It seems like the start of a really bad joke.
A pigeon walks up to a salon and asks, well, nothing since pigeons don’t exactly talk.
However, as fate would have it, this particular pigeon wasn’t your run-of-the-mill city bird.
Little did the salon’s staff know, this feathered friend had an incredible story waiting to be discovered.
And it was one no one saw coming.
Elizabeth Merriken was getting her hair done at Eva’s Hair and Skin Salon in Cape Coral, Fla., when up walked a pigeon to the salon’s doors.
Massage therapist Tammy Pangburn said she noticed the pigeon behaving oddly.
“I had just watered the plant outside the door, and the water was dripping down. And I noticed this bird come up, trying to drink the water,” she said.
The two women soon realized the pigeon didn’t seem wild, so it had to belong to someone.
Merriken mused on the fact this was a theme in her life.
I’m always finding homeless stray animals. So it was typical for me,” she said.
So, with styling clips in her hair, and a towel around her shoulders, Merriken dashed outside and managed to nab the pigeon.
Elizabeth Merriken holds the pigeon she rescued from outside the salon. Photo from Fox 4 video
“Beth … grabbed it and held it up,” Pangburn said.
As Merriken held the pigeon, the salon became quieter as the staff and customers watched this tiny bird – not knowing where it came from. A quick search turned up a clue.
Pangburn said on the pigeon’s foot was a phone number, which led to a phone call Merriken said none of them could have predicted.
“We called him to see if he was missing a bird, and he says it’d been missing since the hurricane,” Merriken said.
The pigeon’s owner, who wanted to remain anonymous, was overjoyed. The bird had gone missing during Hurricane Ian more than 15 months ago. He immediately rushed to the salon to get his bird.
The salon staff and customers, caught up in the magic of the moment, dubbed it their “little miracle.” Witnessing the bond between the pigeon and its owner left a lasting impression.
“You could tell the bird really knew his owner. He snuggled up to him when he was holding him,”Pangburn said.
And so, the pigeon’s visit to Eva’s Hair and Skin Salon turned a routine day into an unforgettable memory, leaving everyone with a reminder that sometimes the most extraordinary moments can flutter into our lives when we least expect them.
Watch this amazing story below.
