I’ve loved animals ever since I was a little girl and have had many throughout the years. But there was one special one that came to me without my looking for it, and that one was Larry.

One morning, several years ago, when I went out to get my paper, I noticed a pigeon in the little area beside my front porch. He must have been a carrier/homing pigeon as he had a band on his leg. He seemed quite tame, so I immediately named him Larry and decided he was mine. I did contact the Audubon Society who said if I could read the numbers on the band, they could connect me with the owner, but I could never quite accomplish that. Larry was here every morning, and at nightfall he would fly away over my roof and disappear. I always thought he might not return, but he did every day. I bought special food for him and we developed quite a routine. About that time, 9/11 happened and I’d go out and sit on the grass by Larry and talk to him. Sometimes I cried, and it was comforting to have him there. He just stood and listened to me.

This went on for several months until one day I went out and Larry had another pigeon with him – a smaller one that was a female. As I stood there, just a few feet away from them, they began some sort of mating dance that lasted at least 30 minutes! Most women would kill for 30 minutes of foreplay. I stayed very still and took it all in as they puffed out their feathers and danced around each other. When they finally consummated their relationship, it took only about 4 seconds! When they were done, they looked at me and then flew away. At first I was unhappy, but I knew Larry needed his own family. I hoped he would come back sometime, but I haven’t seen him since. I still look for him when I go out for the morning paper. I wondered if Larry had brought his girlfriend to see me before the actual consummation. I like to think that he did.

I don’t know when I’ll have another pet, but I do love dogs. I talked to a woman the other day whose little dog – about the size of a squirrel – had just had a colonoscopy. I had just had a colonoscopy myself and tried to picture the tiny little dog drinking all that stuff that makes you sit on the toilet all day before the procedure. Do you suppose he had his own tiny toilet just for him? That’s not a pretty picture. So for now, I just enjoy the dogs as they pass my windows with their owners walking behind, plastic bags covering their hands while they pick up their dogs’ poop