(upbeat music) - Celebrating vibrant people, captivating places, and remarkable things, this is "Living West Michigan."

(upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music ending) - [Announcer] Celebrating our vibrant community together, powered by your dedicated support, thank you.

(upbeat music) - Animal conservation is an important part of maintaining all the various species still thriving across the world, with West Michigan being instrumental in bird preservation.

At Albatross Aviary, their passion is committed to rescuing, rehabilitating, and conserving birds in our community.

Join me as I visit the space and see the home of many wonderful birds.

(birds chirping) (gentle bright music) (birds chirping) (bright music) - Somebody asked me, about two months ago, if I would've known how hard this was going to be getting into this, would I have still done it?

Absolutely not.

(laughs) But it has been the most fulfilling thing.

And now that I'm doing it, there's nothing else I would absolutely do.

This has been the most rewarding job I've ever done.

But with being able to make differences both in people's lives that are struggling and at their wit's end on what to do with certain animals that have behavioral problems or that they just don't understand how to take care of, and the individual birds and creating relationships with them and watching them come in scared and tired, and watching their personalities bloom.

It's the biggest cause that I've ever truly believed in, as far as with saving the birds.

'Cause I get people like, "Why birds?"

And it's because not very many people are doing this, and there's not really a voice for these guys.

As loud as they are, they're kind of voiceless creatures.

With the commodity of them, but also they are the only animal on the face of the planet that actually occupies every continent and holds almost each biome from swamps, to desert, to Antarctica, they're all intricate in each of the ecosystems so heavily that when we're talking about the planet that we live in and we're able to prosper, and birds were the ones that kind of developed it.

And so if we were to focus in on saving the birds, we'd end up saving the planet ecologically.

And so I'm like, yeah, birds.

(laughs) (birds chirping) So the birds come to me, because there's actually a pretty big crisis of unwanted birds, especially in the Midwest, where a lot of people in the '80s ended up buying birds.

But these birds will live like 60 to 80 years, and so they're outliving a lot of people.

Along with birds that are impulsively bought, end up not being cared for very well, and then you end up seeing a multitude of behavioral problems.

And so a lot of the birds that we get in come in with aggression, and self-mutilation, and antisocial behaviors.

And we actually start working on physical and mental rehabilitation to create a stable environment for the health and safety of the bird.

I try to create a place, not just to take in the birds, but to educate people that are struggling with caring for birds, because nobody adopts or buys a bird to torture an animal.

There isn't a lot of information out there on how to care for them.

And so I'm trying to do my best to set a good example and offer accessible educational processes to actually live and cohabitate with a bird, 'cause they don't make very good pets, but they make fantastic companions.

(birds chirping) So there's a lot of hormone fluctuations that a lot of people aren't, A, aware of, and, B, equipped to actually handle and understand.

So that's why we actually have 'em on an 12-hour cycle, and 8 to 8.

And that's to, A, regulate their hormones, but also to keep it on a routine.

Because of the issues with communication that we have with the birds, that if you're on a routine, it's a lot easier for them to recognize what's going to happen and not be afraid, and the communication structure just gets a whole lot better.

And this is where even with new volunteers coming in, the first month, it's like, do not engage with the birds.

Let them understand you, be a calm environmental difference.

Let them understand who you are before you engage, so that, A, we're able to elicit attention and interaction when it's appropriate so that they're not screaming for attention or being aggressive for attention, that they can be patient on the times that it's going to happen.

We have our Bird Behavior Solutions program.

It's just a small counseling program that I was doing through Covid where people with bird behavior problems, whether it be from plucking, to dietary changes, to biting, that, yeah, I would love to, I can't take on every bird, that I would like to keep the birds in their home.

'Cause, like I was saying, actually, them being in a safe and secure environment, a stable environment, is one of the healthiest things I can do.

And so I would like to help people keep their birds in their homes and actually work on the healthiest way to build a habitat for them, 'cause they are smart enough to adapt into the homes that we create for them, it's just not always the healthiest.

And so working towards getting more healthy interactions and healthy behaviors inside the home for individuals, including that like fulfilling relationship, is one of the key goals that I have.

(gentle music) - So what could be better than a room full of adorable dogs and a nice meal?

Well, you'll find it all at The Pack, West Michigan's only indoor dog park and eatery.

While all of us here at Living West Michigan are animal lovers, our video production specialist, Melina, takes it to a whole new level.

So we asked her and her pup to take us on a trip.

So let's check out The Pack.

- It's not every day that you can bring your dog to work and go to an indoor dog park.

I'm here at The Pack in Comstock Park with my little Benito, but you can call 'em Bean.

