Dad buys terminally-ill 18-year-old son "dream" $20k Mustang before he dies
By Ben Barry
A dad bought his dying teenage son his $20k dream car - as he doesn't have long enough to save for it himself.
Joseph Tegerdine, 18, started experiencing knee pain in 2019 when he was 13 years old but his parents Joe, 49, and Kerry, 46, put it down to "growing pains".
The pain persisted for a few weeks and started to keep Joseph up at night so he went for an x-ray and MRI at Methodist Richardson Medical Centre in Richardson, Texas, US.
The MRI results showed Joe had a synovial sarcoma - a rare type of cancer that tends to occur near large joints, mainly the knees - and he started chemotherapy 10 days later.
In May 2019, Joseph finished the treatment and went for a rotationplasty - a surgical procedure used to treat bone tumours in children that occur near the knee.
Joseph was given a 70 per cent survival rate but, in January 2022, Joseph was told the cancer had spread to his lungs and his hip and he had months to live.
After his terminal diagnosis, Joe went out and bought his son a 330 horsepower Ford Mustang as he had always dreamed of owning his own.
Delighted Joseph told his dad: 'I'm going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this'.
Now the family are making the most of the time they have left and have visited Los Angeles to see Taylor Swift, Florida to swim with Dolphins and are currently in Tokyo.
Joe, a businessman, from Springville, Utah, said: "Joseph had been talking about owning a Mustang for a couple of years.
"He was always talking to me about buying one but we kept putting it off.
"Once he got his terminal diagnosis I spoke to my wife and said there was no way he has enough time to save money - so I went out and bought him one.
"He was so excited, he told me he wants to squeeze out a few extra months of life to drive the car.
"He really wants to live life to the fullest. He is not interested in spending the last few months hooked up to machines.
"He wants a high standard of living."
The family was devastated when Joseph was first diagnosed.
Joe said: "They said they could see a growth.
"We then had an MRI and that same day we got a call.
"My wife knew it would be bad news and they confirmed it was a synovial sarcoma.
"It was so devastating because not only did the doctor say it was one of the worst cancers and the hardest to treat.
"You didn't have Google to know that the statistics for survival were not good.
"We knew he would need to have his right leg amputated - it was horrible we just didn't know what the outcome looked like."
Joseph started chemotherapy on February 14, 2019 at Medical City Dallas Hospital, Taxes.
Then on May 3, 2019, he went for a rotationplasty.
Joe said: "Part of the treatment was that he would need an amputation.
"After the surgery, he had more chemotherapy until October 2019.
"He was the healthiest kid, he had never seen the inside of a hospital.
"His body was very strong and all the information they give you from when they take out the tumour looked very good."
In January 2022, scan results showed Joseph's cancer had spread to his lungs which took his survival rate from 70 per cent to 10 per cent.
He then underwent two surgeries to remove the tumour in his lungs which were successful.
Joe said: "After we got the all clear, Joseph started a drug trial where they would inject listeria bacteria into his body and programme them to kill the cancer cells.
"Unfortunately, in February 2023 his cancer spread to his hips.
"The doctor told us that we were talking about months and not years.
"Just a few weeks ago, doctors found a large tumour in his lungs and Joseph has now started radiation to prolong his life."
When he was growing up, Joseph had always dreamed of owning a Ford Mustang.
After his parents found out Joseph was dying they bought him his own car so he could drive around in it before he died.
Joe said: "He has been talking about it for a few years and constantly looking and searching for the perfect car.
"After our last hospital visit, I spoke to his mum and said there is no way he will save enough money in time to buy it so we bought him it ourselves.
"When we collected the car, Joseph was able to drive it home and he turned to me and said: 'dad, I'm going to squeeze a few extra months of life just to be able to drive this'."
The family have been making sure Joseph lives his final months to the fullest and is currently on holiday in Tokyo, Japan and are planning a trip in the summer depending on how well Joseph is.
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“Britain’s smartest dog” knows the names of all 231 of his toys
By Hannah Van De Peer
Meet “Britain’s smartest dog” - a border collie who knows the names of all 231 of his toys.
Martin Morris, 48, has been teaching seven-year-old Max the names of his toys since he was 12 weeks old.
Along with his wife, hospital cleaner Helen, 49, Martin has spent £1,115 on toys for Max - and now claims he can recognise every single one.
