The Deer, the Pig and the Cockatoo: A PR Love Story (video)

The Deer, the Pig and the Cockatoo: A Pleasant Ridge Love Story (video)
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct.19, 2014)
“There’s a reason people call stubborn people pig-headed,” said Tracey Leigh Bechard Magiera. The Pleasant Ridge mother and friend to animals everywhere knows this first-hand.

Magiera can often be seen walking in Pleasant Ridge with one or more of her animals on a leash, including her pot-bellied pig Timmy.
“He had not a lot of manners when I got him,” she said. “If someone wants to get a pig, they should be home a lot and willing to take the time to train them.” Timmy, who weighs about 25 lbs, is always on the lookout for food. Magiera had to baby-proof the cabinets to keep the micro pig from pigging out.
Apart from the training, keeping Timmy is as easy as keeping a dog, she said. For a while he used a litter box, but now goes outside with the family dogs. He eats carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and pellets. He goes for walks like a dog, and likes to cuddle up for naps. Belly-rubs are one of his favorite activities.
“They have a very sweet nature,” Magiera said. “But they want to be boss.”
Vying for the spot of top animal in the house is also a white cockatoo named Daisy. The bird loves coffee and the taste of lipstick, and knows how to say “hello” to strangers. Magiera says the bird will run about the house, playfully pecking at the legs of her two dogs and the pig. She’ll also do acrobatics with members of the family.
Outside the house, Magiera has an even bigger challenge on her hand, helping to coordinate care of Baby, the Pleasant Ridge deer.
Baby was born earlier this year. She and her mother would wander the streets of Pleasant Ridge, hopping fences and eating hostas and other plants from people’s yards. Baby’s mother was fatally struck by a car on Woodward at the end of July, and the community has been working together to keep her well-fed and protected. Magiera is coordinating efforts to have a shelter build for the growing doe, in the backyard where she most often sleeps.
“I wish there was a way to get her out of here and to a safer place,” Magiera said. But for the time being it looks like Baby is comfortable and safe in the backyards of Pleasant Ridge, and the animal-loving resident with a big heart will continue doing her best to make sure PR’s critters feel welcome.  “I always said that when I grew up, whatever [animals] I could have, and take care of, I would,” she said.
For past stories about Baby the PR Deer and other animals in the area, see:
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/07/31/deer-fatally-struck-on-woodward-in-pleasant-ridge/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/07/04/oh-deer-pleasant-ridge-and-hazel-park-get-unusual-visitors/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/08/07/pleasant-ridges-pr-the-cat-adds-adorableness-to-city-hall-video/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2011/03/08/coyote-sighted-in-pleasant-ridge-today/

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