Blog - Page 32 of 39 -

September 19, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Please Join Me in Thanking Cheryl

Please Join Me in Thanking Cheryl

Please join me in thanking Cheryl Dickinson for serving as MickaCoo’s first ever Advisory Committee Chair from 2011 through 2014. Cheryl has helped MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue in countless ways and, while she has resigned from her post as Chair, her compassion-inspiring, life-saving impact continues.

Cheryl & Littie in her aviary

Cheryl & Super Dovee- the pigeon who brought Cheryl to MickaCoo

And I’ll write here what I shared privately with Cheryl-

Cheryl, We will miss you! You were SUCH a powerhouse for us for so long! Cheryl, you’ve given WAAAAYYY more than anybody could ever ask and so, while I will miss you, I can’t complain. You have shaped MickaCoo and this effort in amazing ways. I’ll never be able to fully express my gratitude for all that you have given, done & brought to this work. I hope you feel it.

And for all that you are still doing, too! I so appreciate your ongoing Ritz Carlton fostering of a whole flock of pigeons, your generous donations of all kinds, your help with special cases and of your patiently continuing to serve as Acting Chair for nearly a year. Thank you!

Thank you, Cheryl, for serving as MickaCoo’s first Advisory Commission Chair. Thank you for being such a strong friend for the birds and the people who love them. Thank you for being a creator of compassion. (And thank you, Super Dovee, for bringing Cheryl to MickaCoo!)

Welcoming Clare as our new Advisory Committee Chair

September 19, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Woot! There He Is! Guest Post by Janice Lipsky

Woot! There He Is! Guest Post by Janice Lipsky

While I love animals in general, I’ve always been most passionate about all creatures feline. For the last 20 years or so, my husband and I have always had three rescued cats at any given time. When one cat passes away, we rescue another from a shelter or the street. When I can remember, I fill a bird feeder in our backyard for my own enjoyment, but also for our cats’ entertainment.

One afternoon a couple of months ago, I noticed a lone pigeon among the groups of quails, doves, and cactus wren who eat at our feeder. I thought to myself, “that’s odd; I’ve not seen a pigeon in our area of Scottsdale before.” The pigeon looked like the kind we’d see in the streets of NYC, but more robust with glossier feathers. I forgot about him and went about my business. When he showed up over two consecutive days, my curiosity increased. I went out to get a better look and noticed a green band around his little leg. That piqued my interest! I did an Internet search of “pigeon green band leg” and all of this information about the sport of racing pigeons cropped up. I’d never even heard of such a thing. Well, I educated myself quickly, learning that it was somewhat controversial among animal welfare groups, but that the people who engaged in the sport purported to fancy pigeons as well. We continued to feed the bird (who we named “Woot” because of the noise he’d make when we approached him) and established a routine. Like clockwork he would show up between 2 and 3pm for his little dish of food and to take a drink from our pool.

Pigeon racing survivor Woot chose a new family

When we went on vacation we asked our cat sitter to feed him outdoors and she told us that when he saw her through the glass he’d peck at it to get her attention. Eventually my husband was able to get close enough to Woot to write down the numbers that appeared on the leg band. Those numbers led me to a contact person at the local pigeon racing club who in turn provided me with the name and phone number of the owner. The owner told me that Woot didn’t come back after his race six months ago, although his sister did. We speculated that Woot had an injured wing, because his flying had declined over the last couple of days. I realized that I didn’t want to give Woot back. If he wasn’t a good racer, and had an injured wing, what kind of life would he have at the loft? Also, to be honest, he touched my heart with his intelligence and vulnerability. With not a small amount of trepidation about what we’d be getting into, I asked the owner if we could keep Woot. He agreed. My husband captured him and put him in our cat carrier. As we knew nothing about pigeons, I relied heavily on Elizabeth at MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue and the people in Arizona she put me in touch with. One woman recommended a vet not far from where I work, so thinking Woot might have a broken wing I took him for a check- up while my husband scrambled to find a more suitable housing space. Other than a few lice, Woot checked out fine at the vet and moved into a 2’ X 2’ X 3′ hutch my husband found on Craigslist. We knew this would not be enough space for a healthy racing pigeon in the long term. For us, having him inside with the cats while we worked all day didn’t make sense either. So I learned from MickaCoo that the other option was an aviary.

