10/10/2025
🦜 Walter is going to her new home, where she will receive undivided attention, love, enrichment, and care. She will be able to leave her cage for outings, and see a familiar face every single day. No more long and lonely weekends in our clinic lobby. 😊
While we are so sad to see her go, we know this is the best decision for her wellbeing. She will hopefully have many more decades of love and companionship in her new forever home.
Here is our original announcement letter sent via email from Dr. Sarkisian on Monday:
🦜 Dear SYPH clients,
I knew I’d be writing this bittersweet message one day, though I never knew when. Walter, our beloved Yellow-Naped Amazon parrot, has been a fixture in our lobby and the heart of our clinic for nearly four decades. Many of you first met her as children, perched beside your parents as they brought in family pets, and now—years later—she’s delighted your own children with her chatter and charm.
Ever since joining Santa Ynez Pet Hospital, I have wanted to make Walter’s life even better. For a while, I’d take her out in the evenings and let her perch on my shoulder as I finished writing medical records, her presence filling the quiet with warmth and a little mischief. But as life and the demands of a busy practice grew, those moments became fewer.
Though Walter has enjoyed a long and love-filled life here at SYPH, I’ve always felt she deserved more interaction, more enrichment, and more freedom. And so, my search for the right person began, reaching out to bird sanctuaries and even among our own staff, but nothing ever quite worked out.
Recently, however, I was introduced to a long-time technician at the Cat & Bird Clinic in Santa Barbara who has a deep passion for Yellow-Naped Amazons. She has cared for a special-needs Amazon of her own for nearly a decade, tending lovingly to his medical issues and enriching his life with frequent outings—to the beach, the park, even on hikes. It became immediately clear that this was the kind of care and companionship Walter deserved.
Walter has now found her new forever home. While our clinic will feel emptier without her bright feathers, spirited squawks, and well-timed repertoire of phrases, we find great comfort in knowing she will live out her years surrounded by devoted attention and adventure. She is 42 years young, and with Amazons often living into their 80s, she has many vibrant years ahead.
We invite you to stop by this week to say your goodbyes—take a photo, share a story, or simply spend a quiet moment with her. Walter’s last day with us will be Friday, October 10.
Thank you for sharing in Walter’s journey all these years, and for loving her as much as we have.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Dr. Sarkisian and the SYPH Family
