WALLY PETS!
“I always wanted to name one of our dogs Wally, but most came with names. The cockatiel did not.”
Wally the Cockatiel
Age: 9 years
Shares home with: Diane and John Schroeder ’69
Best trick: wolf whistles (at Diane’s friends, and himself)
Pet peeve: being taken out of his cage
Wally the Cockatiel was John Schroeder’s 61st birthday gift from his son, Scott, and daughter-in-law, Leigh.
“After Scott graduated from Wabash he worked in Cincinnati and could not have a dog, so he got two parakeets,” John explains. “A month later he started traveling extensively so we ended up with the parakeets. I took care of the birds, and when the second died, I kind of missed them.
“Scott and Leigh picked up on this and bought me a cockatiel. I had always wanted to name one of our dogs Wally, but most came with names. The cockatiel did not, so it was agreed that he would be Wally.”
Wally doesn’t talk, but the Schroeder’s niece taught him to wolf whistle.
“That is the extent of his recognizable sounds,” John says. “But he sure has personality. Every morning when I uncover his cage we get the same responses. When I call his name, I get certain whistles.
Four years ago Wally had a cyst removed from under his wing, and he is no longer able to fly. Since then he prefers to stay in his cage. He was none too happy about being taken out for this photo!
“But he likes to show off when people come over to the house”, John says. “Most of the time he wolf whistles when looking at himself in the mirror. My wife’s friends really get a kick out of him, though, when he does his wolf whistle routine around them.”