David Dickson is a full-time writer for Best Friends Animal Society. On his free time he enjoys spending time with his family (both the people and animal varieties), camping, hiking, and otherwise enjoying the rich scenery found near the sanctuary. He has two dogs and a Quaker parrot, and is currently fostering a belching, taunting, irresistible African gray parrot named Jasper. David counts the minutes between bags of lightly salted pistachios—something he and the two parrots have in common.