragic when the beautiful little pup purchased days ago dies in her new owners arms, from a score of infections and diseases that were caused by another human being. There are decent, reputable breeders out there who keep their dogs in conditions worthy of man’s best friend. Substandard facilities that breed dogs must be phased out of the American culture immediately, because my dog deserves to be treated better than a ‘crop’.

—

American farmers began looking for a new cash crop after WWII ended, beginning the American puppy mill. The USDA supported these farmers in their enterprise of creating the first commercial dog breeding kennels. By the 1950’s department store chains including Sears and Montgomery Ward began to sell mill puppies, and at the same time the nations first pet store chains were created. The federal Laboratory Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1966, setting minimal standards for the care, housing, sale and transport of dogs, cats, primates, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and other mammals held by animal dealers or laboratories (ASPCA Puppy Mill Time-Line). Four years later the act becomes the Federal Animal Welfare Act, which covers all warm-blooded “laboratory animals”; animals sold as pets, and animals used in exhibitions, excluding animals sold in pet stores. Licensing was now required of all animal dealers. Fourteen years later investigations find failings in the enforcement of the Federal Animal Welfare Act in commercial dog breeding facilities. During the 1990’s Dockotr Pet Centers were closed nationwide, due to huge numbers of complaints against them for selling sick dogs. The problem was so great that in 1997, Pennsylvania, followed by 17 other states, enacted a “Puppy Lemon Law,” making pet stores responsible for selling sick animals, where they have to refund or replace sick or dead puppies. In late 2008, the ASPCA raided a puppy mill and seized over 200 dogs. Early 2008, a puppy mill owner was required to pay only $35 for operating without a kennel license after being charged with animal cruelty. An amendment to an existing farm bill prohibited importation of puppies less than six months of age for resale in May of 2008. One month later the biggest puppy mill raid in Tennessee occured, where over 700 animals were rescued. In August and September of 2008, animal welfare groups worked together to get congress to pass state laws demanding that only veterinarians perform surgeries on dogs, including debarking and cesarean births and close a loophole on breeders who sell directly to the public through internet and press (ASPCA Puppy Mill Time-Line).

Puppy mills are the worst possible situation a family pet can come from. Dogs in these mills are inbred, generation after generation, in squalid conditions that deteriorates health even further. The dogs live in cages not meant for dogs: wire cages usually built for rabbits are packed full of dogs. Most of these cages are so small that the dog cannot turn around or stand up to their full potential, due to the design or crowding of several dogs in one cage. The cages are usually stacked upon each other to maximize space, forcing the dogs in the top kennels to defecate on the dogs in the wire cages below (Bell).  All of the dogs are malnourished and dehydrated. Eyewitness accounts describe animals being fed maggot-infested food (Sacks). Veterinary care is non-existent for these dogs, including serious injuries received when dogs turn cannibalistic due to starvation. None of the animals receive any basic vaccinations and suffer from easily curable illness on top of their painful genetic anomalies. Female dogs suffer the worst of all because when they reach sexual maturity they are bred every six months for the span of their reproductive life: five to six years. When the females cannot be bred the mill owner ends their lives in unspeakable manners sometimes including cyanide, medication overdose, guns, or simply letting them starve to death. Now a new young female becomes a mother. Cruel treatment of the animals in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop.

Mill owners exploit their animals to generate maximum profits by cutting corners to produce as many dogs as quickly as possible without spending much money. Most of the United States puppy mills can be found in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania.  Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is referred to as the puppy mill capital of the United States (Alfonsi and Gerstein). Large portions of these puppy mill site owners are Amish. The Amish say they raise dogs much as they would any other livestock, restricting the dogs to small cages and killing the parents when they are no longer productive (Hinds). Productivity is needed to be high in order for the entire community to survive in an Amish society. This includes working animals that need to do jobs for their Amish owners to help the community. The dogs become meaningless objects, commodities that are disposable. The 1940’s idea of a cash crop is still a huge part of the feelings of 2009 breeders.