Many cages are poorly designed and unsafe for the animals housed in them

Woot’s temporary hutch required modification to keep predators’ talons & paws out

Well, how can I explain what happened next? I’m not fully clear on it myself. It’s sort of like making a leap of faith, or taking a plunge and making a commitment. One suppresses the trepidation and goes for the greater good. Woot really inspired us. An out of place pigeon, selectively bred for a sport he didn’t choose, trying to survive on his own…we decided to help him and that it would be both cool and joyous to have an outdoor aviary. We decided to build it. Fortunately, one of us is very handy (not me) and was up for the challenge. We studied the plans on the links provided by MickaCoo, as well as on other sites. We spent every day of the long Labor Day weekend making trips to Home Depot and creating the aviary. We actually enjoyed the project…a shared experience, something both challenging and productive. For Woot, after spending one week in the smaller hutch, he had a new 8’ X 4′ X 8’ home. We are bonding with him a bit more every day, and after allowing him further adjustment time, we plan to get a female companion pigeon. We will use wooden eggs as birth control, because we are not interested in breeding pigeons. Now, after a lifetime of admiring felines, I’ve apparently broadened my fancy to pigeons. I’m immensely grateful to Elizabeth and her colleagues for their amazing support and advocacy for these beautiful birds.

Clever self-rescuer Woot has inspired his family to adopt another pigeon too. To be continued…

The beautiful and safe aviary rescued Woot inspired

Woot relaxing with his friend in the mirror

Editor’s note: Pigeon racing kills pigeons. Every year, thousand of pigeons are bred for racing. They are taken hundreds of miles from home and tossed (as it’s called) to their fate. All will try to fly home but only a fraction will survive. They are not racing- they are just trying to get back to their family and home. Woot is extremely lucky. You can learn more about pigeon racing here.

August 18, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Global Giving PHOTO CONTEST 2014!

Global Giving PHOTO CONTEST 2014!

OFFICIAL CONTEST RESULTS: After an extensive audit of votes, the final results are in and MickaCoo’s photo of Homing pigeon Gracie rescued from a lab placed 7th out of of 75 stunning entries. So the bad news is we didn’t win. The good news is, we were honored as finalists in this contest; highlighted the worthiness of pigeons amongst so many inspiring projects; mobilized tremendous support (I’m still feeling energized by all the love shared!) and we have made many new friends for the pigeons. Thank you all very much and special thanks to Cheryl for sharing her beloved Gracie and to photographer Elisabeth Millay for the gift of this timeless image.

Amazing photos, worthy causes

August 29 Update: Voting has ended. Preliminary results show Gracie’s photo in 6th place. Thank you for all of your votes, shares and great support! See Gracie’s rescue story here and please make a donation to support this life-saving, culture-changing work. Thank you!

Please vote for Gracie and help win compassion, honor and funds for pigeons & doves!

Beautiful white homing pigeon in loving adopter's hands

Homing pigeon Gracie was rescued from life as a test subject in a lab

We don’t always see the truth. In our culture, too many people see pigeons as somehow less than worthy of our respect and compassion. Beautiful pigeon Gracie, shown here in her adopter Cheryl’s loving hands, was bred to be used for “dove releases”. She was then purchased to be used in lab testing. Finally- she was rescued. Now she is safe, unexploited, cherished. This photo, shot by photographer and MickaCoo volunteer Elisabeth Millay, has been chosen as a finalist in the GlobalGiving Photo Contest 2014. Please help us help people to see who pigeons really are. Help us win this contest, the $1000 prize, the recognition and the honor. Please vote (once per person, email and verification required) and please- share this link and ask others to vote- http://www.globalgiving.org/poll/vote/?pollOptionId=756. We will need to inspire lots of voters between now and Friday August 29th to win this for the pigeons.

