profile essay- Keaton bowens

 Keaton Bowens

Prof. Bleyle 

English composition I

15 Mar 2023

Fancy feathers

          When considering a new family pet what comes to mind? The first thing to come to mind for most would be a dog or possibly a cat. Some would think a little more outside of the box like fish or hamsters, but very few think of birds. Why is this you may ask? Is it because they are smaller, have feathers, or that they are more intimidating than the average lovable pet? All of the things listed above can be true but are not definitive answers. Some birds are smaller than the average thumb, but some are larger than a house cat and some breeds of dogs. Yes, most birds have feathers, which can be a deterring factor for some because of the dust they produce. Not all birds produce dust, birds come from all areas of the world. For example, a Solomon island Eclectus, which is the most dimorphic bird in the world, has no dust because their feathers are oil-based, not to say they are greasy. Birds can be extremely intimidating, they can be large creatures with long talons and huge beaks that can easily crush the bones in your hands, but they can also be as small as a shot glass and make you laugh when they bite you.  

          Fancy feathers is a business devoted to educating people on everything when it comes to exotic birds. The owner has had a deep love for birds her entire life and has been working with exotic birds for over four decades. She is now nearing her seventies and is hoping to grow the business so that she can have a definitive legacy in the exotic pet community. She along with her husband purchased this business roughly six years ago. Since then the business has grown rapidly. Frequently she has customers calling, flying, and even driving from anywhere in the continental United States in hopes of finding the best pet for their family. On any given week she will have someone drive from Florida, Alabama, and even Indiana in search of a bird. She also has people purchasing birds from places like New York and California, then the birds will be flown across the country to meet their new families. 

       Irene is the livestock manager at fancy feathers. She is in charge of pretty much everything. She helps customers find which bird is best for them, checks stock on food, toys, and other items for the care of birds, grooms the birds, as well as answering the phone and running the register. She has worked at fancy feather since the summer of 2019. Originally she found the business on social media, she found an ad on next door. When asked why she wanted to work in this business she stated “In the beginning, it was meant to be a summer job. I had already owned a parakeet and was eager to learn more about birds. I first started just by feeding and watering the show birds, it then transitioned into working at the store, and then escalated into helping perform with the birds at the shows.”(Stovall) She said that when she first started helping it was somewhat of a culture shock. She mentioned that she had never heard of most of the birds that Brenda privately owned, and she hadn't seen any of them in real life. 

To those interested in a career working with birds, or exotic pets in general irene offered this advice “I would recommend that they volunteer a while before and make sure that they don’t become too attached to every animal that they see.”(Stovall)When someone begins to gain interest in purchasing a bird, they will use the internet to find information and narrow down their choices. Usually, when people decide to come into the store they already have a sense of what they are looking for in their pet. Although most people do research before coming into fancy feathers, some do not, some people come in with little to no information on birds. When someone comes into the store in this situation the first thought of employees at the store is to ask questions and help them decide if a bird is a right fit for their family, and if so which type would be the best fit. Some of the questions asked by irene are “I will ask them questions such as what is their lifestyle, noise preference, what are their housing arrangements, allergies, budget, their age, if they have owned a bird before, what attributes they are looking for in a bird.”(Stovall) These are all crucial questions that must be asked to ensure that the customer will be satisfied with their pet and that the pet will have a high quality of life. 

          When asked what her favorite part of working in this industry is, Irene stated “Connecting people to their lifelong family members and helping to educate people on the care of birds.”(Stovall) The most important part of working in any type of pet-reliant business is the education of the customer. If someone purchases a bird from Petco or Petsmart they are given little to no information on the bird. They are required to do their own research, which usually will give them incorrect information on how to care for it. When asked about the negative aspects of work at fancy feathers irene had this to say “Uneducated people and people who have not taught their children to be respectful. Some people think that they know everything even when they have been misled by the internet.”(Stovall) 

     The store itself is in an odd location for a business of this nature. It is located in what most would consider an industrial park. The business is located in Norcross Georgia off beaver ruin road. The area mostly consists of businesses that require a large amount of warehouse space. Our business alone occupies over five thousand square feet, which is more than double the amount of space of the previous location which was in Doraville. When asked to compare the old and new locations Irene had this to say "In our new location we have more than double the amount of space that we did, it is much newer looking, and we are now handicap accessible. We also have separate rooms for birds in boarding, cages, and food."(Stovall) It is safe to say that the business is thriving and continuing to expand.

The store is comprised of three different rooms for birds to be housed. The first of the rooms is for birds in the boarding program. This program is modeled after a dog daycare, so when people who own birds decide to go on vacation or something else of that nature they will place their bird in boarding. The second room is where birds that are for sale are housed. The third and final room is called the quarantine room, this is where birds from a multitude of backgrounds are kept. Most birds are kept in quarantine for thirty days to ensure that they are healthy and do not carry any diseases or illnesses. When the store rescues a bird or someone surrenders a bird, this is the room where they are placed. 

Fancy feathers is a business devoted to helping people find their dream pet. They do everything in their power to teach the necessities of bird ownership, even to people who have no experience. This business is making non-traditional pets more accessible to the general population, and providing any vital information pertaining to their care easily accessible.