Animals of all species have evolved in the minds of American owners from working to pleasure animals. Most of the pets in American homes are purely for entertainment and love. Some humans even advocate for the rights of their furry, scaly, or feathered family members and would rather they be called companions than pets. In recent years, marketing geared towards the family pet has increased, and humans are increasingly purchasing birthday and holiday presents for the four legged family members. A person can even purchase health insurance for their pet, any and all species included. Many laws exist on both state and federal levels to give American pets some sort of rights when it comes to their individual welfare; most of these laws are the direct result of individuals wanting the best possible life for the pets whom they share the world with. This respect for all living things has come a long way from the prehistoric view of animals as nothing but objects. The modern American family does not ask anything from their pet directly. The dog is thought of as man’s best friend, and this statement cannot be truer now than it was hundreds of years ago. The dog has always given the human master unconditional love, but only now is our society in a relationship where we do not ask for anything but that love from our dogs.

Psychological problems in puppy mill dogs make them unsuitable for living in a home with humans. Close contact between newborn pups and their mothers is necessary for mental development in a young dog. When the mother of a puppy is mentally challenged due to inbreeding, disease, or starvation, she cannot fully care for the pups to give them the benefits of a healthy life. The dogs living in the mills do not get toys or treats to allow them to develop mental capacity. Playing fetch with a dog is a learning exercise with rewards, and it is extremely fun for both dog and person. Eye-mouth coordination stimulates the brain, fights boredom, and strengthens the bond between canine and human. In a mill setting where a dog cannot stand or turn around, boredom sets in and causes a sort of canine psychotic episode, where the dog will chase its tail for hours and hours. This activity in mill dogs is not cute or funny; it is a sign of complete mental instability due to psychological abuse. Human contact is extremely limited for the dogs. They do not receive exercise, or even basic grooming (ASPCA What is a Puppy Mill?). These dogs shy away from hands and contact, sometimes even getting violent due to being a cornered, caged animal. Puppies develop behavioral problems because the big kennels cannot give the puppies sufficient human contact (Hinds).

The physical problems puppy mill dogs endure are quite commonly easily treatable and preventable. When (the dogs) come out of the rabbit hutches they walk like crabs because they do not know what it is like to walk on a proper surface, and they drag their bodies (Alfonsi and Gerstein). Some farmers debark their dog, which consists of hammering a pipe down the throat to break the vocal cord. Cuts and abrasions from the wire cages cause bleeding paws, and by adding in the filth and common dogfights infection is a problem for these dogs. Kennel cough is a common respiratory infection that can occur in any kennel that houses several dogs in close quarters, including shelters and dog sitting businesses. Mange and fleas are easily preventable by simple grooming practices, but most puppies suffer from both when they arrive in pet stores. Some mills keep their dogs indoors, where heating and air-conditioning does not exist and these dogs must deal with un-circulated, un-cooled air during the summer, and freezing air during the winter. Other mills keep their dogs outside with no shelter at all from any of the elements (Bell). The common puppy mill states have four seasons, and these dogs must deal with blizzards, thunderstorms, and heat waves by cuddling together for safety and warmth, or using each other for wind and sun blocks. All of these factors and more contribute to the illness dogs endure, that come to pet stores and are sold to unsuspecting consumers.

Mistreatment of dogs in commercial dog breeding facilities must stop. In the majority of American households, dogs are not the equivalent of money, but that is how they are treated in these puppy mills. Mental and physical abuse destroys these dogs’ ability to be a family pet because they either die at a young age, or are so wildly handicapped that they cannot be kept in the average American household. Americans do not view their pets as working stock, as they once did before, but are purchasing from people who believe the dog who is going to be living in your house, should be treated no differently than a cow or a chicken. Worldwide, people are sickened by animal abuse but these mills thrive in our nation, our back yards, where when female dogs cannot breed anymore, they are simply killed. This is not the standard we hold true in our households so it should not be a standard we hold true in the neighbors’ back yard. Dogs deserve to be treated with dignity. If we expect a dog to live in a household with a human being, they need to be able to trust and accept that human being. The dogs do not learn trust being born in a mill, they learn only distrust. The heartbreak that follows the death of a beloved pet is very similar to the heartbreak of losing a grandparent, sibling or parent to death. It is even more tragic when the beautiful little pup purchased days ago dies in her new owners arms, from a score of infections and diseases that were caused by another human being. There are decent, reputable breeders out there who keep their dogs in conditions worthy of man’s best friend. Substandard facilities that breed dogs must be phased out of the American culture immediately, because my dog deserves to be treated better than a ‘crop’.