They shout the name of a toy - such as 'Hector the hedgehog' - from another room, and Max can root through seven bags of toys to find the correct one.
Martin, a taxi driver from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, said: “Max is a very talented boy - we think he should be famous.
“We’ve got seven wash baskets, overflowing with toys. We’re at 231 now, and he knows every one of their names.
“You can test him all you like - even with toys that haven’t seen the light of day in a while. He’ll still recognise it.”
Martin and Helen adopted Max - born from two working sheepdogs - from a farm in Manchester.
The “name game” has become a nightly ritual ever since - and the couple insist it keeps the pup sharp.
Martin said: “It’s taken us seven years to get to this stage - we read about the US collie called Chaser, who knows the names of 1,022 toys.
“But I don’t think any dog in the UK has managed to surpass 231 - making our boy the smartest.
“We’d buy Max a toy pretty much every week - Hector the Hedgehog, Sophia the Squirrel and Deeno the Dino, to name a few.
“And every night, before we go to bed, we play the name game.”
The “name game” involves Martin and Helen calling to Max from their bedroom, after lining a selection of his toys up on the floor.
They shout a name to him, and he has to run and identify the toy.
Martin says the hound has always been able to do this without treats, or any other incentive.
“We’ll go, ‘where’s…’ in an exaggerated voice - and then say the name of the toy.
“And off he’ll pop, looking for toys on the floor.
“He’ll smile at us afterwards, with this big smile that looks like a human’s.”
The couple have no plans to stop testing Max any time soon - and still buy a new toy for him every week. .
Martin added. “His favorite is Leo the Lion - he’s the first one we ever bought for him, and he still remembers him.”
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Family mortgage-free after selling UK home and buying “dream” £7k rural idyll in Bulgaria
By Emma Dunn
A British family “escaped” the UK for Bulgaria for their “dream” home and are now living mortgage free after buying an abandoned house for just £7k.
Laura Phoenix, 33, and her husband Anthony, 32, moved 1,941 miles to Strazhitsa, Bulgaria, in September 2023 with their daughters – Cecelia, four, and Nova, two.
The couple wanted to live off-grid to be sustainable after seeing the state of plastic waste on beaches in Thailand.
But Laura and Anthony, a stay at home dad, couldn’t afford a rural home in the UK and decided to look in Bulgaria for their dream place – after seeing others do the same on YouTube.
The couple found and bought an abandoned three-bedroom property in Strazhitsa for £7,000.
They sold their UK two bedroom home for £85k and moved from Darlington, County Durham to Bulgaria in September 2023 and have been renovating the property ever since.
Since moving Laura says her skin condition has vanished and the family feel “free”.
Laura, an online English teacher and writer, said: “We bought a home on a whim.
“But it’s our dream home. We don’t have any mortgage.
“I developed a skin condition and had bad flare ups.
“When I got here it just vanished.
“I feel we were pushed out of the UK.
“I feel like we had no choice.
“We don’t want to both work hours for 40 hours a week just to exist.
“In England it is so unattainable.”
Anthony said: “Even if you own a property in the UK the cost of living is so much higher.
“We’ve always decided when we want to do something we jump at the opportunity.”
Laura and Anthony had always had a love for travelling but were devastated when they saw the state of the beaches in Thailand.
Laura said: “There was too much plastic everywhere.”
They came back to the UK and set up an eco-friendly and refillable shop in 2018 and managed to buy a fixer upper old council house for £55k.
But the pair had a dream to live off-grid together with their kids but after seeing prices around £500k for what they wanted they started to look abroad.
Laura said: “We were trying to find land for an affordable price.
“We were binge watching YouTube and dreaming of somewhere we could be free.”
After seeing other Brits move to Bulgaria, the couple set their sights on doing the same and spent two weeks finding their family home in May 2022 – falling in love with the town of Strazhitsa, Bulgaria.
They sold their business and Darlington home to buy their Bulgarian dream outright and moved in September 2023.
Laura said: “The garden had a whole mattress in it.
“Anthony demolished the top floor.
“We removed all the rats and vermin.”
The family are currently living in one side of the house with a temporary kitchen while they wait for the harsh winter to pass to continue renovating.
They have spent less that £2k so far and hope to be have it completed in the next three years.
