A pigeon reunited with its owner for Christmas after a beauty salon employee in Cape Coral, Florida, made an unusual discovery.
Tammy Pangburn, a massage therapist at the salon, began to suspect that the pigeon was someone’s pet after observing its abnormal behavior, WSNV reported on Christmas Day.
“I had just watered a plant outside the door, and the water was dripping down,” Pangburn said. “And I noticed this bird come up, trying to drink the water.”
A seemingly ordinary pigeon found outside a #Florida beauty salon “turned out to be an unexpected Christmas miracle, reuniting with its owner after being missing for over 15 months since Hurricane Ian.” https://t.co/nbRaXL3hab
— Craig Pittman (@craigtimes) December 31, 2023
Customers and employees at Eva’s Hair and Skin Salon crowded around the front door to watch the pigeon, the outlet reported. Customer Elizabeth Merriken then managed to catch the bird and discovered a phone number on its foot, according to WSNV.
“I’m always finding homeless stray animals. So it was typical for me,” Merriken said, the outlet reported.
Merriken called the phone number and learned that the pigeon was a pet that had gone missing 15 months earlier during Hurricane Ian, according to WSNV. The owner was reunited with his bird in a touching moment captured by salon staff, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Bird Assumed To Be Extinct Reappears After 140 Years)
“We call that our little Christmas miracle,” Pangburn said, according to the outlet, while Merriken added, “You can tell the bird really knew his owner.”