Bibliography

Alfonsi, Sharon and Gerstein, Ted. “Puppies ‘Viewed as Livestock’ in Amish Country.” ABC News 27 Mar 2009 Web. 22 Apr 2009.

Bell, Alison. “Tales of Woe: The Shocking Truth About Puppy Mills.” Teen Magazine 14 June 1997 73-75 Web. 22 Apr 2009.

Hinds, Michael. “Amish at Heart of ‘Puppy Mill’ Debate.” The New York Times 20 Sep 1993

Web.22 Apr 2009.

“Puppy Mill Timeline.” The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 2009. ASPCA. 22 Apr 2009 <http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/puppy-mill-timeline.html>.

Sacks, Pamela. “Puppy Mills: Misery FOR Sale.” Animals 133Sep/Oct 2000 10-14. Web.22 Apr  2009.

“What is a Puppy Mill?.” The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 2009.  ASPCA. 22 Apr 2009 <http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/puppy-mills/what-is-a-puppy-mill.html>.

Bachmann is a complete and utter joke. Moving the bridge a mere few miles down the road is not going to help alleviate traffic on highway 95. Anyone who has driven in this part of Stillwater knows the roads are not much wider than a toothpick, and parking can be a nightmare. She calls this area a “transportation corridor”, but Stillwater’s lift bridge doesn’t go to a city, it goes to a forest. The same will be true for a bridge to extend highway 36 before it curves north. If traffic were really so terrible in this area, commuters would drive the extra handful of miles to the Interstate 94 bridge, and pass over the river in multiple lanes at high speeds. Not more than a handful of days ago, Bachmann had been telling American taxpayers to not pay their taxes due to the unrelated health care reform (theweek.com). She is in support of citizens not paying taxes, but she wants a $668.5 million dollar bridge built the next day? Leave our St. Croix River alone! I agree that the lift bridge is out of date and needs updating, but I would support to keep the bridge where it is. If this is an argument for the greatest good for the greatest number of people, we need to remember that these commuters choose to live out of state to travel to their jobs. Jobs they may not have for more than 30 years. The St. Croix River has, and will continue to be with us for centuries. Hetch Hetchy was dammed for the citizens of a city who lived on a major fault line, who didn’t have much access to water. They chose to have their city there, and we have lost a beautiful valley in a National Park. The greater good is not for a few commuters, but for the generations of humans, citizen and foreign, who enjoy the St. Croix River as just that, a river. If they want to experience water in a tunnel, I strongly suggest the Mall of America.

He did deserve more than that.

And now, a vague history:

As far as I know, I have never met my biological grandpa Vern. It would be impossible to see him now, as he died years ago. I was not notified at the time of his death, because I had Lee. Recently, my gramma has told me of her wedding to Lee. It occurred at about age 3 months for me. I was not there, and neither was my mom. Her two brothers and her were weary of Lee. I will not go into narrating what I have heard, but you can imagine any child(ren) in the situation of a new man moving in and taking mom’s time. In respect to my mom’s opinion of him, she had a hard time with Vern, and never forgave him for how he treated my grandma. Gramma told me he used to cheat on her, spend his paychecks at the track – forcing her and the kids to go hungry – your average dirt bag stories. It is only fair that a child and/or young adult to see any father figure as a dirt bag, after having that kind of experience with them. I have had the story of why gramma married Vern, told to me by my great aunt. She theorizes that my gramma married a dirt bag, because this dirt bag stood up to my great-grandmother. He did the kind of “shining knight” deal.