The couple have a quarter of an acre where they have already started to plant seeds to grow spinach, onion, and garlic.
They also have a blueberry, raspberry and strawberry bushes.
Laura said: “We want to grow as much as we can.”
The family want to be as self-sufficient as possible and are looking at getting composting toilets and solar panels. They currently have to drive 40 minutes to their closest supermarket.
They have a well on the land that they hope they can use for their water supply in the future.
But Laura said it hasn’t all been plain sailing – as the family have had to get used to the harsh winter and deal with paperwork to gain residency.
Laura said: “Bulgarian winter can be quite harsh.
“I don’t want everyone to think it is easy because it is not.
“I don’t think everyone would have what it takes to come here but you can if you’re tough and you want to escape.”
Anthony's parents - Laura, 61, and Eddie Phoenix, 71, are also buying the neighbouring home for £3k and will be using it as their holiday home.
Laura said: "It will be like a family compound."
Laura and Anthony are homeschooling their children and “don’t believe” in the school system.
Laura said: “I was told if I went to university I’d be set for life but I wasn’t.
“It’s frowned upon in Bulgaria to home educate.
“We’re teaching them to grow things and learning the language.
“They are constantly visiting towns and museums.”
The family also have a campervan they hope to get back on the road so they can travel Europe as a family.
Laura said: “I walked outside my door before in the UK and there would be thumping music.
“Now it’s birds tweeting.
“It’s just different here.
“We live in such a noisy society but here everything is quiet.”
Phoenix family costs in the UK and Bulgaria -
Mortgage in the UK - £180 a month
Gas and electric - £25 a week on a pay as you go meter - £100 a month
Council tax - £120 a month
Bulgaria Mortgage - £0
Electric - £60 a month
Wood for heating for all winter - £118
Council tax - £60 for two years (plus fines)
Saving £4,168 a year
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Mum creates wholesome workshop for dads to learn how to style their daughters’ hair
By George Mathias
A mum runs hairdressing workshops teaching dads how to style their daughters hair because it's "not just a job for women".
Sarah Eaton, 38, teaches men how to brush hair, tie it back, style it and do plaits and braids.
She got the idea after she started lessons showing mums how to do elaborate braids - and many said their male partners would like to brush up on their skills too.
Now she runs hour-long Dad & Me workshops at her local community centre where they learn how to do the basics like ponytails, bunches and buns on their kids.
Sarah, a hairstylist, from Armadale, West Lothian, said: “It’s for any child with long hair and acts as a safe environment where they can ask any questions.
“I teach them the basics of how to brush their hair and how to use de-tangle spray.
“At the end of the hour session they are all able to do the basics and every dad has said to me how much more confident it has made them feel.
“The look of admiration on their face after each session is amazing.”
Sarah, who runs her own company Bonnie Braids, came up with the dad workshop idea after trying to dress up her two daughters Ella, nine, and Aisling, seven, for Halloween in 2022.
She bought them both them red synthetic wigs which she planned to braid but was surprised to find how hard it was to do.
After chatting to mums in her town, Sarah decided to launch a workshops to show mums how to do Dutch and French braids.
Sarah said: “It went really well, and then a few mums started telling me how their husbands wanted to learn how to tie and brush hair, so I decided to set one up for them.”
Sarah has run three sessions so far, and says they are only getting more and more popular.
“It’s usually the mums who are signing the dads up, but then the dads come and the reaction of their face when it finally clicks is so nice to see," she said.
One of the activities in the workshop which draws the most laughs is when the dads are learning how to do the high bun.
Sarah added: “We get the kids to stand up, the dads hold the hair up high and while the girls spin around, the kids are so happy because dad can do a bun for their ballet.
“It’s all about overcoming the fact that doing hair is a female goal, it’s not.”
Sarah runs the workshops on an “ad hoc basis” with a maximum of eight dads per session.
“It just goes to show who valuable it is to break down stigmas," she said.
"Dads should feel just as able to do their daughters hair in the morning before school.”
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Pet rooster climbs into owner's bed to wake him up at 7am every morning
By Leo Black
A pet rooster climbs into his owner's bed every morning to wake him up at 7am.
A video shows Rourou the rooster clattering down the hallway, jumping on the sofa and on its owner's bed to let out an ear-splitting crow.
