It’s hard to let go of a good cock

Saying goodbye to Mr. Pepe was very hard – one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Now before your mind gets too far in the gutter you should know that Pepe was my little pet rooster. I took him and his 2 sisters in (Piper & Poppie) when they were just a week or so old. At that time, I was told they were all hens and I was not planning on having a rooster. Well Piper and Poppie didn’t have the good fortune of making it past their childhood but Pepe certainly did, turned out to be a rooster in the process and was such an amazing animal friend.

I was able to buy a diaper for him (www.chickendiapers.com – yes there is a website so I am not alone on this) and keep him in the house at night and whenever he would crow during the day. I live in a very populated neighborhood and for the past few months I can safely say I was not Ms. Popular. However, I really didn’t care since Pepe was so awesome and to be honest hardly ever got more than 1 crow out at a time when outside. He also didn’t crow until about 7:30am so there was nothing really to be too upset about. I also made him a sound-proof roost to sleep in so that at least the sound was muffled when he first woke up.

He really was great, he knew his name, loved his treats and followed me everywhere, esp. to the fridge. A lot of times I would find him sitting in my bedroom window or perched up on the piano. Everynight we “spoke” back and forth before bed and he would fall asleep under the coffee table. Sometimes he would sleep on my lap or on my bed. He was just like any other pet you might have and he got along great w/ our dog and my sister’s cat. In fact, he usually ate from the same bowl as the dog every evening. If you ever have the chance to adopt a hen or rooster you should, you will not regret it. They are one of the most loving creatures imaginable. Plus waking up to nature’s alarm every morning was a lot better than the buzzer on my clock.

Well this weekend I finally brought him to his new home in Valley Center. I procrastinated for 2 weeks, it was raining and I didn’t want him to sleep outside in the rain! This week I finally made myself bring him and it’s a beautiful place and I’m so happy that the girl taking care of him is such a loving & amazing person. I feel happy knowing that he will have a home for life where he can run around, crow all day and be loved. Even though I am happy for that I know deep down inside he must miss me, even if it’s just a fraction of how much I miss him. I was his mom for so long and I feel so awful like I abandoned him there all alone. It is quite possibly one of the worst feelings I have ever had. I couldn’t even give him a hug when I left because I was crying too hard. I want to visit him but not sure if I should. I wonder if he is confused and wondering when I am coming to get him. I am never going to take in another animal again unless I am 100% sure I can take care of them for life. I can’t wait for the day when I finally get to live on a farm. I don’t know how I am ever going to go on this trip now and leave my dog for a year. But that is a post for another time, this post belongs to Pepe aka Mr. Peppers. I love you Pepe!!!