So my memories of Lee, and my gramma are few and far between. Fortunately at the time, unfortunately for memories, they understood that I was living my own life – and felt it was unfair to infringe on my habits after they had already been created. That is how caring my grandparents were.

Then suddenly, Lee was dead. I knew he was not a healthy man. Some of the talks we had had definitely gave the impression that he asked more out of his body than necessary, working in factories and driving trucks. His stories were extremely powerful. He could put the terms of decades I didn’t know into words I could understand and vividly see. I was there with him in that factory. I was riding shotgun in the semi-truck.

As a child, I used to tease his dog Max. Max was a simple creature. The great ceramic jar holding his treats was always in his line of sight. I would place my hand on the jar just to see his ears rise tall. I would take my hand off and watch his ears droop. Then I would give him a treat. This amused Lee, because it amused me. Then Max died. I haven’t seen his treat jar since.

I live about 11 miles from my gramma’s house. Only, her house is in a place that was only recently recognized as a town. Therefore, all the action was either west or extremely south of where she lived. I only ever really went to the town once I got my drivers license to use the bank and sometimes the post office, when I didn’t have to go to the city to get other stuff done. One day I was walking out of that bank, only to see my gramma walking towards the building I had just left. I stopped and said, “Hi!” She muttered her greeting, and kept walking as though I was a stranger. I thought to myself, “Fine, I’ll go talk to Lee!” (who was sitting in the passenger side of their car.)  I tapped on the window, which gave him an obvious start. He rolled down the window and said, “Hello, sweetheart!” in his tone I will never forget. We got to chatting, and he told me they were going to the casino and grandma had to get some cash. She walked by me while I was talking to Lee through the window, sat down, buckled her seat belt and asked him, “Who are you talking to?”

“Your Grand-Daughter, of course.” he replied.

Lee would pull himself out of his chair when I showed up and hug me like… only at that moment was his life complete. Then he would head to the kitchen and prepare a feast. I learned that if I was hungry and looking for a good hiding place, it was at gramma and Lee’s house. This sentiment hasn’t died down since Lee has been gone – gramma is always filling me full of foods either store bought, or acquired from friendly neighbors. This recent Christmas, she sent me home with gifts of food given to her from kindly neighbors.

I was asleep at the time Lee killed himself. I was also asleep when my mom ran out the door, after a cop had showed up looking for her. My gramma had requested her presence. She hardly woke me up as she ran out the door saying something along the lines of, “There is something wrong with Lee.” I was a second shift worker – and my loyalty to that shit bag company found me in my bosses office. I told him I was there, but I wasn’t going to do a damned thing that day. I was a supervisor, but today I would just make sure no one else died. I had talked to mom via phone before I left for work, but my knowledge was that Lee had simply died. I called my mom from the office phone, and talked to her. She dropped the bombshell of a lifetime. During her conversation with me, I was extremely confused about some of the words she was using to describe Lee’s death. Only then did it dawn on her that I didn’t know Lee had killed himself. I was inconsolable.

Pam, the office lady found me laying on the picnic table crying and inquired to my state. She listened to the beginning of my day with quiet interest. She then told me to get off that table and get home. She didn’t care if our boss was mad, work was no place for me on that day. I promptly left.

I soon found myself in gramma’s driveway. It was late into the afternoon, and all the strangers of earlier were gone. This was the first time I came through the living room door – and the last to this point. We hugged, we cried, we talked. The theories of why Lee had taken his life were out on the table as the number one agenda. Apparently Lee had taken his pills on time that morning. His wallet also had cash in it. Someone, somewhere took this as a sign that he had not been planning this day for his death. Taking your pills on time, and having a stash of cash ready for the next excursion to the casino is not a pre-meditated suicide. Gramma was not at home when it happened. She had an early appointment to get some work done on her car. She arrived home to find Lee’s body just inches away from the front step. If he was planning to take his life before she returned home, it was pointless for him to take his medication that he had to take to survive.

