She originally came to keep my Neila company. Neila’s cage mate had just passed away. And if it wasn’t for Woodi, Neil might have died of a broken heart. Two years later, Neila passed away due to old age. It was then that Woodstock and I bonded even more strongly than we already had. Being a canary, she didn’t talk as much as her zebra finch sister, but Woodi’s faces/body language and song said it all. Our souls were connected. In fact, when she passed away, I had a dream that she had. Even though she passed away unexpectedly in the middle of the night, I knew it.

When I got Woodstock, I was told she was only a couple of months old. But now, I realize she must’ve been about a year and a half old. No wonder it took her awhile to come around to us. She was super appreciative of anything I did for her; it had always made me wonder what happened to her before I got her.

When I got her, she was sick. I knew it in my gut but the only symptoms she had could have also been normal for adjusting to a new home. Plus she sang beautifully and was very active. I called the pet store and they assured me she couldn’t be sick because the breeder had given her all her preventatives. I consulted with a vet who said Woodstock must just be nervous about being in a new home. So I chose not to give her medicine (that I had because you always have to have medicine on hands for birds since vet care is hard to secure for birds) that might hurt her if I was wrong about her being sick. A few months later, she showed an undeniable symptom (she tried to sing but had a frog in her throat). So I immediately put the medicine in her water (since she had too much anxiety to be handled) and told her to drink. She did. I left the medicine water in her cage until she drank enough. Twenty-four hours later, she could speak again. Less than another day after that, she was back to normal and singing again. She and I both knew I saved her life. You could see her love for me grow exponentially.

After that, I never imagined that she would pass away unexpectedly. I never imagined that I wouldn’t know she was sick or that

I’ll never know what happened to Woodstock. I might never stop feeling guilty about her sudden death. But at least I know she crossed the rainbow bridge knowing she was greatly loved and she that she greatly loved her family right back.