# Prison Pigeon Needs Home ASAP - San Luis Obispo CA



## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I have no idea if this is all true (I suspect it is) or if any of our Pigeon-Talk members might be close enough to look into the situation and perhaps spring the pijjie.

Terry

_To: [email protected]
From: "Lorie Jeanes" <[email protected]>
Subject: [fprc] Bird Man needs help at California Mens colony prison 



Please Save Frankie!

This concerns my friend Frankenstein who has a pretty amazing 
survival story so far, but whose chances are ot very good if someone 
doesn't give him a home.

Frankenstein is a pigeon, although i have no idea what kind he is. 
He is all black and has a crazy white beard and mustache, primarily 
white flight feathers and mostly white tail feathers. He has one 
black toenail on the left foot and two black ones on the right. The 
others are white. In flight he often lurches from side to side like 
a twin engine cessna with one engine staliing. 

I am a prisoner at the California Mens Colony state prison in San 
Luis Obispo, california. We came across Frankie when he got thrown 
out of the nest. The parents had been refusing to feed him and 
viciously attacking him for 5 days, we could see his head was injured 
but the nest was out of our reach. When he was finally week enough 
to get thrown out he hit the ground almost dead. Therewas a 
laceration from behind one eye to behind the other. The skin was 
pulled down his neck and half of his skull was exposed. He was 
conscious but seemed in shock.

I got an iodine swab, some dental floss and bent 2 sewing needles 
into hooks and closed his wound with 8 very tedious, very 
unappreciated sutures. The first poke with the needle woke him right 
up and I found out what a fighter he is.
Agterwards he sucked down 3 times his own weight in watery peanut 
butter and oatmeal gruel. To preempt infection I divided a 500 mg 
ciproflaxin into 4mg doses and gave him 2 a day for 2 weeks. Whether 
that was a goof thing or not, I do not know. He maintained his 
appetite and stayed alert and playful. Most importantly it didn't 
kill him and he never developed an infection.

Frankie has become a celebrity here. People always ask about him or 
comment on how well he is doing. Sometimes new inmates on the yard 
who have heard about "Birdman" and "Frankie" wait outside my building 
at night to see him fly back to me. Each morning I take him outside 
on the way to breakfast. Every night he flies back to the yard at 
7:30 and perches on a 9ft fence. I walk over and he hops onto my 
hand, then I put him under my jacket and sneak him into my cell for 
the night. He has never spent a night out on his own since I have 
had him (may 18th of this year) and he wouldn't know where to go for 
safety or what to do. He doesn't socialize much with other wild 
pigeons. He seems more at home with people even though he doesn't 
really enjoy being handled too much. He does enjoy perching on my 
shoulder and nodding off to sleep while waiting for my building to 
open in the evenings si I can take him to my cell.

I Love Frankie more than I can say. I was really hoping to take him 
home with me next year and build a roost in my apartment but Frankie 
will NOT be safe HERE for that long. 
For one thing I am not allowed to have him. I can get in trouble 
just for feeding the birds here, much more so keeping one! I really 
don't care about that so much as Frankie's safety, if the wrong staff 
member gets a hold of him or if I am forced to leave him out with the 
owls at night. Worse even than that, the fish and game commission is 
now trapping and killing pigeons here at the prison. Since then the 
pigeon population has dropped to almost zero. They were relocating 
but are now exterminating. 

I was letting Frankie go but worrying alot. The other day Frankie 
was seen perched ontop of the traps looking down at the birds in it. 
That finalized my decision, I clipped his wing and it broke my 
heart. He was able to go out on the yard here without flying off, 
He is better off on the ground alive than on a rooftop awaiting 
execution. 

Certain shifts, when certain staff are working my floor, frankie hs 
to be snuck in and out . It is getting harder and harder for me to 
find "daycare" for Frankie as things are always shifting and 
changing. It can't keep going on like this, its just not fair to the 
bird.
Also for as long as he is clipped he can't get away from people who 
bohter him, that means that I just can't leave frankie to peck around 
the yard while I am in group or classes all day. I can only let him 
out to play when I can be with him to protect him from other inmates 
who don't share my love of animals.

Frankie is the greatest bird. I just want him to be safe and happy 
and that seems to be getting harder and harder to arrange in here. 
I so much wanted to keep my friendship with him going and continue 
letting him roost indoors with me after I get out for as long as he 
wants to, but now I just need to make sure he has a good home.

I would like it to be someplace where he could have regular human 
interaction and be treated more like a pet than livestock, but I am 
getting less and less picky.

