LINDA BROOKINGS

When I returned home from vacation 12/6/08, three of my four birds had water and food in their cages, while the fourth had a few hulls in her seed cup and a barely moist bottom in her water bowl. No millet stems (a treat for birds) were in the bottoms of their cages. I immediately filled the fourth bird's cups with provisions, which she promptly ate and emptied. I believe the birds were neglected all week and were taken care of the morning of my return (as she had called my cell asking if I was home yet), but perhaps in her haste, the fourth was forgotten (there was a big football game that day). All my feathered friends seemed fine the remainder of the weekend. While giving my birds a last check before leaving for work the following Monday morning, my Parrotlet was lying on her side on the bottom of her cage. I feared she was dead, but found her body was still warm, and rushed her to my avian veterinarian 30 miles away. My vet found the bird was traumatized, dehydrated, and the tip of her beak fell off; she would have died had any more time elapsed. Unfortunately, she died Sat. before Christmas. $600 was spent on vet bills for her care; I paid $100 for her when I purchased her in '03. I left a 1/2 bin of Purina-1's lamb and rice food, and an unopened 18 lb. bag (at $19.95/bag) of the same for my dog, a German Shepherd. When I returned, the bag was gone (an empty bag was not in the trash bin outside) and the bin was 1/2 full of what my vet thinks is Kibbles n' Bits, which I've never purchased. My dog acted uncharacteristically cowed when I got home, and I found a set of work gloves that weren't mine, covered in dog fur. After all I had already discovered, I had to wonder if she also mistreated my dog. After these discoveries, I felt that Linda was not the trustworthy person I had thought she was, and had my doors locks changed ($87.00) ASAP. Estimated cost is $175 ($25/day). I paid an initial $100 for Peanut.