Owner Qi Wentong adopted Rourou, three, after his previous owner fell ill.
Rourou has been living with Qi in Tangshan in China's Heibei Province and is allowed to roam freely around the house.
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Jaw-dropping pictures show precision flying skills of U.S. Air Force demo team
By Dean Murray
The precision flying skills of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration flying team are shown in these jaw-dropping pictures.
The team conducted a so-called "photo chase" over Navy Air Facility El Centro, California, on 26 February - a chance for their skills to be caught on camera.
Pilots can be seen carrying out show-stopping manoeuvres in their F-16C Fighting Falcon supersonic fighter jets, including Top Gun-like inversions.
The Thunderbirds perform precision aerial displays to demonstrate the capabilities of the Air Force's high performance aircraft.
The team say they perform all around the world to “display the pride, precision and professionalism the U.S. Air Force represents.”
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"I'm biohacking my dogs - I spent £1,800-a-year on vegan food"
By Josie Adnitt
Meet the woman who is 'biohacking' her dogs - by feeding them a £1,800-a-year vegan diet.
Stella Paris, 37, says her pets - Tuco, a Chinese crested powder puff, and Bear, a French bulldog - are in perfect health.
She even claims the diet has reversed some of Bear’s health problems – helping her breathe easy and clearing up skin conditions.
The singer-songwriter is a vegan herself and describes herself as “anti-speciesist” - meaning she believes every animal should be treated the same.
Biohacking involves someone making incremental changes to their - or their pet's -body, diet, and lifestyle to improve their health and well-being
Stella, from south London, said: “People are very aware my dogs are vegan – people say it should be illegal or I’m abusing my dogs.
“But I am anti-speciesist, I believe every animal should be treated the same with no preference or superiority - why would I love one and kill another.
“If you love your dog, why are you sacrificing a cow, pig, chicken or turkey – don't they also deserve to live? If you love animals, you would love all animals.
“The vets are shocked by my seven-year-old Frenchie, Bear – they're shocked she has no skin conditions, and her breathing is good.
“They can see a difference between her and other Frenchies they regularly see before I even tell them she’s vegan.
“Vets know dogs can thrive and live well on a plant-based diet. I wouldn’t just give them broccoli and carrots, I give them nutritionally complete meals containing omegas, carbs and proteins.”
Stella, who studied biology and chemistry, switched to a vegan lifestyle six years ago and makes content online promoting veganism and campaigning against animal cruelty.
She first made the switch to vegan dog food for rescue pup Bear four years ago and adopted Tuco shortly after.
And Stella claims the diets have not only cured Bear’s physical health ailments but helped with emotional problems suffered by the rescue dog too.
The two pooches are treated to nutritionally complete dog food costing £150 per month and get regular sweet potato and mango-based treats.
Other treats include Brazil nuts, walnuts, apples and raw fruits like sugar snaps.
“As vegans we don’t call them pets, we call them animal companions, I would consider being called an owner an insult,” said Stella.
“Domesticated dogs should be fed a vegan diet for their health – when dogs eat meat they can get worms, they’re not obligate carnivores.
“A few friends have also changed their dogs to plant based diets when they found out it was possible, and they've gone vegan too."
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Widow visited by police after accompanying husband to assisted dying clinic in Switzerland
By Ben Barry
A widow was visited by police after she accompanied her husband to an assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.
Dan Tuckley, 46, went to the hospital with a muscle strain after a heavy weights session at the gym - but tests revealed he had kidney cancer.
It grew five-fold in just a month and doctors told him it was terminal and there was nothing they could do for him.
Just four days later he booked a spot at an assisted dying clinic near Basel, Switzerland - a quest which cost him £20,000
His family said that Dan wanted to kill the cancer before it had the chance to kill him.
And after a family meal where he ordered food and wine, he was no longer well enough to drink, he was given a syringe filled with drugs.
He died listening to My Way by Frank Sinatra, surrounded by his wife, Sarah, 46, and siblings Kate, 29, Phillip, 48 and Matthew, 36.
In December 2022, Sarah was visited by the police who told her that would not be pursuing what they called an 'assisted suicide investigation'.
Sarah, a business analyst, from Derby, Derbyshire, said: "I opened the door and they said it was Derbyshire police, I knew there was a risk but when they said police it didn't even register in my head.