I should be able to arrange for frankie to be released from the 
institution to "Pacific WildLife". If you could and would provide a 
good home (and Please ONLY if it is a Good home) for Frankie please 
contact my wife at [email protected] 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerly,
Lincoln D. Jeans
V00767 / cell 7228
CMC East State Prison
po box 8101
San Luis Obispo, CA, 
93409-8101_


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Sure hope someone follows up...will be watching for updates!!

Wouldn't there be any way that his wife could take him? How would he get Frankie TO a new owner?

Shi


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## feralpigeon (Feb 14, 2005)

I hope there is someone who could make that drive....sounds like quite the 
little character. If for some reason someone could make the drive, but couldn't keep the bird, they could mail it to me here.

fp


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I'm still working on this one .. there is a pigeon fancier that I know that is about 15 miles away from SLO, but I don't think he's too much into feral pigeons .. perhaps the "uniqueness" of this will grab his interest.

It would appear that the wife would need to "spring" the little one, but it's too soon to be making guesses just yet.

I'm sure there would be no problem in finding this youngster a home, and FP has already offered  

Terry


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Quite a story, if it's made-up he certainly did his homework.  Hope it works out, I am four hours from SLO so if we need me I can take him, but if FP wants him that's cool too.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

It would be so constructive if they would let prisoners have pet Pigeons, care for injured or ill ones, and or raise found Baby ones...


Golly...hope this works out


Phil
l v


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

pdpbison said:


> It would be so constructive if they would let prisoners have pet Pigeons, care for injured or ill ones, and or raise found Baby ones...
> 
> Golly...hope this works out
> Phil
> l v


I read an article about a prison system somewhere doing that, with dogs, and I read a web page somewhere (I think I got the link on PT?) about a rehab program with a couple of inmates and and avian rehab center. It's a great idea to give them something meaningful to do during incarceration. Great for both the prisoners and the animals.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Oh, I hope someone can rescue this little one. If the story is true, Mr. Jeans has certainly done everything he can to help it.


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

I hope this sweet bird can be "rescued".
Any updates?

Reti


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## xxmoxiexx (Oct 2, 2006)

WOW! what a cool guy, it must be so hard, because i know many people in there like to kill animals, and the fear of that must be hard to handle!
When i was at the MSPCA, volunteering, i told them that these group homes and prisons for low security prisoners without history of animal abuse would be great for the fostering of animals that would otherwise be PTS because of not enough room or foster homes.
well, they thought i was crazy! I mean, i am a little bit insane, but arent we all! I just thought these foster kids would benefit from having an animal that doesnt abandon them, and anything that gives the animal a chance is better than death! I mean, there is obvious problems with this, the kids/prisoners that would hurt the animals, but if a system was put in place to only give certain well behaved kids/prisoners animals, it would reduce that possibility.
by the way, where was this originally posted? Or who recieved it?


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

xxmoxiexx said:


> by the way, where was this originally posted? Or who recieved it?


The wife joined the Feral Pigeon Rescue Central list (fprc) and posted it there on August 31. From there the post got forwarded to a number of other lists. We're hoping to have an update this evening regarding the logistics of getting Frankie out of jail and into the hands of a local pigeon person.

Terry


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

*An Update On Frankie ..*

Just received this from Lorie regarding the latest on Frankie. We definitely do have a local pigeon fancier that is ready, willing, and able to go get Frankie as soon as Frankie can get gotten outside the prison. The fancier will look after Frankie for a few days, if needed, and then see that Frankie is shipped or otherwise gotten to his new forever home. There are many people willing to adopt Frankie, so we will probably draw straws or something to see who gets Frankie in the end.  

Many thanks to everyone for your care and concern for Frankie and his human!

Terry
---------------------------------------
_
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 18:59:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Lorie Harrison 
Subject: Frankie 
To: Terry Whatley <[email protected]>

Hi Terry!

I just wanted to update you on Frankie.

We have had so many wonderful responses to Frankie's need to be sprung from Prison and to find a good home. We have had people from California, The Carolina's and NewYork to name a few offer up homes from our little Pigeon friend. 

Lincoln is SO incredibly grateful and is currently working on finding someone to carry him out. I have sent a request to the local humane society to see if they will accept Frankie until someone picks him up or we can ship Frankie to a new home. I am hoping to hear back from them on Monday.

In the mean time, Lincoln has been encouraged by so many wonderful people to write Frankie's story down, as it has touched so many. I can not thank people enough for their encouragement and kindness, not only towards Frankie, but for my husband as well. As much as my husband is woeking on helping Frank, I believe Frankie is helping Lincoln. What a beautiful friendship between human and bird.

I thought I would send you this so that you can post this to the Pigeon talk friends for me and I will update you and everyone who has emailed personally as soon as we have any further developments.

Once again, thank you to everyone! What a wonderful group of people. FIngers crossed, we will have news of Frankie coming VERY soon!

