Couple creates room with a zoo

By Cindy O. Herman
For The Daily Item

May 12, 2008 10:49 am

— COAL TOWNSHIP -- It's the Noah's ark of Coal Township, but it's doubtful that Noah had this much fun with his animals.
Jack and Sherri Dreibelbies share their home with two dogs, two cats, two birds and an iguana. For the most part, it's a peaceable kingdom, but sometimes, personalities clash.
Their boxer-mastiff, Monkelit -- so-called because her face "looks like the Planet of the Apes" -- loves attention and is full of energy. When she gets up, you have to give her space or she'll run right into you, Sherri said. So before they take her for a walk, they say, "Monkelit, take a lap," and she bounds around the living room and kitchen, giving Jack and Sherri a chance to get up without getting knocked down.
Einstein, however, their African grey parrot, likes to tease her.
"When he gets bored, he'll say, Monkelit, go take a lap,'"‰" Sherri said. "Once she gets out to the kitchen, he sits there and laughs." He really laughs?
"Oh, he's got this evil little laugh," Sherri said, giving an imitation: "Heh, heh, heh." Their other dog, Dobey B. Gillis, is a Doberman that Jack and Sherri used to see in a pet store. At the time, they already had a Doberman, but were drawn to this one, too, and referred to him as Dobey when they visited him. In an unexpected turn of events, their Doberman passed away, and Sherri's sister-in-law bought them a new one, unwittingly bringing them their "own" Dobey, the one from the pet store.
Their two cats, Gizmo, a 15-year-old Himalayan, and Maxie, a 9-year-old tabby, prefer to stay on the second floor of the home, Sherri said. One can only imagine the antics they have seen from their second-story perch.
Jack and Sherri have had Sampson, a scarlet macaw, for two months. He's 3 feet tall from head to toe, Sherri said, and is mostly red, with blues, yellows and all different colors, and he loves to play with a red ball. But he's not big on conversation "�? much to Einstein's dismay.
"Hi, Einey," Einstein said when Sampson was first brought home. That's what he says when he wants to talk, Sherri said, and he keeps saying it louder and louder until someone responds. But Sampson remained silent.
"Einstein was all dejected," Sherri said. "I said, What's the matter?' He said, Hi, Einey.' I said, Hi, Einey.' Then he was happy." While Jack and Sherri work on getting Sampson to trust them enough to eat out of their hands and talk, they're having a blast watching him.
"Oh, you should see him with saltine crackers," she said. "He dips them in water before he eats them, and he doesn't have to do that. He cracks walnuts in half."
Oscar, the iguana, is 3 years old, 3 feet long and still growing.
"They have no teeth," Sherri said of iguanas. "They're vegetarians." However, they shed their skin every few weeks and, "He's not in a good mood then. I'll know to watch out then." Though not aggressive, Oscar can scratch with his nails, and his thin, sharp tail can be a formidable weapon.
Through it all, Einstein keeps the family on its toes. He hates to have his routines interrupted. Jack calls Sherri "Emma," which was the name she had bestowed upon her first car. So Einstein, who imitates Jack, also calls Sherri, "Emma." In the mornings, Sherri's routine includes feeding the animals in order, but if the routine is interrupted, say, by a phone call, Einstein becomes impatient.
"Emma," he'll say from his cage. Then again, a little louder each time, "Emma." "Emma!" Until he's tended to.
When he's bad and Sherri yells at him, he says, "Bad boy." And when she's folding laundry, Einstein wanders over to help.
"I give him a wash rag, and he'll hold it in his beak and feet and fold' it," Sherri said with a laugh. "It's like the terrible twos' except that they never get out of that." And like any proud parent of a mischievous toddler, Sherri wouldn't trade her troublemaker for the world.
"I've been married five years. If I would've known five years ago I could have this much fun, I would've got this bird then," she said. "No matter what kind of a day I'm having, when I go home, I get a kiss and a hug (from Einstein). It's a wonderful experience."
n Cindy O. Herman lives in Snyder County. E-mail comments to her at Cindyherman1@yahoo.com.

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