# edgar the brave



## jennyp (Mar 14, 2006)

I haven't posted on here in quite some time... usually I just stop in and read current bulletins but today I have quite a story. I live in a very old house with my hubby and my adolescent pigeon, Edgar.

Wednesday night I was woken up at 5:00 AM by a firefighter breaking my bedroom window and telling me to get out because my house was on fire (presumably started electrically). My hubby and I scrambled out the window in a daze and I couldn't even believe the situation until I saw the flames jumping off of my roof myself. However, it didn't take me long to say "Edgar! You have to get Edgar! He's my bird!" The fireman waved me away and mumbled that he'd retrieve him. Quite a few minutes passed and there was no sign of Edgar. It took the firemen around 15 minutes to retrieve him from our kitchen, which was near the fire. I was sure he'd be dead from the smoke since birds are extremely sensitive to smoke (I don't even cook in the room if Edgar is in there!). I couldn't believe it when I saw Edgar fluttering around in his cage... spinning in circle and making frusterated noises.

Granted the fireman said some innappropriate choice words to me about risking his hide for a dirty pigeon (he assumed he was going in to save an expensive exotic bird of some sort) but my pigeon was saved just the same. He sneezed and such for a few hours afterwards but I'm happy to report that he's fluttering around happily in his temporary room at a friend's house!


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Wow Jenny, that is quite an ordeal. I do hope damage was minimal and things will be ok for you.

I am glad your Edgar was saved He is a very lucky pigeon indeed. Now, that was a close call!

I have very deep respect for our firefighters and it saddens me to read how he repsonded when he realized he was not "an exotic" bird.

Well, you know, I know and the members here do know how special pigeons are. In my mind, there is nothing more "exotic" than a good ol' pigeon. And yeah, he probably is a bit "dirty" now but I bet he is all cleaned up by now.

It is a shame how people perceive pigeons in this manner.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

OMG, what a nightmare. As I was reading my heart starting racing. Hope everything will be well for you, hubby and Edgar. I am so glad you are fine.

I am however very dissapointed in the fireman.

Reti


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Jenny,

I am so glad that Edgar survived that fire. They are wonderful little creatures aren't they? About 25 years ago some friends of mine had a young parrot like Pete's "Guapo", and Michelle's "Arnie". His name was Buster. While my friends were on vacation during the 4th of July, their house caught on fire. In a room up stairs the only one that was home was Buster. When the firemen found him he was chard and laying on the bottom of his cage. My friends parents were called. They are the ones that told the firemen that there was a parrot in the house. By the time they (the parents who lived 25 miles away) arrived, the cage was coverd laying on the front yard. They were informed that Buster did not survive the fire and that he was covered because it was such a pitiful sight. There were many neighbors watching the fire, and it lasted until the wee hours of the morning. At day break the parents and a few neighbors were sitting out on the yard across the street. They kept hearing this funny noise, but couldn't figure out what it was.

All of the sudden, Nancy, the mother of my friend got up and started running toward the house. They tried to stop her, but she just kept going. She ran in her daughters yard yanked the cover off of Buster's cage, and he was sitting on his perch. All of his feathers were chard black, and the funny noise they heard was him saying "Buster is a pretty bird."

Buster is still alive, and has had three owners after that. I have been fortunate enough to have known all of his owners. I still see, and hear him.

Feather


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

I forgot to ask you...if you said anything to the not so nice fireman, or were you still in shock?

Feather


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## andinla (Mar 11, 2003)

*Oh I am so sorry to*

hear your house caught fire... Edgar regardless if he is a pigeon deserves to live as the rest of us, foo-foo bird $$ bird or not.. I'm so glad he was saved...

Wishing you well, I know what it's like to have fire damage to your house and it's not fun...

Andi


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

SO glad to hear you all made it out of the house safely, Jenny!

Sending comforting HUGS to all!


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Pigeons: SURVIVORS*

Jenny,

Glad to hear *Edgar *made it out okay.

Also, a good clue on how to ask for help from a stranger: don't say the bird is a pigeon, or else come up with a nice figure of the bird's worth -- to you. Many of us wind up spending some amounts of money on our pigeon pursuits. Most people are impressed when they hear how a certain racing pigeon sold for $125,000, or others for X amounts of money. 

Also, it demonstrates the insulating properties of feathers (as also, from a post I read here earlier, did a _National Geographic_ article on the charcoaled remains of pigeons in a Yellowstone fire which shielded their surviving young).

Feather, 

Nice and interesting story about *Buster*. Yes, all these stories and all these posts on the pigeon forums seem to make us into a wonderful community, perhaps far away in actual distances, but close in spirit and intentions.

Larry


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Hi Jenny,

We appreciate you sharing your story and am very glad that you and your family and Edgar made it out safe. I'm sorry you had to deal with the fireman's ignorant remarks!


Feather,

Your story had me sitting on the edge of my seat, once more  ...but great ending!


