“When people buy birds they just see this funny dancing bird that talks and think they want one,” said Kevin Stallard, who works in IT. “They don’t always understand the responsibility that comes with owning a bird. Birds can be loud, messy, destructive and expensive, which is why a lot of birds end up abandoned, abused or sent to rescues.”
Daisy’s Place, run by Kevin and his wife, was named after a Green Wing Macaw, Miss Daisy. Daisy was found by the Michigan Humane Society, which contacted the Stallards as they had taken in other birds in the past. She was abused and neglected, found in a crate and locked in a dark closet for an estimated five years. When Daisy arrived, she was severely underweight, her wings would not open and in distress, she had plucked out her own feathers. With the love and support from the Stallards, she can flap her wings and get some lift. Thus, Daisy’s Place Avian Sanctuary was born.
Now, as space permits, Daisy’s Place takes in abused or abandoned birds or birds that are difficult to adopt due to behavioral issues, such as aggression, anti-social tendencies or feather plucking.
“When they get here, they are scared and not sure what is going on. At some point they reach that moment where they realize they are not going to be hurt, that their personality comes out. They love to talk to each other, play peekaboo and just have some fun,” said Stallard.
Kevin’s dedication to the sanctuary, which is a 501c3 nonprofit, earned him a DTE Energy volunteerism award, the 2019 “Energy Impact” Care Force award, for logging 1,697 hours throughout the year. Kevin and his wife have also received McCarthy grants for his volunteering, saying that every little bit helps.
Colleagues interested in Daisy’s Place can donate through their website, Facebook or via Amazon Smiles. Keep an eye out for educational programs that are being developed to showcase the importance of proper animal care.