Owner Mark Henderson

A True Story: Ever had one of those great ideas that seem so good when you think them up but quickly turn into a nightmare? It was the occasion of my daughter's birthday and I wanted to get her something a bit out of the ordinary. My big idea was to get her a bird.

Ouch ! And I mean that literally.

A week before her birthday celebration I picked out a beautiful white faced Cockatiel at a Monroeville pet store and found a used cage for sale in the alle-kiskitoday.com classifieds. A friend of mine who has a tropical bird volunteered to house the bird until the big day. I delivered the bird. And then all hell broke loose.

The bird was nasty! I mean hissing and biting nasty. It bit my friend every time she tried to pick it up. Apparently this poor little bird was terribly tormented at the pet store by every passerby who thought it necessary to poke his or her fingers in the cage. No restraints were set up to keep away the kids. The bird was in the isle open to every shopper's hands. You can imagine how you would be after that.

My friend tried everything to calm the bird for the next three days. No deal. This was "Jaws the Bird" and there was no way I was giving this bird to my daughter. Back it went to the pet store and the best they would do for me was an in-store-credit. Yikes!

With only a day left until the birthday party I went straight out of that pet store and drove right across town to The Enclosure. Within an hour they had me fixed up with a beautiful, and gentle, little Lovebird, gorgeous cage and enough knowledge to care for the bird properly so as to ensure our happiness and the bird's well being for years to come.

The bird made the party a great success with my daughter walking about the house with a happy chirping bird (now named Shelly) on her shoulder. All's well that ends well. I still feel sorry for that cute little Cockatiel, so abused that it feared all humans. Very sad.

The great folks at The Enclosure in Plum Boro have heard many such sad stories. But I am confident you'll never hear one from new owners of their exotic creatures. These people treat their creatures, and customers, with the utmost respect. They are much more than nature enthusiasts. They are more like match makers pairing the perfect pet to caring client owners. They make dreams come true and their stories have happy endings. But it is not accomplished by magic. It is the result of a true love for the species they propagate at their facility, mixed with a wealth of knowledge and understand I dare to say is second to none. On the day I arrived to do the photo shoot for the cover of Alle-Kiski Today another of The Enclosure's customers was in the store getting a grooming for her bird. The woman raved on and on about the facility and the owners, "I would never think about going anywhere else!", she exclaimed, "No one else cares like these people care."

Mark Henderson, owner of The Enclosure, is a passionate and dedicated aviculturist and herpetoculturist. Translated; this man knows his stuff concerning exotic birds and reptiles. The store itself is more of an extension of his love of these creatures than your every day run of the mill pet shop. Every one of the dozens of creature-inhabited wire and glass cages in the store are absolutely immaculate, fully-equipped and perfectly-tended. Walking though this one of a kind store is like walking through any of the better zoos in America complete with endangered species on display, an active breeding facility and a nursery.

The store, located on route 286 in Plum, offers an amazing variety of exotic animals from cute little geckos to gorgeous and playful tropical birds. To fully appreciate the variety of nature in this facility you need to make a visit and invest at least an hour going from one display to the next. It is worth the visit.

Mark and his staff offer a complete line of exotic creature supplies as well as grooming, boarding, nutritional and health support, personalized education, and off and on-site educational lectures to go along with their famous care and attention to their creatures and customers.

If you are looking for a pet, whether it is as a personal companion, or, simply a desire to enjoy the exotic of creation right at home, you need look no further than The Enclosure, 1820 Golden Mile Highway, Plum Boro. Open Tuesday through Saturday 11am to 8pm and Sunday 12pm to 5pm. You can give them a call at 724-325-2363. They also have a new Internet web site at http://www.theenclosure.net

Be sure to check out the video walkthrough at http://www.alle-kiskitoday.com/webcasts/1744