Pij Confessions

Guest Blogger Cheryl Dickinson is a MickaCoo volunteer.

I first met a black feral pigeon pet called Beaky back in June 2007 at a friend's in Michigan. I was now what I call enchanted by him and thought out loud "maybe one day when I don't have cats I'll have a pigeon". That was an accident.... Careful what you wish for.

In October 2008, a friend who heard me say that told me about a white pigeon who was lost and would not leave a bar called Cheers in Pacifica. She asked me if I could take him. I said yes, I will find it a home. So I put him in a dog crate in my bath tub and called it Dovee. I have no idea how to handle, hold, pick up, feed a pigeon. I had no idea I had a domestic white king pigeon. I was actually very intimidated and to me he seemed like a sea bird. I knew of Pigeon Talk from my friend in Michigan and there found him a home and ordered a US Mail shipping box. Before the box came, I found Dovee a second home in Michigan with someone who could hand carry him. So I got Dovee a plane ticket for $80 and funded the adopter a few hundred for a large cage. Some months later the adopter could no longer keep Dovee and put him in the mail back to me and the Tuesday after Easter in April 2009, I picked him up from the post office. To Dovee's surprise, I opened the box put him back in the dog crate in the tub. He honestly took a second look, like he went to Oz and back! Still not knowing how to pick one up or that it was a domestic bird. I decided to try to find him a home. That is when I met Elizabeth Young of MickaCoo Pigeon and Dove Rescue. She took her time and with home visits helped me learn about king pigeons, how to pick him up and gave me endless support and suggestions to care for him. After realizing it would take me a while to find him a home, I also purchased a second large flight cage which resides in my living room.

Since April, I have learned how to handle him and continue to give him all my best so that he can be a nice tame pigeon. For over a month I kept offering him my hand to perch on and he finally one day decided I was okay and now he lets me handle him and pet him more. He is really a nice bird. He also has developed a relationship through the cage with my two cats and dog. He is very cute and I love to watch his reactions and habits form. I never thought birds had much of an emotional life or even thoughts, but I believe they do now. So little Dovee has enchanted me and taught me a lot about white king pigeons. I could never imagine anyone wanting to eat him. I think Dovee had to trust me more before my situation would change for me to pair him up with a hen. I think he would be happier that way and he will live in my yard loft and I hope to help other kings by fostering them until they can also find a good home. Dovee for now is with me, I think he deserves that after flying back and forth two times in his young life. This is how I became an accidental Pigeon Mom.

That is my Pij confessions....

Perch on...Cheryl & Dovee