What would you do?

[Queen Of The High Teas]

I rescued a racing pigeon a week ago, that was wondering around by my house. I caught it, put it in my rabbit run and looked after it for the week. I found the owner, got in touch with him and he just told me to let it go. It is a very long way away from where it has come from. I did as he asked though and let it go, thinking that it would fly home and that was that. On sunday I saw it was back near my house, so I have now caught it again and it's back in the rabbit run come back to me. I don't know what to do now though, I was going to phone the owner back up, but I have read horror stories about pigeons that are no good racers have their necks snapped. I haven't rescued it from being caught by cats for it to end up like that. I can't help feeling that this is what the owner will do, as it is now no good to race and can't or won't fly properly. I have also grown rather attatched to him/her (not sure which!) So what would you do - contact the owner again, or keep it? I did as he asked after all, I let it go so it's not my fault if it keeps coming back.

[HadleyHam]

It may seem a little deceitful, but I would probably keep it if I were in your shoes. After all, you did as the owner asked. If you're getting bad vibes from the owner I would suggest going with your gut feeling. If the owner contacts you, then you can tell him the truth.

[Lil Miss]

the reason its come back to you is because you have kept it a week, it now sees your run as home, call the owner back up and explain the situation, tell him if he doesnt want it back then you are happy to keep it, but it looks like if he wants it he will have to come collect it, i doubt he will come all that way if hes just going to neck it

[Queen Of The High Teas]

So if it now sees the run as home, will it just keep coming back to me, even if the owner did take it back? That means that he'd never be able to release it for a race again. I doubt it's worth much as its proved it's no good at getting home never mind winning races! I am in the middle of North Wales, Pidge has come from Scotland, so the owner would have to come a hell of a long way to fetch it. If he's a genuine caring owner who truly loves his birds whether they win/race or not, I'm fine with giving it back, but not if he's just going to kill it for being 'worthless and a waste of feeding'. When I spoke to him the first time, I got the feeling that he wasn't really bothered, as if he was, he'd have sent a courier/someone to fetch it, rather than just say "let it go".

[Lil Miss]

No, because he would then keep it in his coops for a week or so and it would re orientate itself with there as home

Its not your bird, call the owner give him the option
if gesture only going to neck it I doubt he will be interested in retrieving it, he probably didn't realise the bird had been there that long

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Ok, I didn't know that. I have left the owner a message, but I'm not sure what to do if he doesn't get back to me.

[cathface]

I would contact the owner again - if he did not want it/says it will be useless to him, I don't see why he'd mind if you kept it. I would give him the choice too, because you never know, it might be a beloved pet that he would care for regardless of whether it could race or not. it's like a neighbour 'accidentally' keeping a cat you really loved, just because it keeps popping over to beg for food and the neighbour thinks of it as theirs.

[Lil Miss]

if he decides he doesnt want it what are you then going to do?

i very much doubt, with everything that has been said else where, that you yourself are in a position, neither financially nor with your parents, to keep it.
if you did keep it you would have to buy in suitable cooping as a rabbit run is not suitable

regardless of if it can race again, it could have some really good liniage behind it and be highly valued as a breeding animal

[Queen Of The High Teas]

Like I said, I have left a message for the owner, hopefully he will get back to me, but if he doesn't, being so far away, I don't see there is much else to do if he won't contact me. I have not just 'taken' it, I didn't want cats to get it, which they would for sure as it won't fly properly, and I let it go as asked to. I didn't ask it to come back to me, but as it has, I struggled to catch it again to prevent cats getting it. I have no problems whatsover giving it back if the owner genuinely wants it, but I will not hand it over to have its neck snapped after rescuing it twice. I wouldn't dream of keeping someone else's pet, knowing what mine mean to me, but I also won't hand over an animal to be killed cos it's 'not good enough', ever.

[StarlightSerenity]

If he doesn't want it, will you rehome it?