Mike's pet cockatoo lifts his spirits

By Joan Janzen

Emotional support animals come in all different varieties, including an Umbrella Cockatoo.

“He was a gift from a friend 10 years ago. I got him after my wife passed away from cancer,” Mike Baril from Leader explained. “I didn’t think too much about it, but he lifts my spirits. He’s helped me get out of my depression.”

Mike registered his pet, Ethan, as an emotional support animal and has an identification card, which he wears when taking him out in public. You might see Mike accompanied by his pet as they do errands in Kindersley and Leader.

Mike Baril from Leader loves his emotional support cockatoo, Ethan. “He gives me joy and lifts my spirits,” he said. PHOTO SUBMITTED.

“I try to take him with me wherever I can. I took him to the bank and shopping at Walmart. He was sitting on the handlebar and I pushed him in the cart,” he said. “He can’t fly. He was injured before I even got him.”

The 18-inch-long bird loves doing the same things as Mike. He enjoys taking a shower, sitting by the living room window watching people come and go, and the kids in the neighbourhood love him. He also eats the same food as Mike, including oatmeal for breakfast and Kraft Dinner for lunch. At night, he sleeps in a seven-by-four-foot cage in his own bedroom.

“I had a dog for 16 years. I had to put him down four years ago. They would lay on the floor beside each other, and Ethan would lay his head on the dog,” he recalled. But the bird also gets jealous when his papa pays attention to other animals.

“Ethan calls me Papa. He’s very aware of what’s going on. I always explain what we’re doing and where we’re going,” he said. His pet has an extensive vocabulary of about 300 words, in addition to animal sounds. He can mimic a chicken, a baby lamb and dogs.

“His first words he said to me were, ‘Hello, sir,’ and I almost dropped my jaw!” Mike remembered.

He is more than willing to share his pet with anybody and everybody. Ethan has joined Mike on visits to the seniors' home in Leader, as well as attending AA meetings in Swift Current. However, he is confined indoors during the colder months.

It’s been over a year since Mike moved to Leader from his home in Alberta. He’s enjoying his retirement and says people in Saskatchewan are different, in a good way.

“They always wave to me. They make me feel at home,” he said.

“It’s been 10 years now, and I love that little guy so much,” Mike said as he described his relationship with his emotional support animal. “He’s helped me get over the worst time of my life. Every morning I look forward to looking at him and picking him up. It gives me joy, and he lifts my spirits.”