# Happy ending



## roy-me-boy (Dec 28, 2006)

I am well known around my town for looking after injured or orphaned wildlife so I`d like to share this with you.Two weeks before christmas i had a phone call from a lady telling me there was a pigeon huddled in the corner of the garage where she worked in town,i told her to put it in a box and i`d be down to pick it up .When i got there the lady told me the pigeon had hobbled into the garage where she worked,it was all fluffed up,it`s left leg was dangling and it was bloody where the leg went into the feathers.I took it straight to the vets to have it looked at.He frowned and felt it`s leg saying "bad break,perhaps be best to put it to sleep"I said no,let`s give it a chance,so he splinted the leg and gave me a syringe full of anti-biotics to give a little each day,i got him home and put him in a pet carrier in my dining room,he was eating and drinking with no problem.Christmas eve i took Burty ( my daughter named him that) back to the vets who put a fresh splint on the leg and said to bring him back in a week.In the mean time he was getting restless in the pet carrier so i put him outside in a small aviory i had made.He began to fly a little but could only hobble on his good leg.After the week was up the vet removed his splint and said see how he goes,so back home he went and improved steadily every day,to the point where he could put weight on his injured leg.Last week when i opened his cage to clean it,he suddenly flew right past me.out of the door and onto my neighbours house roof.I was a little sad but i knew he must have wanted is freedom to have flew past me.I left his cage door open for a few days with his food and water for him but he dissappeared,and i thought i`d never see him again.
Then at the weekend i went to my local park in town to feed the local pigeon flock.And there, to my delight and utter surprise was Burty.I reconised him immediately as he still had a slight limp on his left leg and he came right up to me out of the 200 or so other pigeons as though to say `HI` 
As i live a good two miles from town It was great to see him and to know he had found his way back to his `buddies`.


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## Lovebirds (Sep 6, 2002)

These are the kind of stories we love to hear. Good job, great work and thanks for taking care of Burty. I hope he has LOTS of years left, thanks to you.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

I so love stories like this. Bless you for taking him in and caring for him and not letting the vet put him down. Pigeons are not stupid - they know who helps them.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

That is a wonderful story about Burty. I'm so glad he reunited with his old familiar flock and that he recognized you and came up to see you amid the sea of 200 pigeons. What a wonderful sight that must have been, and how it must have warmed your heart. 

Thank you for rescuing Burty and for taking the time to share the story. It definitely warmed my heart.


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

That is a wonderful story, I am so glad that you didn't follow the vet's advice.

Cynthia


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Thanks so much for saving Burty. What a lucky little guy!


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

What a great story, Roy-me-boy! That was very kind of your to look after Burty like you did and ensure he/she got a second chance. And how wonderful that Burty came to you again and to thank you.

You sound like a very caring, animal oriented person


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## roy-me-boy (Dec 28, 2006)

Thanks everyone for you kind replies.The other good thing that came out of helping burty get better was finding this lovely site called `pigeon talk`and all you lovely,kind hearted people that are apart of it.You are all angels!


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Nice ending, Roy-me-boy.

We had a broken-leg-recovery pigeon at our place a couple of years ago, too. Neighbor lady found exhausted pigeon with broken leg spread-eagled on another lady's car, who was only interested in getting the pigeon off her car. 

Neighbor took pigeon for numerous visits to vet, spent over 200 Euro ($250-300), and kept *Clementina* in a cardboard box on her balcony for six weeks. Heard we had a pigeon, and we took Clementina for two more weeks recommended by vet before release. She always kept her distance from us. Our rescued-as-a-baby and hand-raised male *Pidgiepoo* chased her all over the apartment, claiming his territory. Her permitted territory was one place on top of a cabinet. Her voice was changing the last week she was with us, and we suspect she may have been a he. 

She had excellent posture, large skin areas (whatever they're called) around the eyes, and unusual feather colors: all black but for the two outer black primaries with the next two feathers white, and the opposite on the tail: the two oute feathers on each side white, with the inner tail feathers black. And, a large white circle around the vent, the size of an American fifty-cent piece (about 3 centimeters).

We let her choose to fly off one day, and never saw her again. She was a bit heavier and a stronger flier than Pidgiepoo demonstrated to us. 

Larry


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## Guest (Feb 5, 2009)

Hi everyone.I haven`t been on for a long time,but i thought i`d return to give you an update.I still feed the pijjies in my town and Burty is still there among the flock-it`s 2 years since i released him,where does the time go-.is leg is completely healed now-he doesn`t even limp any more.
I hope you are all well,i will hopefully be around here more often now.
Best Wishes,Roy.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Good to hear from you, Roy! Don't be a stranger for so long this time around! I'm glad Burty is doing well!

Terry


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Thanks for the update, Roy! 

Cynthia


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## roy-me-boy (Dec 28, 2006)

Thanks very much both of you.


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

Great to hear from you, Roy.

Since my last post in this thread, I've rescued a number of other pigeons. Two with PMV returned to the local flock the past few weeks *Jimmy-Z* had ben with us almost 3 months, and *Pigeon Twelve-Eleven* almost two months.

A squeaker with a leg broken near the right hip, *Deuce von Duisburg*, and *Rosie* with a broken wing, had amputations performed for free at _Taubenklinik Essen_ (pigeon clinic in Essen, Germany) and now live with a re-habber, along with *Osk-gurr*, a female pigeon pigeon with a paralyzed right wing, who has regained use of it. 

A number of other rescues have left the scene. Feral pigeons have shorter lives in the city.

So, keep us up to date. We have had several new people searching for assistance in the south of England recently. Where there are pigeons, there is action.

Larry


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