THERE’S a saying about being like a kid in a sweetie shop – meaning sheer delight – but for Dúlra, the saying should really be a kid in a pet shop.
He was never out of the three shops in Gresham Street that were jam-packed with creatures. You’d buy a goldfish and carry it home on the bus in a wee plastic bag like it was the most precious thing on earth. And you couldn’t leave the shop without peering into the hutches on the ground, which held rabbits and – most times – some heart-melting puppies.
Many’s a parent were tortured by their kids into taking one home.
But it was the birds that bewitched Dúlra – budgies and canaries, zebra finches and parrots. The shop owners knew you’d only enough money for a goldfish, but they didn’t mind you spending a half-hour in their shop admiring their colourful creatures.
In those days, most houses had a pet bird in their living room or kitchen – you just don’t see that today. Maybe we’ve just grown tired of trying to compete with constantly chattering budgies!
Or maybe people gradually thought it wasn’t fair to keep a single bird in a cage in a room with only people for company. But the budgies and canaries were often the most looked after thing in the whole household – every visitor would feed them treats.
Or maybe it’s just a sign of the times – homes are more likely to be empty all day while people are out working, while back then there was always someone in.
Kids won’t see pet birds in Belfast today – unless they happen to be walking through Rosemary Street. This week Dúlra was reminded of those childhood trips to the pet shops when he saw budgies outside Brothers 47 Kurdish Barber Shop.
There were four bright yellow birds in a big cage clearly enjoying the chilly Belfast afternoon air. Owner Ahmed Ali puts them outside for a while to get the sun, although at this time of year they spend most of the day indoors.
“We like the birds and our customers like the birds,” he told Dúlra. “Do they attract customers? I don’t know – but maybe some.”
But Ahmed has to be careful – last month a blue budgie escaped and it has yet to return.
“We searched for it and a lot of people around here know us and know it’s ours, but there was no sign of it. One time before, a bird escaped from another shop in Castle Street and it was spotted by customers in McDonald’s and they got it back. But we haven’t had any luck yet. Maybe it’ll return some day now that it’s getting colder.
“They enjoy the sun – but they don’t get long outside in this weather,” he said as he carried the cage indoors.
And just like everyone is either a cat or a dog person, there’s a sharp division between those who prefer budgies or canaries. “We had a canary but it sang too much and too loud,” said Ahmed, who is originally from Syria. “But these budgies, they never sleep and they don’t stop talking!”
Dúlra was always a canary fan, and he remembers all those budgie owners having to hang a cloth over the bird’s cage at night to make them shut up!
Dúlra would guess that it was the demise of the local pet shop that led to the decrease in bird ownership. The small shops that entertained generations were killed off by the big pet stores – which now aren’t about pets at all, but pet food. Dúlra was surprised this week to find that the bird cages in his local Jollyes had disappeared – they no longer sell birds at all in any of their 16 stores across the North.
But thankfully Ahmed is keeping a great Belfast tradition alive – and this week he earned a new customer because of it!
• If you’ve seen or photographed anything interesting, or have any natural questions, you can text Dúlra on 07801 414804.
