Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!cognos!stewartw
From: stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Indoor: companion for parrot?
Message-ID: <9719@cognos.UUCP>
Date: 9 Jun 91 22:49:53 GMT
References: <11508@xenna.Xylogics.COM> <1991Jun8.174722.1045@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Reply-To: stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter)
Distribution: na
Organization: Cognos Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 43

In article <1991Jun8.174722.1045@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> vlf8v@cyclops.micr.Virginia.EDU (Virginia L. Fristoe) writes:
>           a zoo volunteer.  To make a long story short, the wing-clipped
>           yellow-naped was last seen in the dog's mouth. (This dog has
>           been trained to retrieve birds for almost two years).
 
    The dog is trained to catch birds.
 
>           Now, my 
>           friend was at fault or leaving the bird out of its cage in a
>           new environment.

   I would argue that in fact the 'fault' is that (a) the dog should have
been trained to leave the parrots alone (or NEVER put in the same room
even under supervision) and (b) they should always be supervised when in
the same room.

>           Moral of the story: If you do get a dog as a companion for a
>           bird ( and IMHO, I can't see these two species being that
>           compatible-emus HATE dogs, and cassowaries will eviscerate
>           them if they can, and those are huge birds, relatively), get
>           one that is not bred for any kind of hunting work! This includes
>           poodles, terriers, retrievers, etc.

  For what it's worth, our wheaten terriers are trained to leave the birds
alone.  In fact when we last had baby macaws they would chase the dogs
around.  The dogs were interested, but sufficiently afraid of reprimand
to actually move away from the birds even when approached by the birds.
I have seem many dogs and birds that get along really well, but I don't
know any of these owners that would actually let them be together in
the same room without supervision for even a minute.

  However, I must add that my sister-in-law's husband's parrot was eaten
by their Gordon Setters.  The dogs were not trained to leave the bird alone
and never really liked it.  The bird was left out on its cage a lot ...
yup a formula for disaster if ever I saw one.

  'nough said
     Stewart
-- 
Stewart Winter               Cognos Incorporated   S-mail: P.O. Box 9707
VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830  FAX: (613) 738-0002           3755 Riverside Drive
UUCP: stewartw%cognos.uucp@ccs.carleton.ca                 Ottawa, Ontario
The bird of the day is .... Green-Cheeked Conure           CANADA  K1G 3Z4