Just a little personal information so you know who we are.

My name is Donna, I'm the mother of a beautiful, wonderful daughter, a fantastic and unique son, and Noni to 2 heaven sent granddaughters ages 6 and 3.

I was born in Georgia and after quite a bit of traveling around, am back in Georgia to stay.  I'm a paralegal by profession and necessity.  I would love to be home full time with the birds, and maybe someday I will be able to.

My husband is Jon.  He is originally from Ohio and has traveled extensively across the US.  He was a painter by trade and is now disabled with a back injury.  He's lucky enough to be home during the day with the birds and they are lucky to have him here. 

He keeps the cages clean and makes toys for our birds.  He has custom outfitted cages for birds that have issues with all kinds of things.  He is a genius at figuring out how to make life better for the birds of Dee's Haven.

I started this rescue out of my love of exotic birds.  And soon my husband, Jon, fell in love with our CAG, Talus.  There are so many birds that need a home, older birds, birds with issues.  Breeding just increases this problem. 

We have our personal birds and cannot imagine what life was life before them.  I've been to large scale rescues and seen all the birds that need love and homes.  It breaks my heart to see even one parrot that doesn't have their own "person". 

We decided that we would do whatever we could to make sure even one parrot has a loving and forever home, even if it was here with us. 

Everyday is an adventure with our "flock".  It's never quiet, watching TV or talking on the phone is at times difficult.  The broom or vacuum cleaner go constantly.  Food and toys flying everywhere.  But everyday is filled with love and trust, laughter and happiness.

Everyday you look into their eyes and know their lives are better and hopefully happier than where they were is worth everything.

 Athens Banner Herald Newspaper Article

Everyone goes into a pet store and sees a baby bird and falls in love.  They are so sweet and cuddly.  They snuggle against you and make cute little noises.  BUT, they don't always stay that way, and the pet stores don't tell you that.  The sweet, cuddly baby you bring home today is going to go through a "terrible twos" stage; they are going to go through puberty; they are going to go through hormonal periods.  They can become aggressive and difficult to handle.  They can become cage aggressive, person aggressive, toy aggressive. 

They can become ill very quickly.  Remember, in the wild if a bird shows signs of weakness or illness, it is usually killed.  By the time you realize your bird is ill, it can be seriously ill.  Don't ever take a chance.  If you feel something is wrong, get to your avian vet immediately.  Sometimes only 1 day makes a difference in whether your bird lives or not.

They scream for no apparent reason, sometimes for hours, sometimes loud enough to make you think your ears are going to bleed.  

Then, there is nothing like looking into those dark eyes and realizing they trust you completely.  They love you and count on you to protect and care for them.  You are their flock.  You are their mate sometimes they think.  You have work, family, outside activities--they have you. 

All donations to Dee's Haven are tax deductible!!