It's been two weeks since the umpteenth decollaring of this albatross. I've thrown caution to the wind. He's been free to go about his life, in and out of his cage with my 100% compliance. Not to be topical, it ALMOST feels like giving a toddler a loaded weapon, but then again, it's EXACTLY like that, except the he was born with the weapon on his face, so lest I fatally cripple him, no beak control. Despite the risks, I decided to change tactics, since our prior attempts have not stuck. He healed with the collar on, then the collar comes off, then he hurts himself and I collar him back up. I know he's a happy fellow, so I don't believe his self-mutilation is out of angst, rather habitual. In fact when I've collared him, his inactivity leads to ennui leads to lethargy or worse, eventual detachment and depression. I was prepared to strap on the ol' straight jacket if and only if he became a true danger to himself, but I turned the other cheek otherwise. A little nick here and there, even the sight of blood no longer made me flinch. And then a curious thing happened. Although it disappointed me daily that his scratch worsened into a cut into a gash into a scab a couple inches long, I held tight to my conviction. Let him be. I hoped for the best and expected the worst. Every night before sleep, I ritually applied antibacterial ointment to his problem leg to prevent infection and dryness, which would exacerbate itchiness and invite further fuss. Then I noticed after the largest legion of skin scabbed over, instead of picking at it, he left it alone. Another day of unrest, ritual ointment, but still no picking. Until a week later, the scab was cleanly gone and healed. He chose to let it heal over, free of restraints. I'm sure this guy will fall off the wagon again, but he's shown me that he has it in him to also take care of himself. I'll continue to monitor him closely and rub ointment on his chicken leg. But for now, I've defied the esteemed Dr. Speer's directive. I made a confessional call a few days back and to my surprise, he approved and supported my latest approach. #timitheafricangrey #googlyeyes #laissezfaire