Read about Gracie’s rescue here: Lab Pigeons Can Count

Read the story of Cheryl & Super Dovee

See more of Elisabeth Millay’s MickaCoo photos

Thank you for helping MickaCoo to help save the lives of pigeons & doves.

Volunteer & adopter Cheryl

Volunteer & photographer Elisabeth Millay with Opal

Please remember to vote and share!

August 16, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on MickaCoo @ Sonoma County VegFest 2014

MickaCoo @ Sonoma County VegFest 2014

We all, MickaCoo volunteers, pigeons & Lily the dove, had an awesome time at the Sonoma County VegFest 2014 on Saturday! We made lots of wonderful new friends & caught up with some old ones. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the plight & potential of pigeons. We love coming together to make this world more compassionate. (Please sign & share our Pledge to Say No to Squab!)

August 13, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Top Rated Great Nonprofit 2014!

Top Rated Great Nonprofit 2014!

Thank you! Thank you for supporting and powering and enabling MickaCoo to be a great nonprofit! And thank you for endorsing our life-saving, culture-changing work with your five star reviews and earning MickaCoo, for the third year in a row, the distinction of being a “Top-Rated Nonprofit”! Great Nonprofits writes, “Think of the program like a people’s choice awards where volunteers, donors and people served by the great work of each and every nonprofit can cast their vote in the form of a review to express their appreciation and potentially win nonprofits a spot on the List…This is a great honor, given less than 10% of eligible nonprofits have received this distinction.”

Rescued King pigeon Clyde tells MickaCoo volunteer Cheryl how he feels

MickaCoo volunteer Cheryl listening to what rescued King pigeon Clyde has to say

The birds can’t write reviews for our work. We thank you for doing so on their behalf!

Some of our reviews:

“MickaCoo truly serves the welfare and rights of domestic pigeons, a bird too often maligned. I’m often surprised by the dedication and compassion of their staff, volunteers and supporters by how they go to great lengths to rescue pigeons found lost outdoors or in shelters and needing medical care. MickaCoo addresses all aspects of this issue, not just rescuing and caring for these birds, but doing adoptions, education on how great pjs are, and classes on caretaking. They partner with local groups and agencies to offer these services. I don’t have much money for donations, but always feel that some must go to this organization. 7/29/14”

“The MickaCoo organization is truly exceptional in that its volunteers go above and beyond in order to secure safe, happy homes that are specifically appropriate to each individual bird. After rescuing a wounded baby dove last summer, I was at a loss for what to do with the little guy. I ended up raising him myself, as one of his legs was permanently crippled and he could not be released into the wild. I searched for months trying to find a home for him, only to be met with closed doors and negative reactions. After stumbling upon the MickaCoo website during one of my searches, I immediately emailed the organization. MickaCoo began the process of pairing my dove with suitable partners (both human and dove). I was touched by their concern for the welfare of this tiny creature. When the time came to give “Tweet” up, I was confident he was in good hands. The work MickaCoo does is invaluable, and gives precious, oft overlooked birds, a chance at a healthy, happy life! 4/7/14″

“MickaCoo had my heart at the word “pigeon.” An organization that rescues, rehabilitates and champions animals who so often get the short shrift in our world earns my affection and respect for that endeavor alone. But MickaCoo transcends even that valuable role. They exceed all expectations of compassion when it comes to interpersonal advocacy.

Several years ago, my husband and I found ourselves with a lost and unwanted racing pigeon, no outdoor space, and no real guidance on how to care for our new rescue. Even as a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, I had precious few contacts in terms helping domestic pigeons.