(upbeat music) And we're here to explore what dogs and owners, like us, can do.

(upbeat music) - We've been in business just over three years.

We are an indoor dog park, so people can come play with their dogs.

Similar to an outdoor public dog park, except we put some safety measures in place.

So all dogs need to be vaccinated.

We have staff always monitoring play.

We have dog daycare that we offer, so people can drop off their dog.

We have two trainers on staff, and so we deal with a variety of things, but mostly people that are looking for basic obedience.

We don't necessarily deal with high-aggression reactivity cases, because all the training happens here in our space where a lot of dogs are present.

We also have a full restaurant and full bar.

- [Melina] I heard your french fries are pretty popular.

- Yes.

- Do you have a favorite menu item?

- Our Philly egg rolls are my favorite item.

- Okay, that sounds good.

- We make them ourselves.

And we have a wonderful kitchen manager, and she puts together a really nice menu for us.

So we have hand-tossed pizzas, flatbreads, wings, all kinds of good stuff.

- So it's mine and Bean's first time here today.

What would you tell somebody that's coming here for the first time?

- So we have everyone register before they come, so we ask a series of questions about you, and then a lot of questions about your dog so that we can kind of get to know them before they're coming in our space.

So things like their play history, any medical things we need to be aware of, so we can kind of make sure that this is gonna be a good place for them to play.

- I saw you did recently a winter pet fair benefiting a Humane Society.

Why are events like that so important?

And what other events might you have coming up in the future or have done in the past?

- We like to do events sporadically throughout the year.

Our most popular is Pictures With Santa.

So we partner up with various pet organizations and have Santa come and do photos.

That's a big hit.

And then, our Halloween costume contest is also really popular.

I think we had over 50 dogs dressed up last year, and people get really creative.

It's a lot of fun.

And then, in the summertime we do a lot of breed meetups.

So Golden Retriever Night, Corgi Night, Doodle Night.

It's always fun for, even sometimes people without dogs come if they're just a Corgi lover and they wanna see all the little butts running around.

- For sure, I would be here.

- And then, year round, every Thursday we have trivia night.

Just a lot of fun things, because it's a fun place.

It's easy to come up with events that are just gonna bring people a little joy.

- Yeah, I mean, who's not gonna come to an event with a dog, right?

- Right, right.

So if you're coming without a dog, it's free.

And we have people sometimes that maybe it's not a right time for them to get a dog, or whatever the case, and so they just come in to get their fix, have a drink or some food, and hang out.

- [Melina] What do you kind of hope that The Pack really brings to, you know, the dogs and the people of West Michigan?

- One of the main things, when we first opened, was to create a space that was maybe an alternate to some of the other play spaces that was safer, and so we've achieved that.

And I think one thing I didn't expect was the community building that would happen here, but it has been tenfold what we imagined the community that people would create, because people are coming usually around the same time, same day, and so they see familiar faces.

Even somebody who might be a little reserved, unsure about meeting new people, so easy to do when you have a dog.

- Yeah, no kidding.

- It has kind of like that buffer to meet somebody new.

- I'm Jamie Flynn, and this is my dog, Clara.

We've been coming here for about three years.

I like to come here, because I can let her run and chase the ball, have fun, and not get messy or freezing.

She loves to chase the ball.

She's obsessed with the balls, aren't you?

Can you go find your ball?

- This is Malibu, and this is Caramel.

We come here almost every day.

They love it here.

They can run and play, and we have a lot of fun.

We've met a lot of nice people and nice dogs, of course.

- We've had some really cool friendships form between staff and customers, and between customers themselves, so that's been a really cool thing that we didn't anticipate the way it has.

(upbeat music) - I would say we became part of The Pack today.

But we're gonna keep the fun going over here, or maybe go home and take a little nap.

(upbeat music) - As we saw with Melina and little Bean, animals and humans can form meaningful connections.

And that's what our next group is excited to share with the community.

Sitting on 28 acres of land in Kent County, the Legacy Stables offers horse lovers an array of activities, from riding lessons to therapy.

So let's join Shelley, as she saddles up for a ride.

(gentle music) - [Shelley] Here we are, I hear there's nothing like the nuzzle of a horse.

And you're all about horses and humans, and putting them together.

- Yes.

- What are your stables and your connection?

What are they all about?

- Well, I just love horses.

And it's so funny, because nobody in my family is a horse person.

I did not grow up at a farm.

I just, from little age on, I just knew I wanna have a barn and horses, and I wanna be a riding instructor, and, you know, all that.

I had it when I was six years old.

And then, I just stuck with the horses, and then I made it my profession, and I did.

But pretty much there's hardly anything I didn't do with horses.

