02/21/2026
Meet “Skittles”! 🤩 She came to us last year SEVERELY stressed and depressed after losing her mate. As expected, feather plucking had ensued as a result. She sat in the corner of her cage, scared and alone, with her little body bearing the ill-effects of all of her sadness.
Many of you remember Charlie, our Collie, as so many loved and helped him on his road to recovery last year. He isn’t known to wander off much in the house, so we found it odd he was repeatedly disappearing for hours at a time. We soon discovered he was making his way to her room daily, letting himself in through the crack in her door, only to lie by her cage and keep her company. She would climb down to the bottom level and sit as close as possible, ruffling her feathers at the mere sight of him. Collies are known for their innate ability to sense emotion and for their wide range of empathetic displays, much like Lassie. Still, it is shocking to see it come to life, time and time again, outside of a television screen.
Now, she sits front and center in our living room, demanding attention like a typical, healthy conure, making loud protests anytime her friends leave the room, whether it be us, the cats, or more importantly, her beloved Charlie. After time rehabilitating, she is now thriving completely in her new home with all her friends, with a full coat of healthy, beautiful feathers and a healthy appetite. We switched her from a seed-only diet to pellets and nutritious treats (huge fan of Lafeber’s) as well as supplied her with a cage full of bright toys. She now has a jungle gym with the best view in the house through our large picture windows! ☀️ ☁️ 🌈
Charlie is now known by name and Skittles responds with pure joy and excitement every time he is mentioned! However, her panic shifts into overdrive anytime he is out of sight. When he is outside for a potty break, she enters full alarm mode as she climbs quickly to the corner of her cage, twisting her little head, attempting to peer around the corner of the house — because quite simply, what if he is not safe??? 🥺
In the first photo, she is listening intently after a full alarm incident, as she is reassured “Charlie is right there, Charlie is ok!!!”. 🤣 In the rest of the photos, she can be seen at her corner, looking relentlessly for him, or ruffling her feathers as she was told Charlie was coming back in, or her leaning forward to jump to greet him. And as expected, he immediately ran to the cage to greet her back.
An unlikely friendship, yet they always make the best ones! 🐾 🪶
Charlie loves her immensely and spends his days lying in the couch next to her, with his head on the armrest with his gaze fixed in her direction…
She may have lost her cage-mate but she found a new love in a dog who stole her heart.
And who doesn’t love a happy ending? 💕
