I would have never thought that I would have a pigeon as a pet, especially living in New York. Back in April of this year, my husband had picked me up from work and we were making our way back home. When in front of a supermarket, we spotted a baby pigeon struggling to walk and crying for help. I must admit that I felt terrible, and I didn’t want to leave the pigeon there, especially if it was hurt and crying. My husband went to the corner of the street and grabbed a box, picked up the baby pigeon, and we took him home. At first it was very surreal to me; I was asking myself if it was a good idea to have taken the pigeon home. I was afraid to touch it because I thought it would poke me with its beak. My husband cleaned him up, and we realized that he had an injured leg; his back was completely covered with dried blood. He did some research on what to feed the baby pigeon and helped him eat.

Before anyone asks, yes, we thought about taking him to a vet for proper care. We were going to do so after a few days, but the baby pigeon seemed to be getting used to us, and he seemed to be recovering from his leg. As the time passed by, he was able to start walking more and more until he no longer limped. One day, I had the courage to finally touch the baby pigeon, and I couldn’t believe how soft and delicate he was; he was staring at me with his tiny eyes, and I will admit, that was the moment I decided to name him. After storming many names, my husband and I picked Willow.   

It was a great achievement when he was finally able to eat om his own, I remember one day coming back from work, and he was standing on top of a box; at first, I was very confused, but then I saw him trying to fly for the very first time. I felt like a proud mom when her baby is taking its first steps. Time after time, I would tell my husband that once he was all recovered that, we would let him go. But as you probably guessed, that wasn’t the case. He went from crying like a baby pigeon to changing his sound until he was able to coo. Slowly, Willow won me over more and more, and I wasn’t afraid of him anymore. My husband and I decided to get him a pigeon diaper and let him fly around the house; soon enough, he started to sleep next to me every time I took a nap on the couch. He started to follow us around the house and would fly on our shoulders when we cook or wash dishes.

For many, it might sound very crazy to think about having a pigeon as a pet, but honestly, if I could go back in time, I can confidently say that I would do it all over again with no hesitation. Willow the pigeon has helped me on so many levels, and he will probably never understand or know that at all. It can be stressful at times, yes. But when he coos at me when he flies to the top of the door, or when he’s waiting for me to return home or simply looking around to follow us, it makes everything worth it, because Willow is now part of my family and he has given me, my husband and friends and immense happiness.

This was written by our contributing writer, Karina Alvarez.