Despite an always overwhelming case load, MickaCoo stepped up to offer us counsel and resources. It was through MickaCoo that we learned how to properly house, feed and care for our wayward bird. MickaCoo came in to help when we encountered a rescue situation that was beyond our capacities to handle. And it is entirely because of MickaCoo — and the deep care they showed for the birds and for us — that we ourselves, became allies and advocates for the well-being of pigeons.

It’s difficult to assign a value to the tireless work of animal rescue and advocacy groups. No quantification can possibly capture the totality of what they do. But I can think of no greater measure of an organization than its ability to change hearts and minds. MickaCoo and its volunteers, through their own passions and commitments, did just that. They engendered in us a deep ethic of care for these birds — and they continuously create a lasting legacy of compassion, one by one, bird by bird. 3/25/14″

You can see all our reviews here.

TopRatedNonprofit2012

August 3, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on MickaCoo @ Nihonmachi Street Fair 2014

MickaCoo @ Nihonmachi Street Fair 2014

MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue volunteers and birds staffed a booth at the Nihonmachi Street Fair in Japantown on Sunday and we made lots of new friends for pigeons! Thank you all so much for helping us to spread the word- birds need rescue too!

July 31, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Awesome Blossom, Guest Post by Alice Finney

Awesome Blossom, Guest Post by Alice Finney

Awesome Blossom

Blossom came to my house by way of suggestion from MickaCoo volunteer Cheryl Dickinson. See, one of my pet pigeons, Mr. Stinker, whom I love very much, had been without a mate and very sad and lonely since his girlfriend, Pearl, a large Show King pigeon, passed away. I was looking for a special needs female pigeon to hopefully bond with Mr. Stinker and Cheryl thought Blossom might be the one.

I brought Blossom home and she and Mr. Stinker instantly became a couple. They followed each other everywhere, hooting and kissing away. I was so thrilled. I must tell you at this point, Blossom seemed to hate people. She got a certain look in her eye like Joan Crawford and would growl, bite, and slap if a human got too close. Although she was quite formidable and had no interest in me, she won my heart even so.

Blossom came in with painful swollen feet and I worked with my vet to treat her. You could tell by the way she was walking that she was in a lot of discomfort. We put her on antibiotics. They cleared up her feet issue but then she got a bump at her wing joint, though still on the antibiotics. (Blossom had paratyphoid.) We switched her onto different antibiotics to take care of the wing but a few days into the new medications she began to act sluggish. A few days later I noticed she wasn’t really pooping and she had a lump on her belly that seemed to grow. I had a real bad feeling about this and couldn’t sleep Sunday night. Monday morning I got out of bed and was trying to find help to get her to the vet while I went to work. The more I stuck around trying to find help, the more Blossom seemed to be fading. I skipped work and the wonderful leader of the rescue group MickaCoo, Elizabeth Young, ditched all her chores for the day and drove us out to Oakley to the Medical Center for Birds.

It was the first time Blossom and I had been there (I took Mr. Stinker too because he was so worried). They were fantastic. We got a terrific vet named Dr. Brenna Fitzgerald. She poked and prodded and xrayed and puzzled over Blossom. There were so many things it could be. Finally with a sonogram, Dr Fitzgerald saw the evidence that this was a strangulated intestine poking through a hernia. We admitted Blossom into the hospital and they performed life-saving surgery the next day. Dr. Fitzgerald was able to untie Blossom’s knotted bowel, restore function to her GI tract and repair the hernia. Blossom had to stay at the hospital for a few days but when she came home she was joyous.

She is recovered now. She had to stay away from Mr. Stinker until she healed but she is a happy girl. The bird that used to growl at me now gives me kisses when I give her medicine and makes happy rhythmic grunting noises, sort of like purring, when I scratch her head. I love her and have the adoption papers in the mail so that she can stay with us forever.

I’m telling you this story to make you aware of the wonderful work MickaCoo does and the great pets available for adoption. I took a special needs bird with health issues but there are plenty of loving healthy birds that have been rescued from certain death that need a home. If you aren’t able to adopt, please think about making a tax deductible donation.

