“I was surprised because this pigeon had no fear of the dogs and no fear of people,” said Ciardi, who works as an outreach coordinator for the Montgomery County Animal Services & Adoption Center in Derwood, Md.
“It was adorable, but also concerning,” she said. “It was a rainy day, and I thought, ‘This is a bird without a whole lot of survival skills.’”
Ciardi soon learned that the pigeon had recently become a regular at the shelter, hitching rides from the parking lot to the building on employees’ heads, shoulders or fanny packs, and refusing to hop down unless forced to.
“She’d ridden on people to come inside the building at least five times, and they kept having to put her outside,” Ciardi said. “I said, ‘This isn’t right — she seems to be a pet.’”
Ciardi said her supervisor agreed that the pigeon didn’t appear to be wild, and the bird’s friendly behavior could be a safety problem, especially if a dog or cat went after her.
They decided that Valley — the name staffers chose for the rock pigeon — would make a good pet for the right person. So on April 2, about a week after the bird first landed on an employee’s shoulder, she was put up for adoption.
“We sometimes have pet pigeons surrendered to us when someone can no longer care for them,” said Ciardi, noting that 12 of the birds have been dropped off at the shelter over the past year.
There was no proof that the same thing had happened to Valley, but the pigeon’s friendly nature indicated that she had probably been domesticated as a fledgling, Ciardi said.
“She’s a young pigeon, and pigeons can have a long life span of about 15 years,” Ciardi said.
The birds — easy to spot with their green neck feathers — are common in cities around the world and are known for their unique homing ability. They are also often derided as pests and called rats with wings.
During World War I and World War II, carrier pigeons were used to transport secret messages from combat zones to their home coops.
“They have such an interesting history, and they’re really smart,” Ciardi said. “It used to be that they were bred and domesticated to work alongside us in the same way that dogs do.”
When radio communications improved and the birds were no longer needed as messengers, “humanity failed them and we began to look down on them,” she said. “But I think it’s in their DNA to want to be among us.”
Ciardi and her co-workers agreed it was important to find a good home for Valley. On April 2, Ciardi posted a notice on Facebook that the pigeon was up for adoption.
“Valley is a very friendly, very silly, and very determined pigeon with a funny story,” she wrote. “Last week, staff members noticed a pigeon who was hanging out outside our Adoption Center. Eventually she decided she was tired of waiting around and took herself into the building by landing on a staff member and hitching a ride inside.”
Ciardi then wrote about the bird descending on her in the rain and remaining calm when curious dogs approached.
“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,” Ciardi posted. “Well she came to the right place!”
About 850 followers liked the post, and several people mentioned that they wished they could adopt Valley. CBS affiliate WUSA9 covered the quest to find the pigeon a permanent home.
“If I didn’t have a cat, I’d definitely consider this!” one person commented.
Others found it amusing that the pigeon enjoyed hitching rides.
“Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus. Shoulder rides only,” one follower joked, in a nod to the popular children’s book by Mo Willems. Coincidentally, the Willems also wrote the book “There is a bird on your head!”
Two days after the Facebook post, a woman in New Jersey decided Valley would be a perfect pet for her two young boys.
Keryn Rosenberger drove three hours to Montgomery County from South Amboy, N.J., to adopt Valley on Thursday.
Rosenberger is a single mom, and she said her parents kept birds as pets when she was young. She thought Valley would be a good fit for her family.
“My boys are obsessed with watching birds outside, and we feed wild birds all the time,” she said. “I saw the post about the pigeon online and thought she’d be in good hands with us.”
Although Rosenberger brought a cage to the shelter for Valley’s transport, she decided instead to let the bird relax in the front seat on the way home.
“She sat there and sometimes on my head,” Rosenberger, 38, said. “Then she finally settled into one of my kids’ car seats.”
Valley has yet to use her cage at home, Rosenberger added.
“She rides upon my head and both kids’ heads, all over the house,” Rosenberger said. “When I take a shower, she sits on the shower head. She’s a very social bird who always has to be with someone.”
Rosenberger said she bought some cloth pigeon diapers online for Valley, along with a harness and leash for public outings. They should arrive later this week.
“We’re looking forward to some fun times with her,” Rosenberger said.
Although Ciardi was sad to see the bird go, she’s also delighted that Valley will now rule a new roost.
“It was a cool experience to get to know her,” Ciardi said. “She has a sweet personality, and we really enjoyed having her with us, even for a short while.”
