Good evening, my minions, and thank you for venturing back into my lair. I appreciate and value you.

Let’s talk about animals. Anyone who knows me, and I mean everyone who knows me, knows my commitment to raising money and donations for animal shelters and rescues. Each year in celebration of my 5 June birthday, I hold a benefit for a local animal charity. It is my way of using any gift or celebrity or notoriety I may possess to help those who don’t have a voice to ask for help themselves.

The reason I’m bringing up caring about animals is because recently I adopted 4 cockatiels I call my bald babies. These beautiful birds came from Chambersburg, PA, in a hoarding case.

Not just any hoarding case; this one truly was different.

The woman’s house was very clean. Not at all like the majority of cases where the house is dirty and crowded. None of the animals were mistreated or lacked veterinary care that I know if; instead, this was simply a case of a woman who happened to be in a wheelchair who could not properly care on a daily basis for the animals that lived in her house with her.

When the four bald babies were transported to me on Sunday 3 July, the woman who transported them filled me in a little more on this case. (On a side note: this is the sixth rescue/shelter that has been in my home and made a point of telling me I’m clean, the animals are obviously well cared for, and are happy. It makes me feel good to know I am doing something right.)

Lack of attention is a form of neglect and that is what happened in this hoarding case. The woman just didn’t have enough time or energy to pay attention to all the animals in her home. As you may or may not know, when birds are crowded or lack attention, they tend to over-preen themselves of other birds around them. This is precisely what happened in this case.

While in good health, these birds picked each other bald to the point where they looked like small buzzards, but they are still cute as sin. Their first day in my house, they were singing and dancing up a storm, playing in the water and having a merry time, so I knew and the rep from the animal shelter who transported them to me knew they felt safe and happy.

This case is an example of your heart is in the right place but you need to know your limits. It’s not doing the animal any good if you are not caring for it in a proper and appropriate manner. Attention to animals is very much like the attention a parent must give to a child. In order for the animals to grow and remain healthy, they need a lot of attention.

So, please, know your limits—even if your limit is one dog or cat or bird or whatever. Saving even one animal is a great step in the right direction.

These bald babies have now been adopted into my family, where they will find four brother and sister cockatiels waiting to love them. Coming for my eight cockatiels is a huge cage where they will have enough room to actually take flight a bit and play and sing until their hearts are content.

Keep the animals in mind. If you are thinking of adding an animal to your family, remember the animals in shelters and rescues across the world who need homes and love. Adopt before you buy.

Nighty-nightmares,

Frank