When we tour facilities and gather data, I am able to get a lot of fascinating information from the facility owner that may not make it into the database, simply because of the nature of the data we are collecting. I want to allow readers and fans to follow our experience and get some more personal information about each facility, so we will be conducting short interviews with each facility we visit. I hope this will give you better insight to each facility.

Emily: What made you decide to start an exotic bird rescue?

Sonya: Working at the sanctuary here in Washington state gave us a much needed boost to see the need. We have the passion, the space and did a lot of research to see what we could accommodate.

Emily:  You are celebrating your one year anniversary – can you tell readers one of the most challenging things you have faced during this year, in regards to the rescue?

Sonya: The most challenging? There are many many many. Don’t want to spoil the good. However. The biggest challenge was staying away from the negative aspects of folks who wanted to try and hurt the very cause of helping birds do to personal issues with us. Not the rescue but us as people. #2 People feeling as if they have ownership of the rescue i.e. we support so you should listen to what we want you to do. Many folks had come to us telling us what to do and what not to do. What to rescue, what not to rescue. It was mind boggling to say the least.

We awake and tend to the flock and awoke to many folks behind key boards telling us how to run a rescue when they don’t have one to run? I could not grasp the idea at all. #3 I Learned that one thing was evident to expose all we do had it’s downfalls folks turned a lot of goodness into there own playing field of rumors and acts of “noise” in which took form the very purpose of caring for the birds. #4 That a lot of passion can be misconstrued to my way or no way. We stay focused on the birds and learned that everyday there will be neg factors thrown our way. We became very exhausted with NOT the birds but with human element. We had to reassess and then move forward, reassess and move forward.

Biggest struggles are the human elements that get in the way of goodness! Yes many may not like what I have to say on that aspect, but all know it is true. Second struggles is committed volunteers and members that give fully to the birds in car,. and as always funding for the birds in our care. We are constantly building more and more to attend to the birds needs.

Emily: Scooter is probably your most famous resident – tell us her story

Sonya: Scooter story is::: Scooter did not show up to us in a state of perfection. Scooter, cannot walk, perch, or even stand like most of her kind. For most her story is known, and for others it is not, I will not go into that here. What I do want to tell you that Scooter and our family have broken the bounds and definition of perfect in my opinion.

Scooter was to have surgery to repair the damage she was born with, and had aggravated by well meaning, but untrained former owners. Sadly the surgery was not meant to be without risking Scooters life. But let’s say had it been successful, would Scooter be perfect then? No. Scooter would not be “perfect”. Scooter would have more movement maybe. But Scooter would still not be perfect. Not in the way Webster’s defines perfect.

Her little weak and broken legs do not define her as she is. They only make her different. Different as I see it can be perfect as we see with Scooter. Scooter knows not of her inabilities or her limitations. Scooter only knows of the love she receives, and the joy she gets in being who she is.

So I say one thing about Scooter, She Is Perfect in an Imperfect World. She is perfectly happy, she is perfectly content with who she is. She is perfectly loved by her family, and she is perfectly loved by many of whom she’s not met in person, including me. She is perfect in the way of bringing the community closer still. If that is not perfect I don’t know what perfect is. And I think if Mr. Webster had met little Scooter, I think he would agree…

Thank You Scooter for being Perfectly yourself……..Written by Bob Kaegi For Scooter

Emily: You run the rescue out of your home. Have you faced any issues with being home based vs in a separate facility?

Sonya: Oh yes. We promised within 5 yrs of open we will hopefully have All Parrot Rescue run itself. In which we would rather have an offsite facility. We will get there. We want to joys of our home as opposed to a facility. One day!!!

Emily: If you knew someone interested in starting their own rescue, what would you tell them? Any words of advice?

Sonya: Oh yes!! Research research RESEARCH I read.http://featheredangels.wordpress.com/rescues-and-sanctuarys/what-to-look-for-in-a-legitimate-rescue-or-sanctuary/ I tell you it is all great information.

Sonya Brewer and her husband Steve run All Parrot Rescue in Graham, Washington. You can find them online at www.allparrotrescue.com

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