Something had happened to Lee between 8:15 am and 8:30 am to make him decide to take his life. He had written in his notebook that he had taken the pills. There is no reason to believe he would lie about a simple day to day task.

He did take time to write my gramma a goodbye note.

My dearest Barbara, I can’t go on living like this. I’m sorry.

Gramma admitted to us that he had been having troubles with his body as of recently. He had been falling down a lot, and not able to make it to the toilet in time. I’m still not sure why she never called someone for help, but I can believe it was Lee asking her not to. He was a good, proud man. Watching his own body fail must have been terrifying enough, but having others watch him was not acceptable.

Mom and gramma talked about how he had been threatening suicide for 20 some years. Mom had reasoned with him about it. Apparently, he would talk about shooting himself in the bathtub as not to make a huge mess. Mom argued that if Lee did it that way, my gramma would never be able to live in the house again. I sat in horror while these stories became known to me. This was not the story of the Lee I knew. He would tell my gramma that if she ever came home and couldn’t find him, he’d be dead next to the tree his beloved cat was buried under. Throughout these stories, I sat quietly, absorbing a new image of Lee.

I felt bad for him. He was so sick, he had to kill himself next to the doorstep. He couldn’t even make it the 100 feet downhill to his cats burial site. However little I felt I knew this man at this point, I knew it must have hurt him greatly to be sitting next to the step for my gramma to find.

When questioned, the neighbors said they had heard two gun shots. Lee checked to make sure the gun was working, the second shot took his life. He was laying on his back, face toward the sky, eyes closed. It was such a clean shot, that when my gramma approached him – she simply thought he was laying there. The police dug up the blood stained ground and removed it so my gramma wouldn’t have to see his gore every time she walked out her front door.

I have come to terms with the reality of the situation. The things I could have done differently, are just speculation. Life played out the way it did. Even if I would have been able to tell him goodbye, I know it would not be easier. If I would have known about his suicidal ambitions before his death, it would have been no less of a shock.

There is one happy moment through all of this. At the time, I was dating a boy I worked with. Gramma had been over and met this boy. At the time, I knew Lee needed to meet him. I brought the boy to Lee, and introduced them. Gramma told me that the meeting was all Lee talked about for the entire time he was still alive. “Michele brought the boyfriend over just to meet me,” he would tell her. Even though my relationship ended, it makes me happy to know that in a way, it made Lee feel special.

Lee was special.

When I was a baby, Lee offered to take me for ice cream in his truck. My mom was terrified at this notion for unknown reasons. When we returned, I was full of ice cream, Lee was full of ice cream, and his truck cab was full of ice cream. All we did was laugh. I am saddened that I cannot recollect this memory, but I am glad it is told to me over and over again. I not only made Lee laugh, but I spoiled his truck and got him sticky with ice cream. This leads me to believe that he got the best of me, and I of him.

Talking about my grandpa Lee’s suicide comes hard for me. I listen to my gramma talk about her lonely life without him, and cry and hug at appropriate times. About a year ago, I was in a composition class and we were asked to write a narrative. I do not know what led to me deciding to write about Lee’s suicide, but it was a strong urge – and I did it. It would mark the second time I wrote of his death. The first time was a simple diary post for remembrance of the bleak day.

Here is my essay.

—-

A police officer in the front yard of my house notified my mom that something bad had happened to my Grandpa Lee and that my Gramma, as I call her, needed her. I was simply told Lee had died. I called my mom to talk about what had happened, and she used terms unfamiliar in a story where someone had just died. I remember asking her to clarify. “Oh damn, I thought you knew… Lee killed himself,” was what she muttered in a solemn tone. The mystery of why Grandpa Lee took his life left me confused and angry at first.

Lee kept his deteriorating body a secret from me, along with his real thoughts about life. Apparently, Lee had been talking about killing himself for the last twenty or so years. He would tell my Gramma that if she couldn’t find him one day, to call for help because he would be beneath the tree his beloved cat Cleabon was buried, dead. My head hung in total horror when I had learned these things. In my time with him, Lee had always been full of cheer and love. Suicide plus Lee was never an option, at least how I knew him. Gramma continued talking about the medical problems he had been suffering in his old age. He had been on hundreds of different medications and I knew that. What I didn’t know was that he couldn’t always make it to the bathroom. Lee had also been suffering from constant falls. He was losing the dignity a person should have in life, and Gramma never spilled those secrets until after he was gone.