"They said they would not be pursuing an investigation and kept calling it assisted suicide.
"I kept telling them that it was not assisted suicide and it was assisted dying.
"Dan fought for his country and we were made to feel like criminals for bringing something forward that was going to happen in a matter of days.
"It seems alien to me that we don't have the choice - it is like trying to deprive a woman from having an abortion.
"Dan did not want to pass in a hospital or with people just watching.
"He wanted to pass on his terms with those who loved him the most and most importantly while he was still him."
In July 2022, Dan had pain in his stomach and thought he had pulled a muscle at the gym.
He went to Derby Royal Hospital that evening "just to be cautious"
A scan the next day, on August 17, showed a mass behind the stomach.
"The vibe was that it would be highly treatable," said Sarah.
But a second scan showed cancerous cells.
Then had a PET scan and a biopsy diagnosed renal medullary carcinoma - a rare cancer of the kidney - and he was told he had one year to live.
Within days his symptoms got worse and he was unable to digest food.
Then a month later in September 2022, a scan showed Dan's cancer had grown five-fold and he was told there was nothing doctors could do and he was sent home.
Dan's sister, Kate, a teacher, from Gosport, Hampshire, said: "This news was unbelievable.
"No one had even had the time to come to terms with the initial
diagnosis, let alone that we would now be losing him.
"This was so sudden and we knew we needed to be together.
"We'd always had a strong sibling bond.
"We could see how thin and ill he was- unable to eat anything now for over a week and struggling to talk. His condition had progressed so fast - far too fast."
Since his diagnosis, Dan started researching assisted dying and found a clinic near Basel, Switzerland where he would go to die.
And on September 20 Dan, Sarah and his siblings went on what they dubbed 'Operation F*ck Cancer' on a private jet.
Kate said: "We collected the hire car and drove through Switzerland, the backdrop of breath-taking vistas only adding to the utterly unreal situation we were all suffocating inside.
"Tuesday night we stayed in a beautiful hotel in the mountains. Dan came to dinner with us that evening.
"He chose the wine we all drank, because he could not drink it, and he chose a meal, but he could not eat it.
"That is another cruel aspect of this condition.
"Even criminals on death row are granted a last meal, but that was yet another thing stolen from Dan."
The next day - his last full one alive - they needed to get £10,000 out to pay for the rest of Dan's deposit for the clinic.
Sarah said: "It was like we were performing an international heist. All we wanted to do was bring a dying man some peace.
"We were driving around Switzerland trying to get money out and we wasn't sure if we were going to get arrested or not trying to get all this money out."
On September 22, 2022, Dan and his family went to the clinic near Basel, Switzerland where Dan died.
Kate said: "Dan wanted music on so we had music on.
"We were all there around the bed, trying to laugh and joke.
"We did our final selfie - the doctor came in and said when he is ready he can go.
"We were talking to him and he said it was time and he was dead within 10 seconds - it was so peaceful and quiet."
In December 2022, Sarah was getting ready to leave the house when she got a knock on the door.
Sarah and Kate said that the family were made to feel like criminals and that nobody should have to experience it.
Kate said: "They said they had investigated it but there were no charges.
"I am annoyed that she had the police knock on her door and she was on her own.
"That makes me cross, I would have liked to be with her when that happened.
"It makes me furious that our family had to go through this whole process.
"It makes me cross that Dan was in a state where he was going to die."
Nathan Stilwell, assisted dying campaigner for Humanists UK, said: "This is yet another indication of the overwhelming appetite for our outdated law on assisted dying to be changed.
"There is no issue in public life that the public backs more strongly than assisted dying."
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Woman suffers burns when her pressure cooker exploded while cooking soup
By Leo Black
A woman's face swelled up like balloon after she suffered second and third degree burns when her pressure cooker exploded - while cooking soup.
Becky Fargo, 43, was cooking potato soup for her daughter Jadyn Young, 13, when the pressure cooker pressurized unexpectedly and exploded.
Becky, of South Webster, Ohio, USA, had set the machine to cook without pressure, something she had done several times before.
But when she tried to get the soup out, the cooker exploded leaving 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her face, chest and neck.
Becky, a restaurant manager, said: "I had used it about five-to-ten times in a two-year period and I had mostly used it for chili and other slow-cooker foods.
