Some have called me a modern day Dr. Doolittle of sorts, giggle I guess a little maybe. As far back as I can remember we always had pets of all sorts. Hardly ever been with out a cat for sure, however there have been all sorts. When I was five we had one cat, one dog, two birds, and a tank full of fish, two rabbits and white mice. Yes mice, I raised them and then sold the Babies when they were old enough to the pet store for ten cents a piece. Little did I know then they were being used for food. But I was happy as I could be making my own money to buy penny candy or saving it up for a toy. Back in 1973 a dollar went a long way! Plus I had the mice trained to stay on my shoulder and they would give me kisses on my ear that tickled or ride in my pocket. The birds I taught to talk, one was a parakeet the other a cockatiel. The cockatiel loved to sit on top of my head a clean my hair like he cleaned his feathers. The parakeet also learned to wolf whistle, which my Grandmother didn't appreciate giggles .
In my early twenties I had gotten a job in a pet store on Staten Island, NY where we sold all kinds of animals and supplies. One of my favorites was a cockatoo named Sammy who was raised in the store by the manager Kathy from a baby. All white with a little yellow underneath his crown. Sammy would only go to Kathy, however with time, soft talking and a lot of peanuts Sammy and I became friends to the point if I asked him he would give me a kiss right on the lips. When I would take him out of his cage he would snuggle up to my neck to give me hugs, and clean my hair. It got to a point I was never walking around the store without something, even got over my fear of snakes. Well baby ball pythons to be exact. The young man in charge of that department helped me get over my fear and they needed to be socialized so I always had one wrapped around my neck or my ponytail. There was also a large window box filled with bunnies and guinea pigs. I would get in there and sweep out the bedding, mop, and put down fresh bedding down then sit in the window and cuddle them. They would all be clamoring to get in or out of my lap for love and attention. But when other co-workers went in they’d scatter, so every time someone needed a bunny or a guinea pig I was the one who had to go in because they all would come to me. Customers reactions were priceless no matter what I was holding at any given moment, I just loved that job.
The one apartment I had on Staten Island, NY when working at the pet store, Kathy the manager had to move and gave me her two thirty gallon fish tanks full of fish. Well, she had them pretty spoiled. Despite regular fish food they got treats like shrimp and such. There we angel fish, kissing gourami’s, a Sicilian worm (looked like an eel) etc. So, I started training the fish to not be so scared any time I put my hand in their tank I would take a pinch of the shrimp and hold it letting them eat it from my fingers. Eventually they learned that if I put my hand in the tank not to be afraid and they would rub up against my arm like a hug hoping for shrimp. I loved it! Because they were so big, being in a big tank with only a few of them in there, I would amaze people by hand feeding them and petting my fish like pets. Also the Sicilian worm I named Lee (eel spelled backwards) he needed breathe air and would come up for air often so I eventually got him comfortable enough with me that I could pick him up and take him out of the tank for very short period of time only because his skin would dry out very quickly. But it was still a lot of fun to hold him, and introduce him to people.
During a trip to Staten Island Zoo in New York I was in the building where they have the monkeys and a chimp was chattering like crazy at me and putting her hand out. So I spent a lot of time talking to her she was so little and cute. The zoo keeper came by to feed them and told me that I looked like the spit n image of her past trainer that left the zoo for another job and that the chimp’s name was Annie. So I visited Annie as often as I could and would talk with her. She was such a sweetheart, chattering away, trying to share her fruit with me through the bars. There were other animals at the zoo that seemed to take a liking to me also. In the petting zoo they had all sorts that would run to whoever had food but would come to me even if I didn’t have food and no one understood why. I simply talked softly, and rubbed gently behind the ears or under the chin. The zoo had a sign saying don’t pet the donkey, mule or Shetland pony they bite. They never bit me though, you just had to read their body language, be patient and gently rub behind the ears which were their favorite and they would fight each other for my attention. Same with the deer, they didn’t like rapid movement or loud noises. But by standing still and keeping quiet they would come to me and nibble on my sleeve, lick my hand and let me pet them gently.
During a trip through West Virginia driving along Sky Line Drive I Spotted a doe eating beside the road so I motioned to my friend to stop, rolled down my window and we shut off the engine. I talked to the doe and put my hand out the window. A short time after she came up to me, sniffed my hand so close that I could feel the warmth of her breath, the moisture on her nose and then turned away to go back to eating grass. I was thrilled to have a wild doe come up to me like that, it was fantastic! A similar thing happened during a visit to Valley Forge in Pa. They have literally hundreds up to a thousand deer at a time in there. Driving through we passed a doe with a fawn near the road. I asked my friend to stop and shut off the engine just like before and did the same thing by rolling down the window, putting my hand out and talking to them softly. Sure enough the doe came over and sniffed my hand and stood near the car for a bit eating grass. We had apples in the car so I sliced one and fed her pieces of apple and my friend was just astonished how I got a wild deer with a fawn to come up to me and eat right out of my hand.
One visit to an animal park near Pittsburgh, Pa called Living Treasures; they had just gotten a pair of tiger cubs. One white Bengal and one Sumatran, and they were so cute! They weren’t very active, actually looked kind of depressed. Having helped deliver many kittens, and being able to mimic the sounds a mother cat makes, I started doing so with these babies after everyone left the area. Well, their ears perked right up and they came over to me. Before I knew it they were purring like freight trains and rubbing their faces up against the bars! Then a young man came by who was feeding the animals and closing the park for the night. He was amazed saying that they have been depressed since they arrived. I would have just loved to cuddle them! It broke my heart to leave as I could still hear them calling as I had to walk away.
During a camping trip in the Pocono Mountains while sitting having some dinner at a picnic table I spotted a chipmunk pop up from a hole in the ground, grab a nut near by and scamper back underground. The next time he popped up I tossed a piece of my hot dog bun to him; he stuffed it in his cheek and deposited it in his burrow then came back for more. Each time he came back for more I tossed it closer and closer to me and kept talking to the little fellow who also then brought up a friend one that was much smaller than him. I named them Chip and Dale. Chip got comfortable enough with me that eventually he would come and take peanut butter bread and crackers from my hand until his cheeks were so stuffed they couldn’t possibly hold any more and then he would go empty them. Dale wouldn’t go far from the burrow but he would sit up and look cute while I talk softly to him. Chip would great me each morning sitting patiently by the picnic table. I talked softly to him while preparing breakfast and of course then sharing it with Chip and Dale. Chip would devour his peanut butter bread until he was full before he would start stuffing his cheeks again to share with the family in the burrow. Sure was fun having them for neighbors during our camping trip.
So I guess I am a little like Dr. Doolittle. I know I certainly wouldn’t mind being able to actually talk to animals!