Blossom & Mr. Stinker

: At the shelter, in need of rescue

: Found stray

: Taken in by MickaCoo and renamed Blossom

: Special needs foster

: Alice & Blossom & Mr. Stinker (in carrier) at Medical Center for Birds

: Dr. Fitzgerald examining Blossom

: Blossom is a good patient

: Blossom feeling poorly but being brave

: Looking at all the possibilities

: Loving hands

: Blossom’s like, Excuse me!

: Diagnostic visualization

: Beginning surgery

: Life-threatening hernia

: Unknotting her strangulated bowel

: In recovery and feeling much better

: Healing beautifully

: Mr. Stinker staying close

: Happy to be home

: Awesome Blossom

July 19, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on MickaCoo @ The East Bay SPCA Adoptathon

MickaCoo @ The East Bay SPCA Adoptathon

MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue volunteers and birds spent their day catching up with old friends and making new ones at the East Bay SPCA Adoptathon! Highlights included a special Hey Sugar Sugar! serenade and being interviewed by SF Chronicle reporter Nanette Asimov. HUGE thanks to our host the EB SPCA and to all of our volunteers- Christiana, Melne, Sally, Max, Xavier & Louisa!

July 16, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Sugar’s Story

Sugar’s Story

Sugar, 2 weeks old

On Thursday, June 12th, when SFACC shelter veterinarian Dr. Chris Anderson called asking for help with a splay-legged baby pigeon surrendered to them the day before, I almost burst into tears- not for Sugar, but for the impossibility of the situation. We are asked to help more birds than we have resources. We couldn’t help her- we already owed thousands of dollars in vet bills for Truffles, Speckles, Fluffball, Donut, Fella, Stella, Penny… And we couldn’t not help her. Because of her leg deformity, she was stranded flat on her tummy, unable to walk or even stand up. She would be euthanized as unadoptable.

Splay-legged baby homing pigeon Sugar unable to stand

Sometimes splay-legs, if treated early enough, can be corrected inexpensively with hobbles (and pain meds) to force and hold the legs in place until the muscles are able to take over, but not always. It depends on the positioning and structure of the bones. Sometimes surgery (always expensive) is required to break, rotate and reposition the bones. Without knowing what Sugar would need but knowing we couldn’t afford either, Medical Center for Birds generously agreed to try and help Sugar pro bono. I picked Sugar up from the shelter and one of our volunteers drove her the 60 miles (one way) to Oakley.

Severely deformed

Sugar’s case was difficult. She appeared to need breaks in both legs which would prolong surgery and increase the risks. And her bones were too small for threaded pins which would complicate recovery and lessen the likelihood of a successful outcome. The vets studied the baby pigeon, conferred and debated the possibilities. On the morning that she was scheduled to have surgery, Dr. Kane tried, against logic, to see if Sugar could tolerate being hobbled and taped into standing position on a snowboard style fixator. And, if she could, what it might achieve.

Sugar’s feet beneath her for the first time

To everyone’s surprise, they were able, despite her funky physiology, to get a potentially functional posture. She was monitored and rebandaged every day.

Sugar, June 20

Sugar stands proud, June 21

Once Sugar found her feet, she never looked back.

Dr. Kane & Sugar, discharged June 27

So much preening to do!

Sugar helping with E-mail

That’s a lot of E-mail!

Sugar’s hobbles working great!

Sugar rocking her cute baby fuzz

Sugar’s first humane education presentation

Sugar on a hobble-free break

Looking forward to a happy future

MickaCoo is a volunteer-powered, donation-supported project of Community Initiatives. If you can, please support our work with a tax deductible donation.

Thank you for helping MickaCoo to help Sugar and so many others.

Sugar thanks you!

