“He looked extremely tired and stressed out.”
By Caitlin Jill Anders
Published on July 24, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Dan Roy got home from work and stepped out onto his balcony to relax for a while. Instead, he found a tiny green bird who he assumed wasn’t supposed to be there.
“I suppose my first reaction was, ‘What the hell, that is definitely not a local bird I’ve ever seen,’” Roy told The Dodo. “After getting a bit closer to him, I realized pretty quickly that he must be someone’s pet.”
@danno366#edmonton#bird#budgie♬ original sound – Danno
The budgie had been eating from the birdfeeder on Roy’s balcony and seemed a bit skeptical when Roy came to join him. Even though the bird wouldn’t let him get too close, Roy still stayed outside with him, making sure he had plenty of food and water. At one point, the little bird flew away, but after 45 minutes, he came back, seeming to understand that Roy was his best chance at getting the help he needed.
@danno366♬ original sound – Danno
While Roy stayed out on the balcony, his girlfriend set up an old hamster cage they could hopefully get the budgie settled into for the night. Roy really didn’t want to leave him outside on his own and refused to give up hope that he could win his trust.
“He looked extremely tired and stressed out,” Roy said. “I just sat with him for hours with a handful of birdseed until he eventually landed on my hand and [started] eating out of it … And then it didn’t take too much longer to get him into the cage and safely indoors. That was a HUGE relief!”
The little budgie was pretty subdued for most of the night, but by the morning, he was making noise and letting his personality shine through. While Roy hung out with him and made sure he was doing OK, his girlfriend scoured the internet looking for his family — and miraculously was able to find them.
It turns out the budgie’s name was Chad, and he had a family who desperately missed him. Roy and his girlfriend were able to get their new friend home where he belonged, and were both so grateful they refused to give up on him.
After his adventure, Chad was finally home, and it definitely seems that he picked the right balcony to land on.
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Mama Dog Crawls Under Fence To Escape Neglect — Then Finds Help For Her Puppies
“They are hungry …”
Last month, Don Boston, founder of Abilene Stray Animal Program, was out looking for an abandoned husky when he stumbled upon someone unexpected. He saw a dog wandering around all by herself on the side of a dirt road, looking hungry.
Boston gave the dog some food while he tried to figure out who she was and where she’d come from. Once she’d eaten her fill and started walking away, Boston followed her around the corner — and saw her puppies behind a fence in someone’s yard.
Boston could immediately tell that the yard was no place for dogs. There were sharp pieces of metal everywhere and no food anywhere in sight. Upon closer inspection, he saw that several of the dogs had flystrike on their ears.
“They are hungry,” Boston said in a Facebook video. “Hungry, hungry, hungry.”
The mama dog and two of her puppies had escaped through a hole in the fence. Seeing how neglected they all were, all Boston wanted to do was take the whole family home with him. But he knew he had to talk to the property owner first.
“[I]t broke my heart, honestly,” Boston told The Dodo.
Boston learned from the owner that the dogs had originally belonged to his brother, who’d passed away. Since taking in the mama dog, she’d had multiple litters of puppies. Boston knew he couldn’t let that cycle continue.
“I was like, ‘I have to help these guys,’” Boston said.
Boston was able to convince the property owner to rehome the puppies. Now that they’re with their new families, the puppies have a safe home environment, where they have access to the fresh water and food they need to grow big and strong.
As for the mama dog, Boston talked her owner into letting him get her spayed. At the very least, he wanted to put a stop to her having any more puppies in that environment.
While Boston was preparing to take the mama to get spayed, he got a call from animal control that she’d been picked up by one of their officers after escaping through the fence again. They’d contacted her owner and never heard back, which meant Boston was allowed to foster her.
As soon as the mama dog is cleared, Boston will be taking her home with him and helping her find a forever family. After everything she’s been through, Boston is looking forward to making her as comfortable and happy as possible.
“We’re [going to] try to give her a happy life,” Boston said.
If you’d like to donate to Abilene Stray Animal Program, you can do so here.