Larry,

You are right, when I worried about shipping Rosco out, I was told just tell the post office he is a homing pigeon, nothing more. It does our birds no good, for strangers to find out they are feral pigeons.

Shipping went well, and I did mention Rosco was a pet homing pigeon, but it turns out our local post office that ships birds, has a supervisor who ships pigeons himself on regular basis.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Jenny, thank you so much for the story and I am so glad your family and Edgar made it out safely. It is terribly sad when anyone makes remarks like the fireman did and sadly, sometimes, I think that type of people are in the majority. I will mention though that not all firemen are like that one - I am married to a retired firefighter who has saved hundreds of birds.  

Feather, you gave me goosebumps again. What a happy ending for Buster. I hope he has had good homes through all his moving about.


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

I'm glad that EVERYONE made it out alive .

I've heard some horrible stories of pets not making it out. I also hope the damage from the fire isn't bad.
-hilly


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Maggie, 

Buster has had 4 good homes. They keep getting better. He is now with 3 other parrots, and has the best mommy and daddy yet. Buster wears a smile and his bright orange socks everyday.

Feather


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Jenny and Feather, thank you both for sharing these incredible stories. So glad both birds made it out alive!


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## jennyp (Mar 14, 2006)

Thank you so much for all your well-wishes. Edgar making it out alright was really the only silver lining in the situation. 

No, I didn't have a chance to say anything to the fireman about his remarks, although I wish I did. I do remember another fireman saying to us, "He's just tired. We rescue every pet that we can." .. I was too busy stuffing Edgar into my coat and carrying him into my neighbor's house to care too much!

I actually rent the house so at least fixing the half-burnt house isn't my problem. Somehow many of my valued things also made it out alright. I'm still in quite a shock... but at least I lived to tell the tale. 

Furthermore, this means that hopefully I will have many more Edgar stories to tell in the future.


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## christina11 (Jan 20, 2006)

Im so happy your pigeon is safe!  

What a day you had, thank god that fireman saved Edgar even if he did not like what he saved.  

My god your pigeon is pure luck!


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## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

jennyp said:


> ... but at least I lived to tell the tale.
> 
> Furthermore, this means that hopefully I will have many more Edgar stories to tell in the future.


We are glad you all are too, and looking forward to Edgar stories.


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## Lin Hansen (Jan 9, 2004)

Jenny, that is some harrowing tale. So sorry about the fire, it's got to be so devastating when something like that happens, but you're right, the main thing is that everyone made it out safely, including Edgar.

Sorry the fireman had that attitude. I think most of them will go out of their way to save pets, no matter what the pet is. My husband used to be a volunteer fireman and always tried to save the pets. In fact, once he gave a puppy mouth to mouth and got her breathing again!

Feather - another wonderful story! Thanks for sharing that.

Linda


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Thank God you're okay and so is Edgar!! That's a shame that the fireman said that. He, *of all people, should realize that ALL life is important!!* Feather, your story stopped my heart for a moment too. I'm so glad to hear the happy endings!


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## Pete Jasinski (Jan 2, 2005)

Edger is on heckuva trooper to come out with flying colors like that, he's very lucky he was rescued but the "nice" fireman. One trick we learned was to keep pillow cases handy for just such an emergency, you can grab your bird and put him in the case for and quick get away.

That story is amazing Feather! It just goes to show you how resilient our feathered friends really are


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

Larry_Cologne said:


> Jenny,
> 
> Glad to hear *Edgar *made it out okay.
> 
> ...


Jenny,

We are having brush fires here in S.CA. This morning's paper stated it was no where near containment and was starting to burn up the mountain. It was set by an arsonist, has burned 10,000 acres and has already taken 4 fire fighters lives. I am so happy that the 3 of you escaped. Still there are those irreplaceable things such as pictures and such. How lucky for you that the Fire Dept. was aware before you were. How is Edgar doing after his ordeal? They seem to know about those close calls somehow. 

Yes Larry, I feel that too. We are very close, just an encouraging word away. That could be closer than some people in the same house.

Still Thinking of Jenny's escape out the window,

Feather


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## jennyp (Mar 14, 2006)

*newspaper article*

We are all still fine and dandy... Edgar has already accepted his temporary bedroom at my friend's house as his territory and is flying from lamp to lamp, couch to couch, spinning and circles and all that good stuff.

The fire actually made it into my local newspaper today. Although not even my name or anyone else's name who lived in the house happened to be mentioned... one part of the article struck me as funny.

"A firefighter picked up a tree branch and beat on a window while calling out, she said. "He told them to 'get out now,' " Hoffman said. "One firefighter went inside and saved a pet pigeon, put his life on the line for a bird." Hoffman said apparently one of the residents had raised that pigeon from birth...."

Haha I just thought it was amusing that the article didn't even include the cause of the fire or the residents names... but it included the little fact that a pigeon got rescued.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

Oh, how fun, jenny. Love the article, Edgar is a celebrity now. Way to go Edgar.

Reti


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Well, the least they could have done was call Edgar by name.


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