Gizmo The Wild Bird: The Unlikely Friendship Between A Bird And A Dog
Most people bring a dog home and eventually add another dog, a cat, or maybe a fish to the family. My grandma, however, apparently looked at the traditional pet lineup and decided, “Nope. Let’s get a wild bird.”
And that is how Gizmo entered the family.
Gizmo is my grandma’s very unexpected, slightly chaotic, completely wild pet bird. What started as a curious bird hanging around the property has slowly turned into something resembling a permanent family member. Gizmo has become especially interested in Grandma’s chocolate Lab, Hazel.
Unfortunately for Hazel, the feeling was not exactly mutual in the beginning.
Hazel: 0, Gizmo: 1
When Gizmo first started hanging around, Hazel wasn't quite sure what to make of her new feathered friend.
Actually, “friend” might be a generous term.
Hazel was terrified of Gizmo.
The moment Gizmo would come near her, Hazel would take off running as if someone had announced that a giant prehistoric chicken was coming to get her. And Gizmo? Gizmo thought this was absolutely fantastic.
Instead of taking the hint and giving Hazel some personal space, Gizmo would chase after her.
So there they were: one large chocolate Lab running for her life and one wild bird enthusiastically chasing her like this was the greatest game ever invented.
From the outside, it probably looked less like a peaceful afternoon in the woods and more like the world's strangest episode of Tom and Jerry.
The Chase Is On
Over time, Gizmo and Hazel have been working their way toward an actual friendship.
They're not exactly best friends yet, but they're making progress.
Hazel has slowly become less afraid of Gizmo, while Gizmo seems to have decided that Hazel is her favorite oversized, four-legged playmate.
The problem is that Gizmo doesn't always understand the concept of boundaries.
If Hazel starts walking away, Gizmo may decide that means, “Please chase me.”
If Hazel runs, Gizmo apparently hears, “This is a very exciting game of tag!”
And if Hazel just wants to mind her own business?
Well, Gizmo has other plans.
Grandma Has Become the Referee
Eventually, Grandma sometimes has to step in and break up the two of them.
At this point, I imagine Grandma has started feeling less like a pet owner and more like the mother of two children who have been left unsupervised for approximately thirty seconds.
“Stop chasing your sister!”
“Hazel, leave Gizmo alone!”
“Gizmo, Hazel does not want to play right now!”
“Everybody calm down!”
Except, of course, one of them is a dog and the other is a wild bird.
It's basically sibling rivalry with feathers.
You can almost picture Grandma standing in the middle of the house wondering how her peaceful life turned into refereeing a disagreement between a chocolate Lab and a bird.
From Fear to Friendship
The funniest part of Gizmo and Hazel's story is seeing how much their relationship has changed.
In the beginning, Hazel wanted absolutely nothing to do with Gizmo. If Gizmo came running—or, well, birding—her way, Hazel was out of there.
Now, they're slowly learning how to share the same space.
Hazel is becoming more comfortable around Gizmo, and Gizmo seems to have decided that Hazel is part of the family. They still have their moments, and Grandma occasionally has to step in before their games turn into a full-blown household chase scene, but they're getting there.
And honestly, that's what makes their friendship so entertaining.
Nobody planned for Grandma to have a wild bird named Gizmo. Nobody planned for Gizmo and Hazel to become companions. And absolutely nobody planned for Grandma to spend her days breaking up bird-and-dog sibling squabbles.
But somehow, that's exactly what happened.
Welcome to the Family, Gizmo
Gizmo may have started out as a curious wild bird, but she has certainly made herself at home.
She has a dog to chase, a Grandma to keep entertained, and an entire household that has apparently accepted that life is just a little more interesting with a bird running the show.
And Hazel?
She's learning that having a feathered friend means you may occasionally need to run for your life.
But that's okay.
Because every great friendship has a little chaos.
And in this family, apparently, friendship comes with feathers, paws, and a whole lot of chasing.
