Henry!


He’s 54 years old.
He can be loud.
And he was always dressed in bright colors.
I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not describing myself. (Although I was also 54 at that time.)
That’s Henry, R & B’s double yellow-headed Amazon parrot.
B takes him out of his cage, and offers to snap a picture of us.
I’ve gotten pretty good at taking selfies with dogs of all sizes. But a step too close to his beak, and my ear might be a treat.
Just barely a month later, I receive an email asking if I had saved Henry’s pictures.
“Yes, I have them,” I said.
Made me sad finding out Henry just suddenly passed. But so glad I met him.
* * *
Our dogs, cats, birds and other pets aren’t just domesticated animals. We love them. Because they’re family.
We have family by marriage, and family by birth.
And family by the fact we do pick up after their doo.