It is with a very heavy heart that I blog today. My pet Crow known as Betty died yesterday morning. So as a memorial to her, I would like to share her short but good life with you all so I know she will always be remembered.
My partner and I have been rescuing animals for over 10 years and we both have our favourite beasts, mine are Rotties, Dobermans and Bearded Dragons, for my "dearly beloved" it is Rotties, Dobermans and Crows. We had never rescued a bird before but knew how my "dearly beloved" wanted one. One day about 3 years ago I got the call I had been waiting for. I was called to a house because they had a baby Crow that had been the sole survivor of a cat attack on the nest, unfortunately for my little feathered friend, both parents and all siblings had been killed so I took the bird home to recover until we could let them free in September with all the other flappers of the season. After taking the bird home and introducing them to there new temporary home, it was on to the Internet to learn all we could. We phoned our Vet for advice who put us in touch with a few specialised local rescue homes who all offered to take the crow in but, as it was only going to be a few months until her release, we decided to keep the bird at home instead, with their support.
We christened her "Betty" as she reminded me of my mum (very feisty and beautiful). Betty settled in well and we slowly but surely helped her learn to fly. Around this time I noticed that despite "dearly beloved" spending more time with her than I, Betty seemed to prefer my company. One Sunday night I was reading my Tarot Cards in my little circle on the floor when Betty suddenly flew down and perched herself on my shoulder. It felt amazing to have this huge bird sat on me! It was then I realised that as I worked, she was watching my every move from her vantage point and it occurred to me that she was my very first "familiar". My simplest explanation of a "familiar" is what a black cat is to a witch. From then on whenever I worked, Betty would join me in my circle, much to the annoyance of "dearly beloved".
Betty grew and was getting too large for her cage so we got her a bigger one and got ready to set her free. Two weeks before her release she caught on of her claws in a tree stump and broke her leg trying to release herself. We caught her and took her straight to the Vet expecting the worse, after x-rays it showed 2 options, amputation or be put down. We decided she deserved another chance so we had her leg removed even though this meant she would never be able to fly free as other birds would attack her. We then turned our living room into an aviary which raised a few eyebrows amongst our friends but not only did she survive this major operation, she recovered very quickly too. All too often it is the stress that kills. Betty made friends with my 3 cats and played happily with them for the next couple of years. She was fine with one of my dogs but the others she just bullied and pecked when given the chance! Betty had a very full life for a Crow and enjoyed playing with various toys and throwing bedding material all over the floor, she was also brilliant at waking you up as soon as the sun rose which I have to say, as a human, not good but at least it was natural... For her! Betty was a good friend who seemed to listen when you talked to her and she would do anything for a Chilli Dorito crisp. Our Betty passed away in her sleep and we found her yesterday morning with her head under her wing, very peaceful. I miss her more than words and she enriched my life in many ways.
Rest in peace my little feathered friend. Betty RIP.
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