Abandoned Pigeon Finds Forever Home After Refusing to Leave Maryland Shelter

The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center out of Derwood, Maryland shared a sweet story about an animal who paid a visit to the shelter and refused to leave until she found a forever family of her very own.

The unusual part of this story is that it wasn't a cat or a dog that wanted a family, but a little lost Pigeon the rescue named 'Valley."

The shelter explained that Valley hung around outside, landing on people's shoulders and heads, refusing to leave until "Finally on a particularly rainy day Valley landed on a staff member's head while she took photos of our dogs in the yard. Not only was she a great photo assistant, but she stayed nestled in the staff member's hair no matter how many dogs she met or how long she was out there.It was finally decided that with her love for human company and lack of survival skills, Valley would really like to be put up for adoption."

There are some very sweet comments on Facebook and one person said, "Awww!!! I had a pigeon who was also a character and a half!!! He used to love riding on my shoulder while I vacuumed. Hope she finds a great home!" Another persona added, "Oh my gosh! This must be the same pigeon I saw while I was walking dogs on my volunteer shifts! I’m so glad she is being taken care of now."

The shelter updated the post that sweet Valley was adopted and has a stellar new home!

There were quite a few pigeon owners in the comments who added their own thoughts.

"My pigeon and me they do make wonderful companions! They're extremely smart. They are one of the few birds who are self conscious and recognize themselves in the mirror! If you consider adopting a pigeon, make sure you secure a good relationship with your local avian vet. Also, keep in mind, a pigeon is a 15 years commitment.

Related: Pet Pigeon Has the Funniest Way of Trying to Stop Owner From Doing Homework

If you'd like to know more about keeping a pigeon as a pet, read on.

Do Pigeons Make Good Pets?

According to Pigeon Rescue, they make absolutely wonderful pets. They explain that if you find a pigeon who is all alone, he probably needs help. Their first piece of advice is to determine what type of pigeon it is because pigeons like rock pigeons should not be domesticated.

If you find a pigeon that needs help, you should first get it assessed by a veterinarian. If you decide to keep this pigeon, you need to have adequate space for it to fly, be prepared to find it a specialized veterinarian who knows how to care for pigeons, and decide if you're cool with it using the bathroom everywhere.

Some pigeons can be trained to go potty in a specific area, but not all. Pigeons also can live to be 15-years-old so taking one in as a pet is a serious commitment. They do need quality bird seed and to be fed fruit on occasion.

That being said, people who keep these birds as pets absolutely adore them. Pigeons are highly intelligent, very social and clean and easy to feed. They can bond and become very affectionate with their owners with proper care and love. They enjoy gentle petting and being talked to, just like the sweet bird in the video above!

There are many great resources online for pigeon owners that can help you if you do decide to adopt one. Now I just have to wait for the pigeon distribution system to find me!

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