BlackGoldLofts🕊️🖤

who the hell is Brysen?

Long story.

Trigger Warnings for:

Animal Abuse Mention

Brief mention of Threats of Sexual Assault

The young man (self reported to be a minor at the time) reached out to me claiming to be on the ASD spectrum (may actually be, I can't say) and asked lots of questions about pigeon care.

Same questions over and over, in ways that seemed to be trying to lead me towards answering questions about basic care differently.

Lots of little things that legitimately were in line with someone on the spectrum making double and triple sure that they had the information exactly right.

I chalked up anything 'off' to just being socially awkward.

Red flags started popping up when he started trying to ask me to sell him a bird.

Because he was a minor still living at home, according to him, I asked to speak to his legal guardian to begin the screening process.

And for one reason after the next, his legal guardians were always going to reach out to me "later".

Sometimes tomorrow, sometimes months later...

I would always end the discussion by telling him that, in that case, we had discussed all we could, and screening and finalization of a purchase or adoption had to be done by a legal guardian on his behalf.

I would continue to answer care questions as specifically and carefully as I could in the meantime, but any time he asked about buying or adopting a bird, I would shut it down with a reminder that his legal guardian needed to make those arrangements with me.

So he started asking me about other places he could get birds.

And I would tell him that he could look that up for himself, not wanting to send a minor who was by all appearances trying to sneak animals into his home behind his guardian's back/s in any breeder or rescue's direction.

He'd still try to ask me for birds every few months or so, to which I would respond by repeating that he needed to get his legal guardian to reach out to me to ask those questions.

After I started the discord for pet and therapy pigeons, he joined under a different name, and a few weeks in admitted who he was.

I let him stay, because I honestly believe that people can change and should be allowed the opportunity to try.

The cycle started all over again.

Asking the same questions, which I was fine with, because this was a public forum and he was not the only person who had them, so answering him answered for every one present.

He claimed to have moved out into his first apartment, so, to demonstrate the screening process, I went through it on the Discord, and was pleased to see that he seemed to have learned at least enough to meet the day to day needs of a pigeon.

But the bird he had asked about specifically was not comfortable with handling, and understanding that was a condition to adopting him.

That means no forcing contact beyond what was medically necessary, as forcing contact on a flighty pigeon unnecessarily is severely stressful.

Definitely no diaper or unnecessary outings.

Not every bird has the temperament for them, and this specific bird (whose name was Frito) flunked his therapy screening because he hated harness training so much that he developed a fear of handling from it.

But Brysen was flooding the care channel with diapers, asking which we thought would be cute on this individual who was very hands off because of his fear of being harnessed.

When reminded that Frito was terrified of being harnessed and agreeing not to force it on him was a condition of his adoption, he would back track and 'oh, yeah, of course not', only to go right back to taking about what the bird would wear as soon as he thought I left.

GIANT. NEON. RED FLAG!

Now, wanting to get a bird into a harness to take on walks is not a bad thing.

I had pigeons at the time who did have the temperament for it.

But he was very specific about wanting a bird that "would be harder (for me) to home."

That phrasing was a red flag.

So was his argument that "taking him off (my) hands" was "doing (me) a favor."

BIGGER! RED FLAG!!!

So I reconsidered, and refused the adoption.

He just asked immediately if he could take the screening again.

He ended up being banned for a number of things, but the two biggest were giving some one in the server advice that was not just wrong, but dangerous, and for releasing a pair of pigeons that he sweet talked a rescue foster into giving him.

Initially, he told the rescue foster that the birds "got away".

Then that his parents made him let them go.

After that, other people in the rescue community came forward with his instagram, including an officer of the law investigating him for animal cruelty.

On his instagram were photos of birds he had "rescued".

A cardinal who lost weight and had fewer feathers with each photo showing her, who eventually died of malnutrition.

A budgie whose leg was described as having been ripped off when its claws got tangled in the curtain fabric, presumably while he was away.

A white pigeon in a tiny, filthy finch cage that he made fun of for eating playdough and having to have it fished out of his throat.

Other more questionable things fished out of this birds throat were various coins (none of which a pigeon can physically swallow unaided.)

Evidence was also brought forth from other rescuers that worked with him of overt threats of sexual assault.

Some he told via text message that he only wanted birds from for a chance to have sex with them when they met him in person.

One he overtly threatened sexual assault to when she refused to give him a bird.

Now, I have not had direct contact (that I knew of) with Brysen in years.

The previous anon stated that the blog I had been answering questions from was "associated with" him, but I do not know if they mean that that is him, or a friend of his.

I still believe that people can change, and should be given the opportunity.

But to say that I am severely wary of this young man and any one with any ties to him is an extreme understatement.

Screenshots of his public posts in the link below.