Help us support
Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue
In 2022, Buddy raised almost $500 to help pigeons just like him find care and homes.
Let's see how much we can raise in 2023!
This year's ornaments are offered on a
pay-what-you-can basis, with a
suggested donation of $5 per ornament
(or $12 per three-piece variety pack).
You can adjust your donation at check-out.
Please select your type of order below:
Porch Drop-Off for deliveries
within 30 miles of Lansing, MI
or FedEx Delivery
if you would like to opt out of porch delivery
or live more than 30 miles outside of Lansing, MI
Update: Friday, December 23rd
We have donated $500 to GLPR again this year!
Sales are now closed for the year.
We hope to be back in December 2024,
raising more money for a good cause!
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: What kind of bird is Buddy?
A: Buddy is a 9 year old disabled racing pigeon.
Q: How long do pigeons live?
A: Pigeons are a domestic species, so they really thrive in captivity. When pigeons have human caretakers, they can easily live to be 20 years old. When pigeons must fend for themselves in the wild, they tend to only live one or two years, just long enough to reproduce before dying of starvation, exposure to the elements, predator attack, etc..
Q: Is Buddy a rescue pigeon?
A: Yes! Buddy came to us when he was about 5 years old. Based on the information we were given by his previous caretakers, Buddy has been disabled (flightless) since he was about a year old. Buddy is currently 9 years old and has been flightless for 7-8 years.
Q: Where does Buddy live?
A: Like all of our educational outreach animal ambassadors, Buddy lives in our home. We believe that living in a family environment allows our class pets to be well socialized, and also gives us the ability to monitor them more closely and respond more effectively in the event of illness or injury.
Buddy's enclosure is 6 feet by 2 feet and 4 levels tall. He has ramps to access the outside enrichment areas. Buddy is also a frequent visitor at our local plant nursery, book store, yarn shop, etc.
Q: How did Buddy become disabled?
A: While there is no way to be certain, based on the injury type, we suspect that Buddy was attacked by a cat.
Domestic cats, whether they are feral or pets, are responsible for the death of roughly 2.4 billion wild birds every year and have greatly contributed to the extinction of 63 wildlife species in the USA.
We love cats; we just love them more when they're inside and away from wildlife.
Q: Did you train Buddy?
A: Yes, Buddy is trained as an educational outreach animal ambassador. What that means is that he has been socialized to be friendly and calm in a classroom setting. It was easy to train Buddy because pigeons are naturally social and fairly intelligent, and he is an especially docile individual.
Some people have trained their pigeons to sort shapes or colors, do basic math, etc.. and we haven't done that with Buddy because we utilize other forms of enrichment, such as painting.
Q: What kind of paint does Buddy use?
A: Buddy uses Crayola washable finger paint.
Buddy is not a mouthy bird so we've never had to discourage him from putting his beak in it. (If you want to paint with a mouthy bird, maybe try using crushed berries or similar taste-safe pigments.)
Buddy gets a foot bath after each painting session, followed by a foot rub with coconut oil to keep his feet healthy.