- Nice, how about this?

When did this come to be?

- [Karin] The Legacy Stables, the property here, we were able to purchase in 2012.

Since we are here, we really have been starting to thrive and grow.

And this year, in the summer, it's gonna be 12 years.

(gentle mellow music) - What is vaulting?

- Vaulting is gymnastics and dance on a moving horse.

It's a performance sport, and it combines dance, gymnastics, and horses.

The horse is controlled by the person in the middle, that is a horse person and trained to guide the horse around.

And that person is called the lunger, and that one controls the horse.

And then, the kids or adults can go on the horse and do their thing, but the horse is listening to the person in the middle, and that's why it's so safe.

(gentle upbeat music) - You're the star of the show as a vaulter.

And, of course, mom, thanks for, well, having this opportunity available.

Tell me about why get the family involved with Legacy Stables?

- We love the community at Legacy Stables.

The people are great, the environment is fabulous, and I see so much growth in my kids who are here.

Growth in confidence, and also in strength.

- What's it like to ride a horse, especially vault a horse?

What's that even mean?

- It's like doing gymnastics and dance on a horse.

- [Shelley] So how did you get involved with this?

- [Nona] I think when we started riding lessons, our riding instructor let do vaulting every other week.

I'm going to be doing a pair freestyle with my sister on the horse.

- [Shelley] Talk about the horse itself.

What kind of horse makes for a good vaulting horse?

Do they need to be calm?

- [Nona] You want a very calm horse, and usually a larger sized horse so you have more space to move around.

- [Shelley] What does it take for you to do well in vaulting?

- A lot of strength, and you also wanna be very flexible.

- [Shelley] Yes, and again, how important is it to, well, reading, writing, and arithmetic is good, but to get out into a world of horses and animals for your gals?

- I love the horse community.

I love that they have a reason to be outside all year round, so they're in the fresh air, and I think it's really balancing for their bodies and their health.

- Nice, and describe a competition.

Do you get all dressed up?

- Yes, we pick out our unitards.

And then, either you pick a song to music or put songs together to make a song for music.

And then, you do your freestyle to that in front of judges and they'll give you a score.

- Do you always pet the horse after the vaulting for a job well done?

- Yes.

- [Shelley] Thanks, keep up the good work.

- [Heidi] Thank you.

(upbeat music) - [Shelley] And now there's a Karin's Horse Connection that goes with this too.

- [Karin] Yes, Karin's Horse Connection is a non-profit, and we serve the community of any kind of people with special needs, and also the vaulting program is under that non-profit organization.

- Who are you serving and how?

- We want to make an impact here in our community around Caledonia.

Of course, many people know us way beyond even Grand Rapids.

Everybody is welcome here, that's one of our core values.

No matter their age, their ability, or disability, and their level of knowledge, we will pick them up exactly where they are.

We have qualified people, certified people that have experience to work with anyone.

Let it be two years old, the oldest we had was 95, and all ages in between.

And then, also all kinds of special needs.

Everybody can come here.

- Well, we're here with Katie, she's a rider.

She gets the lucky opportunity to bond with a horse.

What do you do when you come to ride?

- I just ride the horse.

I come up here and I lead the horse to the arena.

And then, I get on the horse, and then I just ride around.

Yeah, I've been riding horses for a long time.

I've been riding since I was 3 1/2.

- [Shelley] Wow, what does riding do for you, physically, mentally, socially?

- [Katie] Well, I just like getting to know the horses, and bonding with the horses, and getting to know the people, and making a connection with the horses, different horses.

It's good for my tight legs, it's good for my speech, and then it's good for my balance.

- So the bonding with a horse, and then feeling all of these positives, does it make you sleep good at night?

- Yes, it makes me happy whenever I come here and get to ride a horse.

- [Shelley] What would you tell someone who's afraid to get on the horse?

- [Katie] Well, you can't be afraid, because they can sense your emotions.

So they can tell that you're afraid.

- [Shelley] Good, are you gonna do this forever?

- Yes, 'cause I love coming here.

I'll do it for as long as I can.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Shelley] What is it about the horse and that human connection?

- You know, it seems to be, it's just magical, I wanna say.

It's very hard to describe.

It's just you put your hand on a horse in that warm, fuzzy fur at this time of year, you look them in the eyes, there's just a connection that goes deep inside.

(gentle upbeat music ends) - Well, it's that time of year when we are all gathering and spending time together.

So if you enjoy hosting, like me, it can be fun to add a little touch of color, a little elegance to those dinner parties.

So flower guide J. Schwanke's in the building with arrangement ideas that will do just that.

Here's Living in Bloom.

