What's the line between stealing and rescuing when it comes to animals? While a vegan might think stealing chickens kept to harvest eggs is a rescue, the chickens' owner is likely to press charges and win in court.
A lot of animal intervention is situational.
Many people think a dog kept outside 24/7 is clear cut abuse and neglect that requires a rescue, but many working dogs prefer their life on the job.
Livestock guardian breeds thrive outside among their charges, preferring the pastures, barns, and stables to a house. Sled dogs frequently live outside in the environment they race in with small shelters they're more likely to stand on than lay in.
A person struggling with a rescue they decided to make turned to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subReddit for feedback.
Sunny_Pigeon asked:
"AITA for stealing my friend’s bird?"
The original poster (OP) explained:
"For five years, I visited my client’s house for non-bird related reasons and became friends with her daughter. In that time, the daughter bought her mother a parrot she couldn’t take care of."
"I felt bad so I took care of the bird. I gave it fresh water and food and regularly cleaned the tiny cage. I even used my own money to thrift a bigger (although still too small, I knew nothing about birds) cage and gifted it to my client."
"Then the client relocated without the bird, leaving it with her daughter. I still visited the daughter occasionally and I noticed the bird was being neglected. Water bowl was almost empty and full of bird sh*t (I changed that on the spot). The poop tray on the bottom was so full of waste it was almost covering the grate."
"I gently scolded my friend and she sheepishly said she’d been busy, but would get on it right away. I considered asking her about rehoming, but I knew she never would because my friend has a pathological problem letting things (pets and objects) go."
"I came back two months later. The daughter had asked me to swing by anytime if I was in the area to cut her cat’s nails (another thing I’d been doing for years). I went in with permission. No one was home."
"Things with the bird were worse. Cage hadn’t been cleaned since I’d last done it five months ago. All the perches had fallen. Beak was so overgrown it touched its chest. Sludge water again."
"I impulsively snatched the bird out of the cage and took it home with me. I told my mother I had done something morally grey. She said it had been a rescue."
"I researched, bought it a big cage, trimmed its beak, and prepared fresh veggies daily. Coaxing it out of its shell took months but it eventually learned it could come out of the cage and to trust us. It had the funniest little personality, regained the strength to fly, and my mom fell in love despite a previous fear of birds."
"Friend texted me asking about the bird. I lied and said I’d never made it to her place. She thought the cats had gotten the cage open and the bird was eaten. I’ve never said otherwise and she has never seemed devastated by the loss."
"Legally I’m in the wrong of course, but am I the a**hole?"
In response to questions about her friend's cats, the OP later added:
"The number of cats is, ahem, large. Not quite animal hoarding but close. But she’s better with large animals? She feeds them and takes them to the vet."
"Yes, they are spayed/neutered and also vaccinated. They have free roam of a multi story detached house, lots of toys and cat trees. They are strictly indoor cats. There are multiple litter boxes."
"Are the boxes always clean? No. Are there enough boxes? No. Is this abuse? Not in the legal sense."
"I think this might be a specific bias where, because an animal is small and inexpensive to buy, they’re not cared for to the same level? This parrot was $30."
The OP summed up why they might be the a**hole in their situation.
"I took my friend’s neglected pet without asking. Not legal and likely caused her emotional distress."
Redditors weighed in by declaring:
- NTA - Not The A**hole
- YTA - You're The A**hole
- NAH - No A**holes Here
- ESH - Everyone Sucks Here
- INFO - more information needed
Redditors decided the OP was not the a**hole (NTA).
"Justified a**hole, which is, if I recall, an NTA vote."
"People who neglect pets forfeit their rights." ~ canvasshoes2
"If you're not gonna take care of the thing, you don't get to be mad when someone else steps in. The bird deserves better than being someone's afterthought." ~ Outrageous_Dirt_7312
"I was into birds for a while, many years ago, and came across an astonishing nightengale a local bird lady had for sale."
"I also had a very small dog at the time, who didn't pay the Nightengale any mind."
"But the bird went ballistic anytime the pup was even in the same room. The bird was literally harming himself bashing his beautiful little face through the bars of the cage."
"I immediately rushed him back to the bird lady and surrendered him, didn't even ask for a refund, because I felt so so so horrible about the torment he'd gone through. I was in tears, it had only been maybe 2 days."
"I felt so terrible, it still haunts me. I can't stand to see creatures suffering." ~ Wwwweeeeeeee
"NTA about the bird (good for you) but if she has other abused/neglected animals a call to animal protection services sounds very needed." ~ Sydmeister1369
"A lot of people think of pets like birds and fish more like decoration than like actual animals. It's why tiny cages and fishbowls are so popular - they just need enough room to display the animal, not to actually care for it. NTA for rescuing the bird before it died." ~ tonicella_lineata
"I'd bet it's more because the bird can't follow her around yelling at her. My cats follow me around the house when they want something... When the cats' litter box is full, they'll get creative, which should remind her to not do that again. When they're hungry, they can follow her, screaming. That poor bird is stuck in one place. NTA." ~ Witty_Commentator
"Legal and moral are two different answers sometimes. Was this legal? No. Was it morally the right thing to do? Yes. NTA." ~ AndNothingHurt52
"NTA. You’re only the AH if you ever crack and tell this 'friend' the truth. They’re very clearly an incompetent pet owner. You did a good thing by saving this bird’s life." ~ BNE-
"NTA. This wasn't theft for personal gain, it was rescuing a severely neglected animal. The lie wasn't great, but the bird's welfare mattered more." ~ Antique-Bee3977
"Absolutely NTA. If you buy/adopt a parrot, plan to have a pet that can live longer than you." ~ Cataclysmus78
"NTA. I kind of adopted my best friend’s love bird. Same story, tiny cage, filthy water, never let out to fly. Bought him a new cage, lots of toys. Cage door always open so he could come and go when he pleased."
"He lived 20 years at least. I did give the bird back to my friend because of my living situation, but after I did that poor bird was stuck in it’s cage for the last few years of it’s life." ~ SpringValleyTrash
"NTA, justifiable AH."
"You saved the birds life and got it out of a very bad situation. Yes, you could have called animal control, but then all of her cats may have been taken. If she gets that stressed about the idea of letting something go, that could send her in a very bad downward spiral."
"You can try and help her with these attachment issues, or see if there is a service in your area that helps friends and family of hoarders. She isn't fully at that point yet, but getting it under control before it gets worse would be very beneficial for her and her animals."
"She 100% needs to see a therapist about these issues and can hopefully find help."
"On a side note, what kind of parrot was it? I'm guessing a budgie (most stores call them parakeets in the US), since those tend to be sold alongside tiny cages and are very inexpensive. Whatever type of parrot, I'm super glad you rescued them and they have a safe home!" ~ Kytalie
"Definitely NTA. You saved that bird's life. People that neglect pets don't deserve to have them. You absolutely did the right thing, no questions asked."
"Many years ago, I lived with a roommate who had a pet dove. Most days she never took the cover off its cage. It very rarely got any attention and often was out of food and water. She was often not even home. I started taking care of it, feeding it, cleaning its cage, taking it out of the cage, and giving it attention."
"When I left that house and moved to another apartment, the dove went with me. I kept her for several years until I gave her to a dear friend who would take care of my dog when I went out of town. She had two tween sons who really wanted a pet, and I knew they would take good care of her and give her even more love and attention than I was able to. I never once regretted taking that bird with me." ~ ladyxanax
While OP may not have been legally right, Reddit decided they were morally justified.