Sincerely, 

Lorie Jeanes


Let it be.
It Will Anyway._


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## SkyofAngels (Jun 28, 2007)

Thats wonderful I am very happy for Frankie, I just hope that when this man gets out he can visit Frankie in his new home wouldn't that be nice


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

So far, so good, but I won't breathe easy until Frankie is OUT of the slammer!

To me, that's STILL a worry!

Shi


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

SkyofAngels said:


> Thats wonderful I am very happy for Frankie, I just hope that when this man gets out he can visit Frankie in his new home wouldn't that be nice


Yes, it would be nice, BUT .. I cannot even begin to tell you how many birds and animals get "dumped" on me (aka as adopted by me simply because they have to have somewhere to go and usually in a big hurry). It is absolutely maddening to have what seems like half the people on the planet wanting to come back and visit the critter they loved so much .. yeah .. if they cared that much, they would have figured something out by themselves. I do agree that Frankie and Lincoln are a special circumstance, but I stand by what I am saying .. it's extremely frustrating and annoying to always have someone wanting to stop by or calling for updates on "their" bird or animal. Not to mention that just about every single person that comes by with a bird or animal asks to see all the other birds and animals .. no way .. not happening. When you've done large scale rescue and rehabbing for a good while, you finally figure out that the fewer people who know what and how many you have, the better. Not everyone can be trusted, and it's simply not right for every stranger at your doorstep to want to come in and see the critters, use the bathroom, use the telephone, etc. etc. etc. If you had lived through Exotic Newcastle Disease here in So Cal, you would understand what I am saying in spades.

Should Frankie end up with someone amenable to having Lincoln come visit, I think that would be great, but it's not a requirement of whomever gives Frankie his forever home.

I'm NOT picking on you, SkyOfAngels .. just trying to get some points across that may be important to and for some of our members.

Terry


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## SkyofAngels (Jun 28, 2007)

Oh I guess that makes a lot of sense. You would certainly know better than me. But I can see what you are saying, I wanted to adopt a puppy from an adoption agency and they told me I had to sign a contract saying they had the right to come into my home for random house visits and I was like ummm No thanks. I don't need someone knocking at my door and all in my business. I can see how this would be especially tiring on you because these people dumped the animals on you. I have heard that I should call and check on "My -animal--" before so I know that it happens. I guess I just thought that frankie and this man were like mates and that they would miss each other. I guess I got caught up in how much this man cares for frankie and the touching story. Well, in that case I hope Frankie has a home where he can be happy and that this man knows he did the right thing for him.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Terry,

I certainly agree with you. I don't like people just coming by to see my birds, no matter who they are. I don't NEED the advertising, nor do my birds appreciate the strangers close by (as some I don't know their history either). I have a few oldsters that definitely don't need the stress. Some of them scare easy with me around, but they know me now and are used to me, but they definitely KNOW the difference between our family and a stranger.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Terry, I''m with you 100%. It was really hard on us when we rehabbed songbirds because people seem to want to follow up on them more than with pigeons. It is particularly hard to tell a small child that they can't come visit but I have had to do just that. For one thing, most of us who rehab simply don't have the time for a visit which usually turns in to an hour or more. 

I had a person bring me a bird once and she seemed to think that made her my best friend. She started calling me and "dropping" by quite a bit. She brought me about 2 more birds and I began to believe she was beating the bushes to have an excuse to come over. The straw that broke the camel's back was when she arrived around 10 pm with a bird and wanted to stay to see what I would do with it. Instead, I told her the leg was broken and she would need to drive it that night to the after hours clinic and we would pick it up the next day. I also told her that she should have brought the bird earlier and from then on to take them either to the vet or after hours for us to pick up. Obviously, some emotional issues present but I am not a trained psychologist.

We have also looked out the window several times to see total strangers standing at our aviaries and they are in a fenced in area. Slightly unnerving to say the least.

Well, I'll get off my soapbox.


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## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Maggie, I don't think you're on a soapbox at all.  I know how time-consuming and yes, even annoying it can be to have people dropping by or calling to check on animals they couldn't be bothered with taking care of. Almost like they were renting (for free) space in my house and part of my time to care for their animal, and all they had to do was visit. Um, no. A particular case that comes to mind was of a man and his ten-year-old son, who had a pair of red-eared sliders (turtles). They couldn't keep the turtles (who were in a tiny tank, and were not tiny turtles), but found out about me from who knows where, and called and set up a "visit" (interview). I don't mind visiting a potential rescue, to assure them I'm pretty normal lol, but this was crazy. They went on and on about how much the turtles meant to them, how they would want to call and visit, etc. (right, when they weren't housed or cared for properly, and there was "no time" to spend with them (). Sooo I ended up with the turtles and was suddenly bombarded with calls from the dad and son, on a daily basis, "checking up on them" and wanting to visit. We were about to move to a new house, and a week before we did, I allowed them to stop by (it was about six weeks after they released them to me). They were thrilled with the new set up they had, and the other animals I had then. The calls continued for about a week after that, and then I never heard from them again.  Which is good, since they were a bit creepy lol. I hadn't planned on giving them my forwarding address, if you know what I mean. 

