Canary song in the office again

I bought a canary today, a small yellow male who is a few years old. He
started singing when we put him in the cage I brought to carry him home and
he has been singing here in my office on and off all afternoon. I love to
hear the song of a canary or similar small birds and I have missed having
one in the house since my green singing finch died a few years ago.

My husband and I used to raise a number of small birds. Twenty years ago we
had a basement full of aviaries containing finches, canaries, pekin robins,
Java rice birds, crested parakeets, Bourkes parakeets and assorted other
birds. We had mostly small birds although I did have two conures and an
African grey parrot . When we moved we had a month between our old house
and our new one in which we had to live in a trailer. So we sold off most
of the birds.

When we got to the country we were so busy trying all the larger livestock
and raising things like peacocks and pheasants that we didn't get small
birds again although I had my green singer and we had Cruiser, a Senegal
parrot. We began raising dogs and our choice- Jack Russell Terriers - made
raising any other small animal in the house with them hard.

But recently after I remodeled my office and had some tall bookcases put in
I decided I really missed birds. Although the office contains a yorkie and
her son, a yorkie - jack cross because they do not play well with other
dogs, I decided the tall bookcases would be a safe place for a bird or two.
My dog groomer had a male canary for sale and so here we are again.

Hardy, the male office dog has not stopped staring at the bird cage since I
set it in here and that has been several hours. Cricket, his mother, has
basically ignored it. I do hope he doesn't kill himself or make a mess out
of things trying to reach the cage. It is 5 feet off the ground so I think
it will be ok. The little bird is used to dogs, being from a grooming
shop. He is already eating and drinking and singing so I think he feels at
home.

The good thing about canaries is that they are perfectly content to be the
only bird around. Even males and females fight unless they are in a huge
flight cage. I do intend to find a few females that I will house
separately, and eventually breed to him but there is no rush. I will get to
hear his wonderful singing as I work.