Believe it or not, this is Grumpy, a 50-year-old cockatoo living his best life. He is a friendly and extremely playful parrot, proving that age is just a number.
However, Grumpy wasn’t always like this. He was once a scared and lonely bird until a loving woman stepped in and turned his life around.
Before living his happy life, Grumpy faced many hardships. He was originally a wild bird, caught and used for breeding purposes. Isolated and frightened, he remained this way until one shelter visit changed everything.
When a compassionate woman named Linda looked into Grumpy’s eyes, she realized he needed a better life.
Grumpy instantly captured her heart, and despite having no experience with birds, she decided to take him under her wing and give him the best life possible.
Linda began reading and learning about birds so she could provide him with the best care. The first thing she did was give him a bigger cage and a high-quality diet.
Sadly, despite her efforts, Grumpy was still afraid of her. He would hiss at her and jump around the cage, showing signs of distress.
However, Linda refused to give up on him. She continued learning and began training Grumpy. She shared in an interview:
“I trained him with apples because I thought when he was in the wild, he had fruit. And eventually, when I held the apple, I started scratching underneath his beak.”
Slowly but surely, and with a lot of patience, Grumpy began to realize that Linda was a compassionate person who wanted to help him.
He finally started to trust her and transformed, showing his big personality. Linda was proud of his progress, adding:
“I was honored that such a terrified creature was so scared of people, now he trusts me.”
Grumpy and Linda formed a strong bond, and they can’t stand being apart. Grumpy is always looking for Linda, and she can’t wait to come home from work to spend quality time with him.
Not only did Linda help Grumpy thrive, but he also helped her achieve her dreams. He inspired her to start writing children’s books, as she wanted to share the story of her extraordinary pet with the rest of the world.
Linda has no regrets about adopting Grumpy and advises everyone who wants a bird pet to visit a shelter and give these wonderful creatures a chance at a better life.