"There was no issue at all but something was different this time."
Becky was blown back by the blast and the boiling hot soup coated her chest, face and neck, sticking to her skin.
After running to wash the soup off, she woke her daughter up, who called for help.
She said: "I ripped my shirt off and splashed water on myself because the soup was stuck to me and it was burning.
"The explosion knocked me back four feet. It was huge, the lid broke."
When the ambulance arrived an air-lift was called as the nearest hospital with a burn unit was two hours away.
She was treated for a couple of hours and sent home with an ointment for her wounds.
Becky said: "The burns got progressively worse over the next 36 hours. My face swelled up like a balloon.
"Days four to nine were excruciating. They were open, oozing, crusty and they just burned. My chest was on fire."
The burns persisted for months, first swelling and then peeling and she was forced to take three weeks off from work to treat her injuries.
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“I have a pet pigeon – it lives in my apartment and kisses and cuddles me”
By Amy Reast
A woman has a pet pigeon who lives in her apartment and loves to kiss and cuddle her.
Aleksandra Bezrukova, 25, discovered a pair of eggs which hatched baby pigeons - known as squabs - on her balcony and she fell in love.
After they grew up and flew away, Aleksandra became determined to raise a pigeon of her own.
After finding a pet pigeon that needed re-homing she took the bird in and named her Coco.
Coco has been living in Aleksandra's apartment with her husband, Alexandre Pastemps, 29, a crypto trader, since October.
Both of them adore Coco and she grows more friendly by the day - even giving Aleksandra kisses and cuddles.
Aleksandra calls her a "little sweetheart" and reckons pigeons have a worse reputation than they deserve.
She claims even once-skeptical family members are smitten with Coco now too.
Aleksandra, a clothing shop owner, living in Chloet, France, said: "When those eggs first hatched on my balcony, something inside me woke up.
"They were so cute, I spent hours each day looking at them.
"When they grew up and flew away, I was heartbroken - so I researched online about having a pet pigeon of my own.
"As soon as I saw Coco I loved her and our relationship grows each day.
"Pet pigeons are so lovely - they're super smart and clever, and cute.
"I think people who feel negatively just don't understand them."
Aleksandra found herself captivated by pigeons after seeing two little eggs in a nest on her balcony in August 2023.
She left them where they were and saw the parents tending to the nest for over a month - then eventually two little chicks were born.
Over time the chicks grew and learnt to walk, then flap their wings - before Aleksandra had to say goodbye for good when they flew the nest.
She said: "I looked at them every day, I would just open the window and sit and watch them.
"I was heartbroken when they flew away.
"Something inside me woke up - I started to be curious about pigeons and watched videos about pigeons as pets.
"I decided I wanted a pet pigeon too."
After finding a local man looking to re-home a seven-month-old pigeon, Aleksandra "fell in love" and the rest was history.
She said: "When I saw her I loved her, and I wanted to give her the best life.
"She was super cute, and let me take her from the guy’s hands straight away."
When Aleksandra first brought Coco home in October 2023, she said the bird was timid - but over time became more trusting.
The first milestone was landing on Aleksandra's head, before nipping her cheeks softly - the equivalent to a pigeon kissing affectionately.
In December, Coco let Aleksandra cuddle her for the first time and sat on her shoulder.
Now they share a special bond, and pigeon cuddles are a regular occurrence.
Coco lives in their apartment, and sleeps in a cage but is free to fly around indoors all day long.
While it can be dangerous for house-trained birds to fly outdoors on their own, Aleksandra is looking to get Coco a leash so she can fly outside safely.
She is also looking to start teaching Coco tricks - such as responding to her name, and recognising different colours.
Aleksandra says most people are supportive - but she had a few negative comments online.
She said: "People when they see Coco, they say how beautiful she is.
"She is super white with beautiful brown eyes and a fancy tail - they ask if she is even a pigeon.
"Most people think she is a sweetheart but some people say pigeons are dirty and spread disease.
"But humans spread dirty things in the world too."
She added: "Pet pigeons are like little puppies, sometimes when I get home Coco welcomes me back through the door.
"Sometimes when she coos, I coo back and we speak in a pigeon language together.
"Pigeons can be super smart and affectionate. They're such interesting pets."
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