Bobbi even wears special pigeon pants.
A dad who saved a pigeon from drowning has welcomed the bird into his family and now takes him for walks on a leash.
Philip Weston-Thomas was on a walk around Roath Park Lake in Cardiff with his wife Rebecca and 14-year-old daughter in January when his daughter spotted the bird struggling in the freezing water.
Philip jumped into action and scooped up the pigeon, which was freezing, shaking and ‘on its last legs’.
The family took the bird, who they’ve named Bobbi, home with them and nursed him back to health.
Bobbi was back on his feet within just 24 hours and Philip and Rebecca had planned to release him back into the wild when he was well enough.
But before long, Bobbi had bonded with the family, following them around the house and seeing himself as ‘part of the flock’, Philip said.
The couple decided to keep the bird as a pet and the family now takes him for walks using a special pigeon leash – much to the surprise of passersby.
Bobbi, who has free reign of the house during the day, also wears a pigeon nappy when he’s not in his cage at night.
Philip recalls the day when they first saw Bobbi.
‘I could see it wasn’t looking good. I took my socks and shoes off, rolled up my jeans and climbed under the bridge to fish the pigeon out.
‘I didn’t think it would make it – it was gasping for breath and on his last legs.
‘It was particularly cold that day as well, parts of Roath Park lake was frozen over.
He said he fished Bobbi out, wrapped him up and took him home, not knowing if he would survive.
‘At first, it was just about warming it up and giving it somewhere comfortable to nest.
‘We were giving him bits of fruit and grains, and it was about 24 hours before it really started showing signs of coming back to normal and moving around a bit.
‘The initial plan was to make sure it was healthy and then take it back and release it.
‘We very quickly realised it was a fledgling pigeon – about four weeks old from what we gathered.
‘We did consider looking for a rescue or charity, but it had started to bond with the family, especially my daughter – and we decided that we’d like to keep it and look after it ourselves.
‘It’s relatively independent, but I think it sees us as the flock.’
He added that they take him out for walks when it’s a nice day and they’re going somewhere quiet.
‘We’ve got a little leash that we attach to the pigeon pants so we can go for a walk,’ he explained.
‘We usually get stopped every five yards because people have never seen a pigeon in pants, let alone walking on a lead.
‘When we’re going somewhere in the car, he’ll sit on my shoulder, whether I’m the passenger or the driver.’
At home the family make sure Bobbi has food, water and a bowl to bathe in, Phil said, because ‘they like water and they like to keep themselves clean’.
He added: ‘We change the pants regularly to make sure they’re clean and there’s not waste in them. At the end of the night, the pants come off and he’s back in the cage and off to sleep.’
Philip said that for the most part Bobbi is ‘very friendly and likes to be fussed over’, but ‘he does have his moments where he’s had enough of people, and he’ll give a little peck to tell you to leave him alone.
‘He’s very curious, even when he’s just sat up on a perch, he watches everything and makes little noises.
‘He’s got his own little personality.’
Stay-at-home dad Philip and cancer nurse Rebecca recently started sharing their adventures with Bobbi on a dedicated TikTok page, @bobbipigeon, after seeing the response from people in person.
‘We’ve only been doing it for about a week or so, but the response we’re getting has been very positive,’ Phillip said.
‘It’s been a positive response so far but I’m very aware there will be people who don’t believe we should have rescued it or kept it.
‘But he’s naturally become part of the family now.’
In 2021 we wrote about a woman who spent thousands of pounds each year on her ‘fashionista’ rescue pigeons.
The pigeons their very own adapted bedroom, a wardrobe of outfits and a pram for going on walks.
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