When I was a little girl in the 50's, my dad worked in the woods in the great Pacific Northwest. As a logger, he came across just about every kind of animal imaginable, that of course was from around our area. There weren't any lions or tigers, or giraffes, or...okay, I'm being silly now. Any way, loggers see alot of animals.

Dad, like I said is a softy (sometimes!). He would find babies, who's momma's had either left them alone, or died, and he would rescue them, and often become both mother and father to them. My mother used to be afraid to open his lunch pail at night for fear of what she would find there. There had been snapping turtles, bull frogs, assorted birds, flying squirrels, baby skunks, and on one occassion a baby GREAT HORNED OWL. This story is about that owl, a random act of kindness, and a potential learning experience for thousands of children.

Mom opened the lunch pail, and sitting in the bottom found a baby owl. Not just any owl mind you, this was an owl that was going to get pretty big, and could grow up with a nasty disposition toward humans. These owls' only enemy is man. They can have a wingspan of 36" to 80", and have very powerful talons. They can fly up to 40 mph and are the largest owl in North America. And my dad just brought us home one. My Daddy was always the best but, I guess you know just how much cooler that made Dad in our eyes!

Dad's Owl

Dad explained that he had fell a big Douglas Fir tree and didn't know the nest was there, and that now the momma owl had abandoned the baby owl, so he had brought it home to save it. I don't know if he thought about where we were going to keep a very large owl, or what we were going to feed it. I can imagine, that he just picked it up and put it in his lunch pail knowing that we would manage to take care of it somehow.

We kept the owl in an old shed, and since they are carnivores, fed it scrap meat and rabbits (Sorry rabbit lovers, but this was a productive farm that raised rabbits for food) until it got strong and healthy, and we could no longer afford it feed it. Besides that, it was getting to be dangerous. He was after all a LARGE, wild bird of prey. Dad called the director of the Washington Park Zoo in Portland, Oregon. They accepted the owl (I believe that we named him Snapper), and kept him many years, with a plaque on his pen that read simply "Donated by a Yacolt, Washington family". Dad didn't want any credit for doing anything. He had simply rescued a bird. I believe he deserves recognition for his random act of kindness, and this is my way of giving it too him.

The owl was preserved and is still in the teaching center of the Washington Park Zoo. He provides valuable informations about Great Horned Owls, and other birds of prey, for thousands of school children every year.

For this great thing my Daddy did, and all the other great things and not so great things, I would like to wish him a very, very happy Fathers Day! You're the best Dad! I love you very much!

Now so that you don't think my Father is a complete bowl of mush, take a look at this -- some of his other antics...what I lovingly call his "evil" side! *G*

This is Wunnabee Owl
I adopted him to raise as my very own owl
As you can tell from my story he means alot to me.

Cyber Owls are from Night Owl Graphix.
You can adopt a cyber pet for your page too at;
Cyber Owl Adoptions

Please visit Night Owl Graphix
Thank you Kathy, this is beautiful

Follow these links for more of The Pom's Mom's pets of the past, including owls, and goats.