Argo 🐾🖤

 

Argo Hallow
2017* - 2023

Our beautiful long-haired baby boy Argo joined our family as a rescue on Saturday the 26th of January 2019 and passed away on Saturday the 27th of May 2023.

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He came to us with a brother, Mars, after a rocky start to life.

He had been bought from a pet shop and then returned there as if he was a pair of shoes that didn't fit. He was then adopted again from the pet shop alongside Mars.

Sadly, yet again the pair were returned by people who had no right to own pets in the first place.

Mr H and I then brought them home to give them the life they deserved.

All of our children, except Baker, are named from Mythology, Gods and Goddesses. 

Mars has red eyes, so his name originally came to me because of the red planet however it worked out that Mars is the ancient Roman God of War also.

When thinking of words that went well with that I couldn't get 'Mars Argo' out of my head, a musical artist from America. Thankfully Argo also ended up being able to tie into Mythology as in Greek Mythology ''Argo was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece.''

After his rocky start in life, Argo faced a few small health issues. For example, he had never had his nails trimmed apart from when he was returned to the pet store meaning his toes were curled in and deformed. This thankfully wasn't as bad as it could have been and it didn't cause him any pain or hindrance getting around, we just had to be careful when we trimmed his nails.

A couple of years ago he also had a liquid-filled lump under his chin which ended up being popped by a scuffle with his brother before we could get him to the vet to have it drained. This was the end of Mars and Argo living together and they never got on well again. Though thankfully everything with the lump was good after that. 



*We were told both Mars and Argo were 1 year old when we adopted them, however, we think that Argo may have been 1 year older meaning he was born in approximately 2017. If that is the case, Argo was around 7 years old this year.

In our previous home, Mars and Argo had a full bedroom to themselves as can be seen in the first few photos, and it was brilliant. However, when we moved to our current home they got a large wooden hutch to share in our kitchen and were given the run of the whole downstairs when their brother Baker (who is obsessed with them) was upstairs. This ended up being replaced by two cages after their falling out which worked out much better for cleaning etc and whoever was in the bottom cage (we swapped them every week) was able to get themself in and out as they pleased, the piggy in the top cage was lifted in and out of course.

Argo was the quieter of the pair, less interested in being held or touched but loved enrichment treats and being outside munching the grass. No matter how much room he was given in the garden he would sit in one area munching grass the whole time, as does his brother, so that's why in many photos the run set-up looks quite small. 
His long hair meant we had to bathe him and trim the hair by his bum every so often. He liked to have a little run around in the water if we did this in the actual bath but he was evidently huffed when we did it in the sink instead!
Argo was a fan of most fruits and veg he was offered but particularly parsley and cucumber. The last thing he ate was a few bites of strawberry.

Just like all animals, including small animals, Argo had his own perfect personality. He made us laugh, made us cry and was immensely loved. He was a huge part of our family and will be greatly missed. 

I may be a volunteer for a Pet Bereavement service, but that doesn't make this any easier. My heart is broken and it physically hurts. Know that if you have lost a pet of any species, size, age, you are not alone and grieving pet loss is just as difficult and important (if not more so) than losing a human for many people. 
If you feel like you want to talk or need support, don't hesitate to get in touch. The PBSS is also there 365 days a year for you too, find out more here > Blue Cross Pet Bereavement Support Service | Pet Loss

The Return of Rhea the Rescue Pigeon

 

In January 2022, along with many other birds that frequent our garden, a pigeon with an injured wing was spotted. She was observed all day and only when it was clear she could not fly and therefore was in danger from predators (foxes and cats in our area) we decided to step in.
To read all about her rescue, rehabilitation and more pop on over to this post > Rhea the Rescue Pigeon.

This post however is a short and heartwarming story about her return.

In the year or so since we released Rhea, despite keeping an eye out, we don't think we have seen her amongst the flock who come daily to our gardens for food, water and rest. To be honest, I had a bad feeling that she hadn't made it through the winter. Though healed and able to fly, she was still technically the 'Omega' or 'Runt' of the flock and I was worried she'd been lost in some way but I guess such is nature. We can only do so much to help protect them and when I released her I'd done so knowing that I might never see her again.


That was until May 3rd. We were sat in our front garden to try and get our monthly couples portrait (for the previous month because we'd forgotten!). We don't use our front garden to sit in at all and it is primarily for the wildlife but on this day it was hot, sunny and pretty much empty of any birds...then 1 lone pigeon seemed to fall from the sky and start to walk around close to us. It had a very slightly dropped wing that could have been from a previous injury and Mr H and I looked at each other and straight away said, '...is that Rhea...?!'.

They ate, drank and then settled down for a rest. I stayed with them for over an hour, talking with them and even calling them Rhea a few times, to which I received head tilts and cooing, then came inside for tea during which they stayed in the same place looking lethargic. We decided that if they were still there before we went to bed and hadn't taken off and joined the other birds that came and went after we'd gone inside we'd see if they needed help. At this point I'd looked back on old photos and from markings, size etc it was pretty obvious that this was indeed Rhea. Mr H suggested she needed help and knew where to return to get it.

A couple hours later we went outside and easily got a hold of her. We gave a quick visual once over then made her comfortable in the hutch/coop/run out back, then left her to rest overnight. She made no fuss, she ate, drank, slept and cooed away to me and it seemed that she had just been exhausted and needed a rest.
The next day she just chilled some more, I sat with her for a while and read to her but she showed no sign of wanting to leave so she stayed another night in Chateau de Hallow
Some of our regular pigeon visitors stopped by the following afternoon to say hello to Rhea and a particular male who we have dubbed Marble due to the white colouring on his head was calling to her so I opened the run and she walked out. It took a while but she jumped from hutch to bird table to fence, finally flying up onto the roof (just as she had last year) where she stayed for a while. She eventually must have taken off again as we could no longer see her when checking later that day and we haven't spotted her since.

It was so lovely to have her visit again and I'm over the moon that she was okay and didn't need anything more than an overnight rest. Hopefully, we do see her again but I'd rather next time it was surrounded by the other birds and not needing help, though of course, we will always help anyone in need.

Again, you can read more about Rhea and her original visit last year here > Rhea the Rescue Pigeon.

[As I feel the need to state in all posts of similar content, I never interfere unless necessary. I do have previous experience and knowledge of wildlife. I always consider options extremely well and consult other channels if I am unsure. There are very few wildlife rescues in my county and with the perils faced those who do take in wildlife are overwhelmed so if there are no immediate/extreme health concerns I am able to provide general care.]