By Elizabeth Hunter
A dad who saved a baby pigeon from drowning has kept him as a pet – and even takes him on walks with a leash.
Philip Weston-Thomas, 42, saw the pigeon struggling for survival while walking with his daughter and his wife Rebecca around Roath Park Lake, Cardiff in January.
The couple’s 14-year-old daughter spotted the bird, and Philip jumped into action to scoop the pigeon from the freezing lake.
The pigeon, who the family have named Bobbi, was freezing and shaking – and so they took him home to nurse back to health.
After just 24 hours, Bobbi was back on his feet, with Philip and Rebecca planning to release him back into the wild when he was back to full health.
But Bobbi quickly bonded with the family, following them around the house and considering himself “part of the flock” – and so they made the decision to keep him as a pet.
“In January this year, we were walking around Roath Park in Cardiff and my daughter spotted Bobbi in the water and he was in distress,” Philip said.
“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.
“We fished it out, wrapped it up and took it home – but I wasn’t sure if it would survive or not.
“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.”
Bobbi has free reign of the house during the day, and is fitted with “pigeon pants” – small pieces of fabric designed to act as a nappy for pigeons.
The family even take Bobbi for walks, with a custom leash designed to strap onto the pigeon pants – but say they can’t make it five yards without being stopped.
“We put food out for it, and we let it do what it wants around the house,” Philip said.
“We make sure it’s got food, water, and a bowl to bathe in, because they like water and they like to keep themselves clean.
“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.
“If it’s a nice day and we’re going somewhere quiet, we’ll take him on a walk – we’ve got a little leash that we attach to the pigeon pants so we can go for a walk.
“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.
“For the most part, he’s 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 have now started sharing their adventures with Bobbi on their TikTok, @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,” said Philip.
“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.”