On the other hand, I have for example Mrs. Bird's parents, who found her and raised her and then found me, met me, and let me take her home. I love writing to them and telling them about her, and getting letters from them as well about their backyard doves and going-ons. But they only gave her up to do what was best for her, so that she could live with other pigeons and still be a "pet".  Wonderful people like that I can live with, and enjoy. (Which is not to say that there aren't wonderful people who really do have to give up their animals at some point or another). 

Oops I'm writing a book. Well I hope that Frankie finds a great home and Lincoln can rest assured knowing he's in a safe,loving place.


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

_Maggie, I don't think you're on a soapbox at all. _

Me either! Valid points are being made and I can certainly sympathize with people who suddenly find their home treated like a public zoo! I had neighbors (and kids) in the yard day and night (including when I wasn't even home) just because I put a silly pond in. You'd think some people never saw a goldfish before.

Anyway, you could add me to the Frankie Lotto. I've been following along here and sure hope he breaks out soon. CAn't wait to hear a happy ending to this story.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

I've just found out that Frankie has found his forever home and that arrangements are being made to get him out of jail and shipped to his new home. I will leave it to the person adopting Frankie to fill us in when all this has happened. Frankie's new human is a member of Pigeon-Talk but shall remain anonymous for right now unless that person cares to post about the situation.

I'm so glad this is all getting worked out and am very happy with the home that Lincoln has chosen for Frankie.

Terry


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## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

Thank you for the update, Terry! 

Yay, it has a home! 
Congrats and thanks a TON to the new lucky human companion! 

-Hilly


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Sorry, fellow members, I'm a worrywort!

I won't breathe easy until I know that Frankie IS in his forever home safe and sound! I AM so GLAD to hear he HAS one!

Too many things can happens betwixt and between!

I'm sure all will work out well, but...

Shi & Squeaks 

P.S. I can certainly sympathize with those of you who do major rehabbing! Some people, although they may mean well, have no concept of the word "courtesy." And then, there are others...worse...

My admiration for those of you who ARE major rehabbers, knows no bounds! Without you, I shudder to think how worse this world would be! LOVE and HUGS TO YOU ALL!!

Shi


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## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

TAWhatley said:


> I've just found out that Frankie has found his forever home and that arrangements are being made to get him out of jail and shipped to his new home. I will leave it to the person adopting Frankie to fill us in when all this has happened. Frankie's new human is a member of Pigeon-Talk but shall remain anonymous for right now unless that person cares to post about the situation.
> 
> I'm so glad this is all getting worked out and am very happy with the home that Lincoln has chosen for Frankie.
> 
> Terry


 ::happy dance::


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

*Frankie Is Home ..*

Just wanted to let everyone know that after all this time and many, many obstacles that Frankie has arrived at his forever home. That home is with a Pigeon-Talk member. If that member chooses to share with us that is fine .. if not .. that is also fine. The Frankie situation became a bit dicey, so I can understand all concerned wanting to stay under the radar. So .. be happy that Frankie is safe and finally at home.

Terry


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

THANK GOODNESS!!

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH, TERRY, FOR LETTING US KNOW!

I DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHO THE OWNER IS...JUST GLAD THAT FRANKIE HAS ONE!!

*YIPPEE!!*

Shi


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## Feather (Dec 8, 2005)

I haven't been on the forum for awhile. Actually I have deliberately stayed away. I am taking classes, and spend all my time with you guys instead of studying. 

Innocently 4 hours ago I logged on to PT to stay for 20 mins. thats all, and then hit the books. I am still here! But it is the stories like this one that keep me glued to this site. Darn I missed this prison saga, but still lucky enough to log on the day that Terry anounces that Frankie has finally arrived at his new home.

I can't think of a more appropriate time for lil Frankenstein to arrive with his new ghost mother or father. 

Who ever you are...Bless the hell out of you!
Happy endings just don't get any better than this.


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## phyll (Mar 15, 2004)

What a relief! Thanks for the update, Terry. It's great to know that Frankie finally made it to his new home.
Thank you, also, to his new owner. When you can, please send a note to Lincoln so he may have peace of mind about his friend. I'm sure he would really appreciate it, if you would include a few pictures of Frankie.
I hope you & Frankie enjoy many happy years together.

Phyll


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