Feeling rage and anger at Lee and myself was not the way I should have been dealing with the death. In the first few hours and days after Lee’s death, I equally cried tears of sorrow and tears of rage. As a granddaughter I should have been visiting him and Gramma more often. I should have been able to say, “I love you!” one more time. Being a better granddaughter to a man who never saw me for anything less than perfect is what he deserved and I couldn’t even deliver that, is what I felt. Then I did the worst thing I could have – I began to feel rage toward him. A thousand different questions raged through my head. They all pointed to one general question, “WHY?” I loved that man, and he hurt me. Rage seemed like a perfect emotion to be feeling at the time.

Some weeks later I began to feel respect and understanding toward Lee and his choice. Lee did not want to live without mind, body, control of his future and as a burden as he saw when his uncle had been forced into a retirement home. Being to several retirement homes and seeing people in their last moments of life, I understood the fear he had been feeling towards losing the choice over his life. I can now say I agree with him about not wanting to die without any remembrance of dignity. Condemning him for dying in an unorthodox way is not what I ever meant to do. I respect that he saw something he feared and conquered it, even if his choice brings me to tears for the rest of my life.

There will honestly never be an end to this narrative. I change daily because of the events of the day Grandpa Lee left me. I have come a long way from the angry girl who was still here hours after he left. The time that has lapsed between then and now still leaves me crying and hurt, but empathizing to understand his last thoughts leaves me feeling complete. I never stopped loving Lee, even when I was red faced angry at his choice.  Forgetting about him was never an option. Learning to understand and even respect his decision has been my only option to cope.

—-

I love you, Lee.

One of the great complexities of human life, is a concept of ownership. My property, your property, our property. Children under the age of five struggle with this concept greatly. While humans can learn to share, the idea of private property still sometimes is just too much for even an adult to understand. Our world is filled with car thefts, identity theft, and even sex crimes that make it pretty definitive that some people do not understand concepts such as mine and yours.

Why then do we make the assumption that our pets understand the idea of property lines? People are murdered, genocide committed, and wars fought over land. Humans cannot even agree on what parcel of land belongs to whom. We cannot assume that our pets can even begin to understand what “my land” is.

I have been prompted to write my disgust about pet owners who let their pets roam freely due to this article: Cat who boarded the same bus every day killed in a hit and run. Casper the cat had managed to gain quite the amount of fame recently when it was discovered he rode a public bus daily. His owner stated that she did not know where he was disappearing to everyday, until a bus driver alerted her to his strange fare.

So what are you trying to tell me lady? Your cat disappeared for an hour everyday (for four years), and you did nothing about it?

Now what really bothers me is the reasons some people give for letting their felines free roam:

I cannot get him to stay inside

It is cruel to force a cat to stay inside

I would not want to be locked up all day

He only stays in the yard, so he is safe

These are just a few examples of the idiocy of people who allow their pet to free roam.

It is almost as if these people cannot grasp the concept of animal and human brain functions. A cat does not give a damn if your property is marked by a road or a fence on all four sides. He does not even know why the roads or fences are there. He does know that it is easier to run on the road, than crash through the bushes. He also probably has figured out that there is a lot of dead things to munch on while running down the road.

His person should probably know very well just how dangerous vehicles are. True, most of their danger comes only when a human is behind the wheel, but a vast majority of vehicles have chemicals in them. One simple leak of the oh so nice tasting anti-freeze can kill any creature tempted enough to lap at the puddle.

Engine blocks are a great place for a feline, or rodent to lay on a winter day to keep warm. Kitten stuck under a car narrowly avoids catastrophe Now we have to take into account just how cruel people are. People do swerve to hit animals on the road. We do not like to think about it, but they do. Cat super glued to highway, dies This cat was not intentionally swerved on, but it is a fair assumption to think that whoever glued the cat to the highway wanted death. Fortunately for the sick individual(s), the cat did die from injuries, but it was not due to tires.

