CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A seemingly ordinary pigeon found outside a Cape Coral beauty salon turned out to be an unexpected Christmas miracle, reuniting with its owner after being missing for over 15 months since Hurricane Ian.
Elizabeth Merriken was in the salon chair of Eva’s Hair and Skin Salon in Cape Coral when a bird started drawing people outside the front door.
“I’m always finding homeless stray animals. So it was typical for me,” she said.
Merriken managed to grab the bird, and, upon inspection, she found a phone number on its foot.
The discovery unfolded when Tammy Pangburn, a massage therapist at the salon, noticed the pigeon exhibiting unusual behavior.
“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.
To their surprise, they realized the pigeon was not a wild bird but someone’s pet.
“We called him to see if he was missing a bird, and he says it’d been missing since the hurricane,” recounted Merriken, describing the unexpected phone call that led to a heartwarming reunion.
The owner, who had lost the pigeon during Hurricane Ian more than 15 months ago, expressed immense joy at the unexpected turn of events.
“We called that our little Christmas miracle,” Pangburn added.
The touching reunion, captured by the salon staff, reflects the special bond between the pigeon and its owner.
“You can tell the bird really knew his owner,” Elizabeth said, remembering the emotional connection between the two.
Now, just in time for the holiday season, the pigeon is back home with its family, turning what seemed like an ordinary day at the salon into an extraordinary and heartening Christmas tale.
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