NEWS
Lost and Found or the Great Cockatiel Adventure
Johnny and Pony Boy together again and chatting away.
Two cockatiels who live in a nice, warm home with Angie and her fiancé, Daniel, had a cold and unexpected adventure from Sunday until Monday.
Even S.E. Hinton, author of “The Outsiders,” could not have scripted a better story with a happier ending, following 24 hours of anxiety and fear. The cockatiels, Pony Boy and Johnny, are named for two characters in Hinton’s novel, one of Angie’s favorites.
But due to the kindness of strangers and the connections of Facebook, the cockatiels were found safe and sound, albeit more than a little cold.
“Daniel and I are renovating our house, and on Sunday, we opened the door to let the dogs in, not realizing that the birds were so close. We have not clipped their wings and we let them fly around the house. They flew out the door like a shot and were immediately gone from sight.”
Daniel and Angie looked all over the neighborhood and beyond on Sunday until late that night, fearing the worst. At work the next morning, she told her co-worker all about what had happened, thinking that the cold weather or another, bigger bird would have done them in by then. But when her friend looked at Facebook, she saw a posting about a cockatiel that had been found on Highway 3, fully two miles from her house. The kind stranger who found the bird, Johnny, kept it safe until Angie could pick it up.
Jayden, Angie’s grandson, playing with the cockitiels. Johnny is standing on Jayden’s head and Pony Boy is perched on Jayden’s shoulder.
Johnny missed his friend and paced in his cage on Monday and into Tuesday. He wouldn’t come out, but made little, sharp cheeps all day long.
“Daniel is a great whistler. Around Christmas, he whistled “Jingle Bells” constantly and both birds picked up on it. So, they whistled “Jingle Bells,” too. We’ve had them for about two years, and they are sweet, loving birds who land on our shoulders just to be close to us. Both birds also make sounds identical to police sirens from hearing it on the television! I was afraid that Johnny wouldn’t want to whistle again.”
Pony Boy was still out there, somewhere, but Angie was losing hope that they would find him. Then, on Monday, up popped a picture on Facebook of a cockatiel that local eighth graders found in Hobart Park on the Davidson campus. Pony Boy was alive! And he had flown from his house in Mooresville to Davidson, a total of over 11 miles. Pony Boy actually walked up to the teenagers, seeking help and warmth.
Amanda Preston, Communications Director for the Town of Davidson, posted Pony Boy’s picture and the story of the young people who found him. These good Samaritans gave Pony Boy a
Angie, Pony Boy and Johnny’s owner, with the birds’ rescuers, two middle school students from the North Mecklenburg area.
home in this cold weather, with one of their mothers even buying a cage and food in order to take care of the bird. They made sure that no one on campus claimed the bird and assumed it was the pet of someone close by. A friend of a friend of Angie’s alerted her to the picture, and Angie worked through the town and contacted the kind-hearted young people.
Pony Boy was reunited with Angie late Tuesday afternoon in Davidson. “They are standing next to each other in their cage and won’t move an inch. They are happiest when they are with each other and us. I can’t thank the people enough who showed such kindness to my birds in this bitterly cold weather and Amanda Preston with the town who got me together with Pony Boy’s rescuers.”
So, Pony Boy and Johnny, you have seen something of the great, wide world. What do you think? Is there no place like home? Angie certainly thinks that you two make her home a better and happier place, so your new Davidson friends hope you will stay put.
Marguerite Williams
Marguerite (Margo) Williams is a novelist ("Madame President"), editor, and business owner of A Way With Words. She has lived in Davidson since 1977. Visit her at her website.