(gentle bright music) - Roses are red, what follows that J.?

- Yeah, that's true.

These are red, these are spray roses.

So you'll notice that a spray rose, super great value, because we've got all of these little roses that come up that stem, right?

- Yes.

- And so this is probably priced a little bit less than this.

- So that's a spray rose?

- Spray rose.

- This is a hybrid tea rose.

But, you know, so this is the long-stem, single rose that we might see.

This one is called cherry brandy, because of its color.

It's red on the outside and orange-ish, kind of peachy on the inside.

Did you know that women's favorite rose is not red?

- I did not know that.

- Women's favorite rose, uniformly throughout the country, most generally, is a peach or a pink rose.

- Well, I'll take a dozen red, please.

And these don't smell?

- Well, these don't smell.

You're absolutely right, because what we do is there is a link between the fragrance of the rose, and also the longevity of the rose, and the thorns.

The more fragrant a rose, the less it will last, and the more thorns it will have.

So we try and raise roses that are thornless and last a long time, but thus they have no smell.

- Yes, yes.

- So in your garden they will.

- Okay, all right.

I'll make sure that we get them planted ASAP.

- (laughs) Yes, right.

So today we're gonna make the 7-4-1.

So this is a secret system to make your roses always look beautiful.

- I knew we'd learn the secret code eventually.

- The secret code, exactly.

So you have seven roses, four roses, and one.

The very first thing that you're going to do is you are going to cut your rose, I'm gonna guess, about this long so it sits on the edge.

- And I'm doing that with each rose in the front?

- You're gonna do seven roses in a circle on the outside.

- [Shelley] And I'm going underneath the leaf, shall I say?

- [J.]

Sure, and pull off that bottom leaf before you stick it down, this guy.

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

- Pull this one off.

- [Shelley] It's okay, see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya.

- There you go.

- Okay, next.

- Oh, see you're perfect.

- Well, that's it, it's all about the teacher.

- Yeah, all right.

- All right, so we do this with all seven.

- All seven of those.

7-4-1, so this is the seven.

And over here in mine now, because I'm using spray roses, I'm gonna still cut them short, but I'm only gonna do like three around the base.

- Okay, all right, is this a race?

- No.

- Okay.

- I'm just trying to keep up with you, you know, so that's good.

- [Shelley] This is beautiful, so all around.

And there is a reason for starting with the seven, correct?

- Well, the reason for that is we wanna fill in all the way around the edge, and you've done perfectly, like that, so now your next four are going to sit up a little bit longer.

- [Shelley] So cut a little bit longer down the stem, as the say.

- Correct, there we go.

- Thank you, and that will go on the inside.

- And let's see, oh, that's a little too long.

- Okay, all right, I'm learning from you.

- So we wanna go there.

- All right.

- And we're gonna do those four in the middle there.

- All right, I look forward to seeing what we do with that last one that is waiting for us, how's that?

- [J.]

(laughing) I knew you would want to know.

- You're doing yours as well.

- Right, right, I am.

So I've made a little edge around the outside, and I'm going to stick a couple in the center as you are.

- All right, all right.

- So with this one, it isn't necessarily 7-4-1, because my roses are a little bit more in a little cluster.

- All right, J., here we are, okay.

- There you are, now, where do you think one's gonna go?

- One's gonna go in the center.

- In the center, on the top.

- All right.

- Exactly.

- [Shelley] But I need to, I guess, measure, this needs to be cut a little longer, even here?

- [J.]

Correct, 'cause you're gonna go in the middle, and you want him to sit up above on the top.

- Oh, I think I need to trim it.

- Yes, you do.

- Yes, see.

- Your inkling was correct.

- Okay, that would be- - You had a wonderful inkling.

I'm just adjusting for you.

Everything's perfect.

- Putting on?

- Uh-huh, there you go.

- Okay, so down we go.

Is there a name, oh my goodness!

That's crazy.

- 7-4-1, and you're done.

- Wow, thank you, J.

- You're welcome.

(gentle upbeat music) (gentle upbeat music continues) - More content can be found on WGVU's YouTube channel or the PBS app.

Be sure to also check out wgvu.org/livingwestmichigan, where you can submit ideas for future features on the show.

Thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Jennifer Moss, and this is "Living West Michigan."

- Good here, we've talked to everybody?

- Yep.

- You rock star.

You guys are cool.

Let's just get a little B-roll then.

(gentle upbeat music) Hey!

(gentle upbeat music) - He's trying to guard this house.

(drone buzzing) (gentle upbeat music) Go get it.

(gentle upbeat music) - [Production] He's just sunbathing, what a good boy.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music ending)