When a scruffy pigeon first flew onto the Germscheid family ranch near Entwistle, Greg didn’t know what to think.
“He looked so terrible when he came here,” the rancher recalled of Sept. 19, when he first noticed the bird.
But three weeks ago, Greg extended a hand to the pigeon in friendship.
“I actually picked him up in both hands and he didn't struggle,” Greg recalled.
It turns out—as pigeons go—the nicknamed ‘Pidge’ is somewhat remarkable.
“He just seems to have taken on a personality, you know?”
Now, Pidge comes when called, perches on Greg’s shoulder and goes for sleigh rides.
The two are nearly inseparable.
“Every morning, Greg gets up and says, ‘I better go see my Pidge, see how he's doing,’” Maureen, Greg’s wife, told CTV News.
The Germscheids don’t know what makes Pidge so friendly or smart. They’ve wondered if pigeon sees them as parents, or if he came from a breeder.
Or—they’ve considered—Pidge is just an exceptional animal.
“There's a little magic in everything, you know?” Greg asked.
The couple doesn’t cage Pidge, so he could leave as suddenly as he showed up. However, no matter what he chooses, Pidge will have friends among the Germscheids.
They'll be providing updates on Pidge on the ranch's Facebook page.
With files from Bill Fortier
