Oliver the parrot is a pack member. It has happened over time-he knew dogs in his previous homes and he's told stories of dogs being yelled at and hit. He wakes my dogs each morning and then supervises their activities in the backyard. If there is a fuss or a ruckus, he runs to the window to inspect.
When they come in for midday naps, he expects his treat as well before he settles down in his cage for his nap.
They are all building various degrees of trust for each other, some allowing him to sample their nose and ears with his powerful beak. All of this is carefully supervised and so far through cage bars-he is more a threat to them than they to him.
When I started holding the dogs up for his inspection was also the point he came to realize that humans and holding could be a good thing. We've come a long way in our own trusting bond since then.
As for the dogs, they aren't quite sure what to think. He's clearly much bigger than the birds they chase out of the yard, he's in the house, he talks bird AND human....One of the good things about having a pack is pack rules apply-Leader (me) allows a new member, then that new member is a pack member, feathers and all.
When the pups are older and have more self restraint, I'd like to bring a gerbil into the house and see what the pack makes of it....or the ultimate test of the pack structure-a squirrel. I get shivers just thinking about it.
In actual fact, it might not be that difficult. Cody has always had a thing for picking up grass snakes if he can find them, but has never acted agressively towards any snake I was holding, no matter what the size. Still, I would love to see what he'd do with a pesky flippy tailed squirrel....hee hee hee.
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