you know what leigh, I agree 100 percent with your origional statement... Dont et me wrong, this guys is an ass right now, but its his first day in rehab, he doesnt know whats goin on... He probably barley heard the words commin out of Barb's mouth... He's kicking, and believe me, he's hurting physically and mentally... I was thinking the same as you... with the habbit he had, I am amazed that he didnt sell the bird for a few rocks or whatever he did... Granted he took aweful care of him, but the bird meant something to him, otherwise, he never would have kept the bird.

I am not on his side whatsoever... He should not get the bird back... No matter what his intentions are, he cannot handle the responsibility... At the same time, he is getting help and he did the right thing by bringing the bird to the rescue and not just abandoning it.. He has feelings in there somewhere.. Its silly to think of what "might" happen, because who knows.. I dont know this guy, but if he truly wants to get clean, then he will, and mabe he can find a way to get his bird back after he's learned to take care of himself...

In the meantime... no, he should not be allowed to take that poor baby back, but he shouldnt be thought of as an ******* either.. There are small acts of compassion peeking out of his insanity.. Drugs turn you into something you are not, make you do things you wouldnt do... That is not a excuse by any means... now that he is workin on getting clean, he will be held accountable for his actions for the rest of his life, but in the grips of active addiction, you have no choice... life is consumed by doing anything possible to get straight...

Again, I am not sidin with him, I am sickend by this whole situation, but I also know how hard it is to turn ones life around.. I dont know if he's voluntarilly doing it, or is mandated, but either way, the message is now being brought to him... The birds as far as I'm concerned is no longer his... just for today... "we" need to look at the best interest of the bird and he needs to look at the best interest of himself...

They will both be in my prayers......

Barb thank you for all of your work and kindness towards these special feathered friends

Very well said, Josh. There are many layers to every situation and earlier today I was thinking of some of the very same sentiments.

Nicely put, Josh. They both will be in my prayers as well.

Well this thread is about protecting the bird. Nobody knows the human.

Do any of you know any addicts? You can't believe a word an addict says.

This bird could have been stolen from ANOTHER addict and when he couldnt sell him this guy, nicely turned him in. Nobody knows any facts.

If we want to make assumptions about drug addicts sorry, unfortunately the statement "if he truly wants to get clean then he will" is not statistically correct. Ask any rehab counselor. And getting clean once isn't any guarantee of the future.

I have 5 good friends who are lifelong addicts complete with relapses. High earning high functioning individuals. One of them has paid $35,000 4 times for rapid opiate detox and THEN went into formal rehab. He's 50 and not out of the woods by any means. He picked up his nice little habit in one of the most prestigious prep schools in NJ at age fourteen.

Only one keeps animals and has a network in place to care for them when he relapses.

If this were a human child in foster due to this type of neglect the kid wouldnt be released to the parent without parenting classes and months of conditions. Unfortunately this type of protection is difficult to get for one bird. So it's imperative that the rescue have a plan.

Barb thank you for being there.

Cindy, I will not post again, because I dont want this to turn into a fight......

You are right, this is about protecting the bird, all I said was that we have no right to judge the man... You are absolutley right... None of us know him, I even mentioned that... Do I know any addict? Yes, I can say I know quite a few... As far as rehabs go, I've worked in and with them for a long time... The statistics arent good, your right...
Did he steal the bird from another addict? mabe.... I personally doubt it.... an addict will steal, cheat lie, rob.. but I havent heard of an addict living in a teant for a whole year with a parrot... He couldve killed, sold or given away the bird at any time... and even if givin it to Barb was the the ONLY act of kindness hes ever done, its a start...

But not believe a word they say??? On the drugs, absolutley.. They will say anything... But there is a reason why smeone self medicates.. Underneath, MOST of the time there is a good person. Drug addiction is not a moral deficiency. This guy deserves the benifit of the doubt, and if not that, then he simply just deserves a chance. If he truly wants to get clean, then he will make a true effort to do it, the rest is between him and his higher power and nobody else....

Getting clean once is not any gaurantie for the future..... Your right again... But none of us have any gaurantie for the future... We are only given today. "yesturday's history, tomorows a mystery" but what would you say then? these "people" are hopeless?

The pain in his own head is greater than any judgment any of us can make... and I dont know him, but that is the one statement I can almost be positive of...

This thread is about Poncho, and like I said, he shouldnt get him back, all I asked was to pray for a lost soul.... we have only control over the bird, not the man, but everyone can use prayers and kind thouhts, no matter who you are....

This will go on for ever, so I am done here with this thread, I hope I made some sense, and hpe everybody knows this is purley my opinion, and nothing else...

I hope This cute Zon gets better quickly and finds a happy home

Josh, Im with you 100%!!!

I agree with Josh. No one knows anyones personal circumstance until you have walked in there shoes. I believe drug addiction is an illness, and whether the bird is returned to him or not, and whether he cares or not....being a human being involves some level of campassion.

I'm sure Barb will do whats right for the baby. But lets not judge those we do not know.

My prayers are with the baby that he gets well, and has a chance of being truley loved and cared for correctly. My prayers are also with the man. That he gets some peace & freedom from this disease..

is there anyway you can get to speak to this guys probation officer if this is the root you would like to take... h e may be able. to talk to this guy.. he probably got th e poor bird in a drug trade.. how sick is that.. poncho is such a sweetie. there is actually no telling what else is wrong with him. i am hoping he is in better shape than he looksIs he saying nice words that when he opens his mouth does nice words come out or do bad words come out. or does the guy even talk to it..

if you have just spoken to this guy can you ask him if you or a friend of yours can have the bird due to the cost being so high. is it a bill that he is willing to pay when he gets out of jail... etc... DOES HE REEALLY WAN T THIS BIRD
thoughts and prayers going out to poncho

Let's all please return the thread to it's original topic, that of a parrot in need of help, who was fortunate enough to have found his way to Barb. He is getting that help through her caring and generosity. Thank you Barb, and thank you all!

Barb-

Cant wait to hear how poncho's vet visit goes