The word is out about Exclusive Exotics

Originally published Saturday, January 1, 2000

By JON HAHN  
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST

Two good rules for whatever millennium you happen to be in:

1. Never shout "Fire" in a crowded theater.
2. Never say "Hello" when walking into a store full of parrots.

Gary Travis, the live-in manager in the historic Carr House property just uphill from Valley General Medical Center, was the one who warned me about the "Hello" danger. "Once they start -- and there's no telling who or what can start them off -- they can go 15 minutes of 'Hello' at different volumes and pitches, men's and women's voices, non-stop!"

He is talking, of course, of the talking birds comprising the for-sale stock as well as breeders, loaners, boarders and trade-ins. Not all the birds at Exclusive Exotics talk, or talk much.

Simon, a channelbill toucan with beautiful markings and color accents over his tasteful basic black, doesn't speak. "But he purrs like a cat when he's happy," said Shawn. "And he has a sort of 'alarm' call that comes out of nowhere."

Speech is not a prerequisite for attendance here -- birds are boarded or left for sale on consignment -- "but we try to screen incoming birds for language. We can't have -- pardon -- foul language in a bird because, like kids, if one says a word, the others pick it up and will be repeating it 15 minutes later!" said Shawn.

Romeo, the 14-year-old Congo African gray parrot Susan bought in North Dakota and brought with her back to her native Seattle, "knows about 150 to 200 words and phrases," she said matter-of-factly. "And I swear he can think. He puts together whole sentences."

When I walked into the brightly lit bird display area in the DuFresnes' converted patio and car port, it was Romeo who greeted me with a "Hi! Anybody here?!"

Even the business name, inherited from the previous owners, is a tad on the wild side. "We've had occasional inquiries about whether we run an escort service here!" said Susan.

"Well, it might be more profitable . . . but we won't go there!" quipped her husband. Shawn and Susan both work full-time, days, on construction for the Hovde Construction Co. Inc. of West Seattle. In fact, Shawn, 46, who grew up on Vashon Island, has worked construction, including plumbing and heating, for much of his adult life.

They had three teenage girls between them, from previous marriages, but when Garret Alexander came along, the more-than-full-time work of breeding, raising, grooming, boarding, trading and selling exotic birds became almost too much. "Doing an adequate job with the birds requires about 14 hours a day, seven days a week, and that doesn't leave much time for being parents," observed Shawn.

So residential managers, such as Gary Travis and son Jonathon, became necessary to free Susan and Shawn to work outside the home-business as well as be parents. Gary, a Yakima native, concedes: "I didn't know anything about birds several months ago, but my boys were into birds -- they have several -- and they have been teaching me, along with Shawn's help."

Jonathon, 16, for example, gets along quite well with Tequita, the very talkative scarlet macaw with a hook bill strong enough to take chunks off a 2-by-4 hanging in the cage.

During warmer weather, Tequita, who was hand-raised from a hatchling, sits outside in the crab apple tree at the end of the gravel driveway and greets customers . . . and other birds, squirrels and even cats. When you're about 3-feet from beak to tail tip, you don't worry about cats or squirrels.

"Tequita also does a great imitation of telephones, and also that 'beep-beep' noise the garbage trucks make when they're backing up," Travis said.

And it can get crazier. Rambo, currently boarding at the shop, imitates a ringing telephone, as well as saying "Hello?" after the ring. And when any or all of the three resident cats stroll through the shop, some of the birds -- in unison -- might call: "Here, kitty!"

One of Travis' other sons, Pierre, 13, works regularly after school and on weekends, cleaning the cages, watering and feeding the birds and other chores.

In no way did I influence or even talk to Pierre about his choice of liners for the bottoms of the many bird cages at the shop and in the more private breeding-bird barn out back under the trees. But I couldn't help but notice most of the birds seemed to prefer the Wall Street Journal or The Seattle Times.

A particularly handsome female Eclectus parrot named Velvet caught my eye, with her striking deep red and blue colors. "That one you don't want to stick your fingers anywhere near!" warned Gary, as he walked about with Usher, a smaller, predominantly green and blue-trim Quaker parrot perched on his shoulder.

Still, when longtime customer Marty Mullins stopped by for parrot food, she was able to walk among the birds and stroked many on the beak, including a compliant Velvet. Mullins explained that she has four birds, all from Exclusive Exotics, and perhaps she has a way with them.

Jessica Lim, of Puyallup, another customer, stopped by for a 5-pound bag of specially blended food for Ozzie, the African gray parrot she bought here several years ago. "He's just the smartest bird I've ever seen," she said. "He's done a lot of talking right from the start. He picks up a word if he hears it only once!"

The DuFresnes almost lost their whole flock in a house fire last summer. "We'd still like to know the name of the guy who saw the fire as he drove by, and banged on the windows and doors to wake us all up. He even helped rescue birds, which were in the basement then, before he drove away, without even leaving his name," Susan said.

Could be that Romeo might also want to add his thanks to theirs. Susan could be right about her bird being able to express his thoughts . . . even if he only thinks about one thing.

"I had Romeo with me when I had to go out on the porch where we were breeding Polly and Gecko. And they happened to be breeding at the time. I know Romeo had never seen other birds breeding before, but as I turned to go out again, with Romeo on my shoulder, he said:

" 'Oh Gecko -- Here we go! WOO-WOO!!' "