Following 20 years of abuse, two decades of healing, and a decade of darkness, Boo, the therapy bird, now brings light to others.

Imagine being 40 years old, blind and carrying the trauma of severe abuse for the first 20 years of your life. That was Boo's reality after being seized during a police raid from a cage where his mate had died beside him from starvation. 

He was falsely labelled unsuitable as a companion animal and was subsequently placed in an SPCA foster home, where another bird unfortunately bit off his toe.

An "earth angel" chose to give Boo a loving home, despite his questionable reputation. Nedra provided Boo with a renewed opportunity by offering him a supportive environment and consistent care as he entered a new stage in life. As they aged, Boo developed blindness and experienced declining health. In response, Nedra sought a permanent placement for Boo that would ensure his long -term well-being while allowing her to oversee the selection process for his future caretaker. 

Nedra met Amy at a bird association gathering. One week after Amy and her husband had decided they would not own a large bird due to the required lifestyle changes, she met Boo. Despite his blindness, Boo looked directly at her when she first held him, a moment Amy later described as deeply moving. Two weeks later, Boo joined Amy and her husband, Doug, in their home.

Amy committed herself to providing everything Boo needed to regain optimal health. His care included dietary changes, physical therapy, and a consultation with NC State Exotics to evaluate a potential groundbreaking procedure to restore his vision.

After ten years of blindness, Boo?s vision was successfully restored, with immediate results. Shortly after recovery, Amy asked if he could see. When he replied that he could, she asked what he thought. His response was simple: ?I love you.?

Although Boo's story was riddled with triumph over tragedy, he had one more very important gift to share with the world. Just shy of a few months after life changing surgery to regain his vision, Boo was evaluated by Pet Partners to become a therapy bird. He and Amy passed with "flying colors" (pardon the pun) and achieved a perfect score of 100%.

Boo participates in a wide range of animal?assisted interventions, including physical therapy, occupational therapy in both group and individual settings, emotional and behavioral therapy, animal?assisted education, and animal-assisted activities. Through these efforts, his work has touched lives around the world, demonstrating the powerful impact of human?animal connection.

Your donation enables Boo to bring joy, comfort, and meaningful sensory engagement to neurodivergent children, helping reduce isolation one visit at a time. Contributions directly support his continued therapy work through Pet Partners.

Donate today to help Boo become the first?ever Therapy Bird Pet of the Year and extend his impact to more individuals in need. Funds raised through the Pet Partners Pet of the Year campaign support the Therapy Animal Program by educating, evaluating, and registering thousands of therapy animal teams.