Homeless, injured birds fly anew at Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue: 'They are really clean creatures'

OSWEGO, Ill. -- In the hands of owner Blanca Uribe, a retired racing pigeon named Astrid gets the exercise she needs through "happy flappies," moving her wings while being held because she's paralyzed, and can't use her legs or feet.

Astrid is one of several special needs pigeons cared for or fostered by Uribe and her husband, Guillermo Alvarez, at their Oswego home, through the non-profit organization Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue.

"I've loved pigeons since always; I'm a bird person," Uribe said. "But my husband, he developed a love for pigeons; he loves me, so he loves the pigeons now."

Uribe serves as medical director and vice president of Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue, founded by Chicago-area pigeon enthusiasts. The multi-state rescue and foster network serves homeless domestic pigeons as well as injured, non-releasable feral pigeons in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.

"We just started a network, started to get to know each other, and just decided to go for it to give the pigeons a better chance," Uribe said. "They need a home, they need health care and they need just someone to take care of them."

Besides the organization's Maple Park shelter housing hundreds of birds, pigeons are fostered with volunteers at their homes in the Great Lakes region. Alvarez said living with the pigeons that his wife cares for has been an eye opener.

"Before seeing the great work that the folks at Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue do, I didn't see pigeons," Alverez said. "I'm amazed at how bonding they are, how amazing pets they are, how loving they are and how smart they are."

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Max, a city pigeon who was rescued as a newborn after falling from an elevated train track in Chicago, is closely bonded with Alvarez. She, along with many of the other pigeons in the house, are free to walk around and fly as they please, wearing specialized "pigeon pants" to prevent accidents.

"The pigeon pants really make a difference to the pigeons and the owners because it's not like we can control when they want to go potty," Uribe said. "We dress them up in the morning, and then they can go out and about and do their thing."

Uribe said one of the reasons she loves pigeons is because they're misunderstood. Seen as "dirty" birds by many, Uribe points to their intelligence and cleanliness as a reason they make great pets.

"When I'm taking a shower, some of them will literally knock on the door," Uribe said. "They are really clean creatures; they always want to take a bath."

Alvarez and Uribe also care for pigeons with missing eyes and legs and other birds with other injuries. After the pigeons have recovered and are cleared to leave, Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue finds suitable homes, and ships them to new owners all over the country.

"I always cry when I let them go," Uribe said. "It's always heartwarming to know that one of our rehab pigeons, especially the special needs, is going to a good home."

For more information on Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue, visit greatlakespigeonrescue.org.