So now the pet owner does not just have to worry about the vehicle or the person driving the vehicle. They now have to take into consideration that there are people out there that will do everything in their power to make sure a pet is run over on an interstate.

But wait… If it is only cruel people and human inventions we have to worry about – why should the rural cat owner not let his cat outside?

If FIV and FeLV is not enough to scare a cat owner, that person should not be able to have that title. Predation is also a concern in rural lands with free roaming felines. Hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, bears, cougars, domestic dogs – the list can go on and on – can have a severe impact on the lifespan of a cat. Those who take into consideration that a cat is a predator, and makes free roaming kitty wear a bell, could be notifying other predators of a tasty meal. Exposure to the elements can be harmful to the free roaming feline also, especially if they develop a weakened system due to eating carrion. It is not uncommon for rural areas to have different mindsets from their urban neighbors. Poisoned meat left out in order to kill pest animals like rodents can end up in the digestive tract of a family pet. It is also not uncommon for rural areas to have a “shoot, shovel, shut up” motto when it comes to killing protected predators that disturb their livestock. What makes you so special that your cat will no be shot by the neighbor with guinea hens or chickens?

Well I have written a whole lot about what the irresponsible pet owner does. If you are still with me, you are asking, “What can I do? Kitty really, really likes going outside. I am not going to deny him that!”

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO

Dig through your spare change jar, the floor of your car, and the bottom of your washing machine. Did you find a few dollars?

Good!

Go to any pet store, and buy a collar. Now go to any hardware store and buy a length of rope and a snap. If you still have some change left over, buy a brick or even a stake with an eye loop in it. If you are short on cash, go home and find any weighted item that can have a piece of rope tied to it.

Tie your snap and your weighted object, or stake together.

Place the collar on the cat.

Snap the collar to the rope.

Place the cat outside.

Make sure he has a place to hide from the sun, something to drink, and a way to communicate to you when he would like to come inside. Making sure he cannot climb up on something and strangle himself is also a good idea. Branches and twigs might hamper his experience, so some slight gardening experience may be needed.

This photo is of (now) five year old Zoey. She has enjoyed her leash life greatly for her entire stay here with me. She had to learn how to tug on her rope if she went through tall grass or got snagged on a branch. She has also learned the wonderful skill of following the rope through the bars on a BBQ grill to untangle herself. Sometimes her person has to help her, but usually that is by simply coaxing her back through the way she first went.

She does not even notice her collar and leash while she is bird watching. The bird is flying too high for her, and she is quite lazy when she wants to be.

If through all of this, you are still with me, I am glad something might have sunk in. If you are just waving your hand dismissively at my collar/leash approach, shame on you. The only reason that this cannot work in your own backyard is if you are too lazy to pop your head out the door, or look out a window every now and then to check on your cat.

Life is not fair, it is full of compromise. If you cannot compromise for the well-being of your feline, you do not deserve to have one.

Zoe came into my life because I recently had a female parakeet, whom was rescued from deplorable conditions, pass away. Both her and her mate were never properly named when they were with their captors, and they never really got names here other than “Little Parakeets.” After she passed, I became distressed for her lovely mate being a solo parakeet. They are extremely social animals, and I feel it to be very cruel to take one, especially since they had been together (presumably) all their lives, and make him a loner. I went to the Humane Society and got a male/female pair named Tiki and Banana. All three birds LOVED each other when they were placed together, and have had a great time until recently.

Poor Banana, being the only female, was constantly harassed by my mate-less yellow boy, and her own mate Tiki. The stress on her was apparent, and she was separated from them for a few hours of the day so she could have a break. This lifestyle seemed unfair to her and her boys. I searched around craigslist and the Humane Societies (via petfinder) looking for a single female parakeet, or a pair of bonded females, to bring home. I was having terrible luck.  Even while surfing the Humane Societies websites, a lot of parakeets were labeled the wrong sex. Other people feel that it is acceptable to force me to pay for their mistaken purchase threefold and take all of the accessories, that I really don’t need, to give their neglected (often damaged) birds a new home. I was becoming distraught. I adopted Tiki and Banana from the Humane society for $16, without accessories. I felt this fair, as they are unsocialized adult birds.

