08/03/2026
We try to revisit this discussion a couple times a year. We frequently get new people to this page and new people are discovering our rescue every day, so we find it is important to discuss our policies and procedures regularly. Why do we not allow general visits for the public to Feathers Galore? Why do we not allow visitors to come visit all the birds to come see if one "speaks" to them or catches their interest before they apply?
We have several reasons for this. I will discuss a few of them here.
I understand that this may not be how you would want the rescue to run. However, this is how we have chosen to run our rescue. Please understand that this is not being said in a rude or impolite manner. If you do not like how our rescue has chosen to approach our adoption process, I will not be offended. There are many other rescues across the U.S. that may fit your wants and needs better. Every rescue is run differently based on what works best for them. We suggest finding the rescue that best fits your needs. I understand that we might not be the rescue for you. And that is perfectly ok! Just like any other business out there, not every business can fit every person's wants and needs. It simply means that you have to find the business that meets the needs that you have.
This rescue is run out of my personal home. It is not a storefront. It is not a business that is paying rent at a strip mall or other public facing location. It is not a zoo. It is not funded by the government and given property like many of your local county rescues. It is run out of my personal home and funded by me and the adoption fees (which unfortunately are simply not enough to pay the rent, wages for staffing, etc.).
I simply do not want people visiting my home just to see the birds. I have a life, children, job, doctor's appointments, etc. The appointments that I make with people are scheduled for specific birds based on the information provided on the application and the needs of that specific bird. I don't want a bunch of random strangers in my home coming to visit the birds and impacting my personal comfort or the comfort of our birds. For this reason, we keep appointments limited and on a scheduled basis with those that we have selected from the applications.
We are not a zoo. I have to closely monitor any visitors and our birds during any visits, so this limits my time that can be spent elsewhere (see above: family, appointments, job, etc.). While I could charge a fee to come visit, the simple truth is that I am only one person. I do not have a staff of employees. So I have to be available for each and every appointment. Also, these birds have often come to us from a difficult time in their life. Having lots of people come to visit may increase stress and make it more difficult for them to adjust. If you check your local zoo, they often have to slowly introduce new animals because it can be incredibly stressful to have people around that they are unfamiliar with. Our birds are no different. We also board birds for owners that are out of town or need the bird cared for temporarily for various reasons. These are not birds that are used to the rescue environment, our routine, or visitors. We want this to be a comfortable environment for all birds and having frequent visitors simply would not make that possible.
Yes, I understand the desire to "meet all the birds and see if any stick out to you". This might work for cats and dogs at your local county shelter. But it simply does not work in our situation. I often have multiple adoptions processing at any point. While you may feel strongly for a bird when you visit, we may feel that there is a home/family that is a better fit for that particular bird. It would be nearly impossible to process applications on top of having people out to "pick out" a bird. It is just not feasible.
Again, this is not meant in a rude or impolite way. This is simply to give an idea of why we have chosen the "apply for the bird you want to be considered for" approach to adoption. We are here for these birds and work hard every day to make sure we find the correct homes for them. The approach we take has worked well for us for 10 years now and will continue to be our approach for the forseeable future.
If you want to review our current adoption process, please visit our website here:
http://feathersgalore.com/Adoption/
Thank you for your continued support and love for our birds! I truly am thankful for the community support of the work I do for these birds. It means the world to me.
