In the span of a few days last week, he herded a peacock, drove around with a pot belly pig named Wilson on his lap and rescued a homing pigeon injured on his way from Tennessee to Cape Cod.
“It’s been a busy week,” Dwyer said Friday.
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| Raynham Animal Control Officer Casey Dwyer is nursing this homing pigeon back to health. |
Dwyer estimated the racing pigeon is worth $15,000 to $20,000. A Hall Street family found him walking across their backyard last week. He has a microchip in a band on his leg that tells where he’s from.
The handsome white and gray feathered fellow with touches of iridescent purple seems to have suffered an impact injury, rather than having been attacked by a hawk or other predator, Dwyer said.
Dwyer, who is in the process of tracking down the bird’s owner, guesses the pigeon has a blown air sac in his wing, which should heal on its own in a few days.
He was competing in a 1,200-mile race from Tennessee to Cape Cod with a bunch of other homing pigeons. Such races take several weeks and the owners fly out to meet their birds for a big celebration at the finish line, Dwyer said.
The pigeon rescue followed several days of adventures for Dwyer.
On Wednesday, June 19, Dwyer got a report of a colorful male peacock loose on Titicut Road. The storm had spooked him and Dwyer had to herd him back to his house on White Street, walking behind him and guiding him in the right direction.
Then Thursday, Dwyer got a call about a pot belly pig loose on Orchard Street. Dwyer coaxed him into his car with an apple and the pig insisted on sitting on his lap as they drove around the neighborhood. About 45 minutes later, his owner realized he was missing and called the police.
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| Wilson the portly potbelly pig enjoyed riding around Raynham with animal control officer Casey Dwyer. |
Dwyer was able to reunite him with his friendly porcine passenger.
As of Friday, Dwyer was sheltering five cats and a bird, the pigeon, in the makeshift shelter he’s fashioned in his basement because the town lacks a formal shelter.
That doesn’t even count the two baby raccoons he had to relocate from Aggregate Industries on King Philip Street Wednesday.
The pigeon race was supposed to end some time this week, Dwyer was told by a racing association he contacted.
“From what I’m told this bird was making good time and had a good shot at winning,” Dwyer said.
(Taunton Daily Gazette - Jun 26, 2013)