I had peeled back my search quite a bit, figuring this was the wrong time of year to be hunting for a single or pair of female parakeets. We were helping Banana relax as much as possible during this time.

By wondrous fortune, I decided to have a look late in the night for postings at craigslist. It just so happens that the second post was for a female parakeet looking for a new home due to unforseen changes in her current home.  Her owner and I exchanged several emails. Then we chatted on the phone. He seemed very pleased with me, and I made my way to get Zoe and bring her home. This kind man was looking for a good home for his precious bird, and I have a lot of avian experience. True, most of my bird keeping has been during my extremely younger years, but I have practically grown up with cockatiels and parakeets. All of them have been rescued, all of them have been damaged. When they got here, all of them were only expected to eat – poo – sleep – and be birds in this household. He sent me on my way with 6 month old Zoe, her cage, some food, bedding, and all of her toys and accessories for free. I made it clear that if he ever wanted an update on her, he need not hesitate and email me at anytime.

Zoe came home with me on December 7th, 2009.

If she isn’t the most endearing bird I have ever met! All of my birds are bestowed with toys beyond their wildest dreams, but Zoe is the first bird I have had that constantly plays with her toys! She is energetic and carefree! She also rules the house! Chip the cockatiel is allowed to roam free twenty-four hours a day. Zoe had been used to flying in her previous home, so we decided she should have that freedom here. We thought perhaps that Banana and Zoe should be cage mates, while the boys were left to their own devices. Apparently, Banana is not a fan of Zoe. We didn’t push their relationship after the first 10 minutes. Then it was decided we would let all of the birds “free range” and see who attracted who.

Zoe was too busy for all of that nonsense.

She had to explore the two cages that were new to her. Chip the cockatiel was very reluctant to let her be in his domain, but she is nimble and stealthy. She is quite often seen sitting on his perches, eating his food, or swinging on his swing. He has pretty much given up on her, but will not allow her to land on the top of his cage if he is up there, and she is absolutely restricted from the bottom of his cage. She makes it all seem like it is her idea to let him have his way. She also likes to explore the other parakeet cage. She will chase the other little birds around trying to get them to play. Their toys are now her toys, but she allows them to keep them for her. Zoe likes to practice acrobatics on her own swing, either going to her rings, or hanging from her lantern. She will also pick a seed from her dish, fly to her mirror and feed herself. As the days pass, she uses her mirror less and less, but socializes with the other birds more. Just yesterday, she was viewed playing in her bird bath. She will actually roll over and shiver her body in the water before bouncing out and begin preening herself.

She is an absolute joy!

When it is time for bed (a word she has learned quickly), she will flee from her cage and become a nuisance. She does not like bed time for birds, it is always too early. Usually my little yellow male is in her cage, as they have taken a keen interest in each other. Sometimes they will pick up seeds and feed one another. Other times, Tiki is in her cage when it is bed time, and he is left in there because it is too difficult to make him leave.

Zoe tries to coax the other parakeets out of the cages to explore with her. Since it is fairly apparent that her and the yellow male have bonded, they are often found in Chips cage playing with his toys. He will also follow her to her own cage and she must show off her toys, but he is scolded if he touches them. He seems to adore her.

My new little bundle of feathered joy has been a blessing. She is bringing the other parakeets out of their shells. She is teaching them how to fly, and how to play. She is also harassing Chip, which he so desperately complains about, but welcomes. She makes her people giggle daily.

I am coming to the conclusion that her temperament has a big part to do with her name. She is a little queen, just as Zoey the cat is. This is her house, and the humans here are only allowed to be here by her good graces (another Zoey the cat trait).

I can’t imagine my life without either one of them.