I am returning from vacation tomorrow, so I’ll be able to resume the regular Phoebe content soon.

But for now, I want to introduce you to Phoebe’s dog brother, Percy.

Phoebe came first, in December 2019. Then in May 2020, my wife adopted Percy. He was about six weeks old, and 21 years younger than his bird brother. I was initially worried that a dog would present a danger to Phoebe in the household. I didn’t immediately think that the bird would actually bully the dog.

People ask me about their relationship. The answer is: It’s fine.

Percy and Phoebe don’t play with each other, but they’re not hostile either. One time, when Percy was about a year old, they briefly played tug-of-war with one of Percy’s felt toys. But I got anxious that Percy would pull Phoebe off of his perch, and so I think my reaction might have inadvertently deterred Percy from trying to play with his brother in the future.

I think the way they were introduced to each other is important. Percy was barely bigger than Phoebe when we adopted him. Consequently, Phoebe saw Percy go from tiny dog to big dog on a timeline that he could understand. On the flip side, Percy has only known what it’s like to live in a house with a bird. To him, the humans and Phoebe are at the top of the hierarchy, and he is at the bottom. So he humbles himself accordingly.

Here are the ways they do interact. First, when Phoebe is on my shoulder eating my food, Percy will often stand next to me and wait for Phoebe to drop the human food to the ground, where he then eats it. I call it “the waterfall.” Percy will look at Phoebe for food, rather than me. Percy will also stand underneath Phoebe’s cage and lick up the crumbs from whatever he’s eating.

Second, when Phoebe is sitting on my leg or my arm, most days Percy will walk up and shove his snout in Phoebe’s face to sniff him for about five seconds. I assume that’s how Percy says hello and makes sure his brother smells normal.

On rare occasions, Percy will be so bold as to lick Phoebe on the beak. Phoebe doesn’t retaliate; he mostly just looks momentarily surprised. Sometimes during the sniffs, Phoebe will start scratching his head, which, as I previously explained, is usually an invitation for me to give him head scratches. As best as I can tell, he’s inviting his dog brother to scratch his head. It would be nice if that could happen, but sadly, it can’t.

There have been only a small number of bad interactions over six years. If Phoebe is on the floor for whatever reason, he’ll try to chase and nip at his brother. And one time, Phoebe was on my knee when there were a bunch of chaotic things happening in the house — music playing, vacuum running, guests knocking on the door, etc. Percy came running over way too hot and shoved his face into Phoebe’s, and Phoebe snapped at him. I don’t think he’s ever actually bitten Percy on the face — or, if he has, he’s never drawn blood or caused an injury.

Finally, there’s one more interesting way they interact. Sometimes while I’m with Phoebe outside, my wife will take Percy for a walk. If Phoebe sees them, he’ll call out to them. Percy, recognizing his brother’s noises, will freeze and look around. Then he will abandon his walk and immediately march over to us.

That’s all for now. The next post will be an actual Phoebe update!