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Since my recent friendship with Maggie, my four-legged canine buddy in New York, my senses have been my acute toward the non-homosapiens that roam this earth, and more specifically, share the urban space that city dwellers occupy.
As if to read my mind, I was greeted this morning by a cheerful article on the homepage of the New York Times about the wonderful life of a 21st-century dog in America. According to the market research firm Packaged Facts, American pet "parents" spent a record US$55 billion on their pets in 2010, which is more than the GDP of Belarus, a country with about 10 million people.
Four-legged fine dining
(picture by Gary Bogdon for The New York Times)
Just when I thought the fascination for dogs must be out of this world, I learnt of a new "pet shop" that had opened its doors in my 'hood. A visit to the store revealed that it is really a mini urban zoo. Yes, dogs are the pets of choice in America. But little did I know that US households also own millions of birds, small animals and reptiles.
To the nice lady who, bless her heart, told a six-year-old me that problem-laden humans have no time and energy to take care of pets, I have this to say to her: "Mom, this place has been added to your itinerary for your visit to the city this Christmas."
As for the rest of you, brace yourself for a little visual treat of my corner zoo.
The signs say it all. Get ready for a colorful and noisy adventure
An animal enclosure not unlike those you'd see in a respectable zoo
Pacific Coast Blend... Pasta Ensalada... Nutmeats and Fruit Blend... What's your cockatoo in the mood for today?
African grey, Amazon, conure, eclectus, lori, canary, finch, lorikeet, macaw, parakeet, parrot, toucan... just a sampling of the types of birds with specialized bird food on sale
Woodblocks, feathers, whistles, balls, ropes, chains, keys, rings... who says bird play is boring?
The big boys get a big enclosure... the use of the word "cage" is banned here!
A curious conure comes close to check out my iPhone
Not your average ga-zuak: these 500-dollar water lizards were slithering around with vigor when their tank was approached
The hamster corner has adorably-packaged food to match the cute factor of its recipients
Over at the reptile corner, soft and comfortably dry moss awaits the next python, gecko and corn snake
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