July 11, 2014
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Healing the Broken: Aurora’s Story

Healing the Broken: Aurora’s Story

Aurora in need of rescue

If Aurora could write this post, I imagine it would go something like this:

Thank you for helping me! My name is now Aurora. As a young racing pigeon on one of my first flights, I got injured and grounded. The people who found me were well-intentioned but uniformed and they kept me in an unsafe and uncomfortable enclosure. They never got me any help for my broken, backward leg and, while I healed the best I could on my own, I was miserable. I was in pain, scared and lonely.
But not any more. Now I am safe! On the Fourth of July, even though MickaCoo is full, their volunteer appeared to truly rescue me. She held me carefully with loving hands and spoke gently to reassure me. She took me to her home in a crate lined with an extra soft towel to provide relief to my tortured feet and aching legs. She scritched my head and loved on me and the very next day I was at the vet getting expert care.
While I have a long recovery ahead of me, I already feel so much better! I’m getting proper food, lots of love, vet care for my wounds and pain medicine to help me through. I’ve been x-rayed and the doctors at Medical Center for Birds are conferring about how best to surgically repair my leg. There is hope that I will be able to walk again! I am so happy that they are having a hard time keeping me from celebrating with baths in my small water dish. I am saved! None of this would have been possible if not for your generous support. Thank you!

When “MickaCoo is full”, it means that our foster homes and aviaries are full up, that we have more expenses than funding and more work than people-power to get it done.

And we are full. But on Friday, July Fourth, when I received emailed photos showing two pigeons being kept in completely unsafe and inhumane conditions, we had to save them. I reached out to MickaCoo volunteer Jill and, despite the holiday, she dropped everything to help.

Jill picks up the story:

Arriving to pick up the pigeons, there were dogs, big and small, milling about the front yard, barking and jumping. When I picked the broke-leg racing pigeon now named Aurora up off the wire cage floor, I could immediately see that she was dealing with not only a broken leg healed wrong but a ‘good’ foot/leg that was seriously compromised. Her racing band was cutting into her swollen leg and I was not surprised to see she had bumblefoot, a condition common among birds and rodents housed on wire. It’s very painful.

Broke-leg racer kept standing on wire in unsafe cage

The wing-injured pigeon housed in the backyard (now named Indy) had been attacked by the neighbor’s dog. Despite the lack of treatment, her injury has healed, though she can’t fly. She was kept in a makeshift cage fashioned out of chain link fence, boards and wire leaned together haphazardly. There were huge gaps and it’s a miracle she wasn’t killed by predators.

Denise Ambriz rescued pigeon 070414 20140703_153022 crop

Wing-injured racer in unsafe, make-shift enclosure

Aurora seemed to know I was there to help her. As soon as I put her in the padded crate, she went crazy eating pigeon feed! Yay! Good and proper pigeon grub! After getting this little bird home, she quickly settled into a nicely padded cage and welcomed neck scritches gratefully. I can only imagine how good it felt to have some relief and proper care.

Aurora’s untreated broken leg healed backwards

Her ‘good’ leg was swollen, infected and painful

Aurora loving Jill’s loving care

Indy has settled nicely in one of my aviaries and is now defending ‘her territory’ with great fervor. She’ll be married (if she is really a hen) soon I imagine, since we have lots of bachelor pigeons.

Indy is safe & happy now

The very next day, Jill was at Medical Center for Birds with Aurora. MickaCoo depends on your donations to fund this work and we really need your help to pay for Aurora’s veterinary care and surgery.

Foster volunteer Jill comforting Aurora

Aurora’s too tight band was Dremeled off her swollen leg

Radiographs show multiple breaks

Aurora’s infected feet are treated & bandaged

Aurora underwent surgery to rebreak and correctively reposition her backwards leg on Wednesday, July 9th. I’ll post that chapter of her story in the coming week.

Aurora hospitalized pre-surgery

Please help us to help birds like Aurora when there is no where else for them to turn. Please support our work with your life-saving donation.

TO BE CONTINUED: Aurora’s Triumph

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