(This dog has committed some naughty crimes!)
I aspire for this series of articles to be a lighthearted insight into the more interesting/noteworthy parts of my life…beginning with part 1, the tale of an injured pigeon.
TW: injured animals
I was walking my dog this evening (around 6:45). It’s a small Bichon Frise, but I suspect it might be a bolognese. Anyway, when I was walking it, It came acrosss a pigeon walking around the residential areas near my house.
It seemed to walk slower than usual, but I didn’t think much of it. My dog started chasing it, like usual, like any dog would when they see a bird (usually it likes to chase chickens, but a pigeon works). However, when it charged at the pigeon in an attempt to kill it, it actually managed to rip two feathers off its tail, which is very strange considering that pigeons are usually agile enough in these situations.
Yet despite how hard the pigeon tried to flap its wings after it got ambushed, it didn’t manage to fly away. It helplessly and silently hopped and sprinted1 for its life while my dog continued to chase it. I let my dog chase it, because if I didn’t let it, it would go back to licking the floor and licking light poles with dog piss on it2.
It eventually tried to take a bite of the disabled pigeon once again, where the pigeon then stumbled (literally) into a very low corner with a staircase on top of it. There was a little bookcase in the corner, where it hid. My dog yanked its leash and went to corner, effectively putting the poor pigeon in a standoff.
The pigeon was glued to the wall; it stared out with all the fear a pigeon could express in its eyes, barely moving and ever so slightly shaking. I didn’t let my dog attack it further.
I grabbed my dog and held it up as I went over to reach the pigeon to grab it. Pigeons’ wings are actually quite loose, they aren’t really balls of cute fur. I gently picked it up to examine the damage and to investigate why it couldn’t fly.
On the surface it didn’t look too injured, its wings were still loose and it was clearly able to flap. I petted the pigeon gently, but it didn’t coo. It was just warm, still trembling slightly. I could hear its heartbeat quite loudly, which I didn’t expect.
But when I turned it around…
It was injured very badly. The skin and feathers below its heart and vital organs were all ripped off, somehow. It had smelly goo from a dumpster nearby stuck onto it too, it didn’t smell very good. I could see its poor little heart beating at max speed, literally holding onto dear life.
I petted it a little bit more, and attempted to gently release it. However, it scrambled away from my hand before I could, and it fell to the ground whilst flapping its wings; it clearly couldn’t fly.
I really didn’t know what to do, I didn’t consider calling a helpline or anything, this was just a street pigeon, and there are many, many more injured ones like this. It is however a shame I didn’t constrain my dog enough while it chased it. It was just 2 feathers, however. Peace be upon this poor pigeon.
On the way home I realized my hands felt absolutely repulsively disgusting; that trash goo was legit.
My dog will not be allowed to chase any more pigeons after this.