The back story is this: about 2 months ago, a shop closed nearby. It was a Mexican family who owned some sort of Automotive shop, as I understand it. They had pet roosters, hens, and peacocks. When their shop closed, they opened their gates, let all the animals out, and packed up and left. All of the animals were left roaming the streets, abandoned.
This gentleman- Craig was his name- was at a nearby shop buying some fish food when his son said “Hey Dad! There’s a rooster in the yard!” Craig said, “remember that movie ‘Rocky’ that we watched the other day with Sylvester Stallone? Remember how he was chasing chickens to build up his strength?” The son thought about it and ran outside and started after the chicken. It took him an hour, but this 8-year-old kid caught the chicken. They named him Runner, and took him home. He has turned out to be the nicest chicken in the world!! He loves the family, he loves to be petted, and he even sleeps with the son IN HIS BED at night with him. You’re thinking exactly what I’m thinking, I’m sure… so I’ll tell you now that I immediately asked him. “OK, so ….. what about potty-training?” Craig said “you’re not going to believe this, but Runner actually sleeps with my son in his bed, and then when he has to get up to go to the bathroom, he wakes my son up and my son takes him outside. He does his business and they come right back in and snuggle back down in bed and go to bed.” Wow. The son and Runner have developed quite a relationship and they love each other dearly. The son even carries Runner around like a football under his arm as his primary means of carrying him, and Runner is just fine with that.
The reason Craig came in in the first place, though, is that Runner crows every morning at sunrise. Usually it’s around 5:30am. Craig’s neighbors love what they did in rescuing the rooster, but Runner’s crowing is getting on their nerves. He came to ask if one could de-crow a rooster. I said that I didn’t know, but I did a google search and apparently you can. Now it’s definitely not without it’s drawbacks, and I think it would be a tough choice to make, but this rooster LOVES this little boy. So I think that a life of enjoyment might be worth the de-crowing, depending on how difficult a procedure it is.
Anyway, here’s Runner. I met him, and I pet him for quite a while, and I feel very honored to know this young rooster.
2 comments:
And he is a handsome young thing, isn't he? Look at that plumage on him! I think it is perfectly acceptable depending on the discomfort level and quality of life afterwards.
Hey, we too are the adopted parents of a rooster (Rhode Island Red)- Mr. Cluckers. We found/heard him one morning in our backyard in December '07. He has been with us ever since. He is not quite as snuggly as Runner seems to be, but he and I get along just swell, especially in the morning as I am putting out his chicken scratch. To date, we have not received one complaint from the neighbors on the 5:30 am wake-up calls. As I am an early riser, I actually enjoy his morning song. I don't think that I would be able to de-crow him, but believe me, I can certainly understand the desire to do so.
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