Sweetie and I need Moral Support and Prayer

[Sweetie]

It started out pretty well, being able to stay at the church for a while. The pastor said I could bring Sweetie inside the church at night. We did this for two weeks. Then the cleaning ladies that cleaned the church saw a seed on the step going upstairs up to the loft. They asked the pastor I guess, what kind of bird it was and the pastor told them. They in turn called the Department of Natural Resources and they told the pastor that all wild birds were against the
law to keep unless you were a licensed Rehabber. I looked and did a research and all I know is I have a list of what Michigan lists as wild birds and all I saw was that the Mourning Dove was listed as a wild bird, but the Rock Dove is listed as a Domestic Pigeon and commercial. Well, it was
dipping down at night to temperatures down in the lower to
mid 20's. There was another box, so we sneaked Sweetie upstairs for another two weeks. The pastor found out yesterday and he talked to my husband and said that under
no currcumtances was we to bring the pigeon inside the church, that it had a disease and he didn't care if it reached
40 degrees below zero, we were not to bring that bird inside the church. He then asked my husband where the bird was hid, my husband told him. When my husband told me, I then was worried about Sweetie's safety and couldn't leave her outside in her box today. Right now she is safe, warm, dry, and feeling quite secure at this moment.
I had to place her in my purse last night, because I knew because of her leg, that it would get frostbite and I didn't want that to happen. The purse was nice and comfortable, Sweetie I think likes it. She is not making a fuss like she did at the other library. She is now asleep at this moment. I have the zipper opened enough so that she can breath and get some light. If she wants to see me she can. Sweetie also enjoys the zipper pulls inside my purse. I feel
that I can't trust the safety of the box. I lined the bottom of the box with paper toweling and tried to put her food bowl in the purse but the bowl tipped so now she can forge
for her food. I don't really mind if she has an accident in my purse, I will just clean it out each day. I just don't feel safe anymore leaving her outside in her box at this time. Sweetie is eating very well, and when nobody is at the church, I let her get her excercise. She is being really good
about this. All I could do was cry last night while holding her. It really hurts to think that a pastor of all people would act in this manner. It is not right at all and it is not Christian. I am keeping Sweetie and I am not giving her up to anyone. Me, Victor and Sweetie are very close. We love her and willing to stand up for her. Please keep us in your prayers.

Victoria, Victor, & Sweetie

[Pigeonpal2002]

I'm sorry Victoria that you are in such a situation. I'm also sorry that I don't remember the circumstances of how you ended up staying at a church. You're a very good person for taking such good care of Sweetie and hiding her. A pigeon in a purse....Hmmm, I wonder if that will catch on with hollywood's eccentric...LOL. Sorry, but I could just see Liz Taylor doing this Seriously, I hope this situation gets fixed soon for you, Victor and sweetie. Seems like people just don't care much about pigeons, pastor or otherwise. Hang in there!

[Sweetie]

Thank you,

What happened was that my husband Victor and his father had a disagreement and we had to leave his father's place. Couldn't stay there anymore. So the pastor was worried about the cold and
didn't want us to stay out in the cold so he mentioned it to the church board and they said if you can trust them then it is ok. So that is how we started staying at the church.

I made sure she had enough food to last the winter and most of spring and part of Summer. I bought a 10 pound bag of Wild bird
seed in October and she still has about two pounds left on that bag, and durring the middle part of December, I bought another 10 pound bag of wild bird seed. Sweetie is set on food for a while.
I give her fresh water everyday. A friend gave us some bottled Spring water and I have been giving her that. I think she likes that better than the water I would get at the drinking fountain.

Thank you,

Victoria, Victor, & Sweetie

[Reti]

Victoria, I am so sorry you have to go through all this. Unfortunately people just don't care about pigeons, no matter what their level of education is.

I hope things will get better for you Victor and Sweety really soon.
Hang in there.
And give Sweety a kiss from me too.

Reti

[PapaPigeon]

That's terrible, I will be thinking and praying for you too. Poor Sweetie.

[Pete Jasinski]

I wish the best for the three of you! God will provide and work things out for you because you have a great heart! Sweetie is a lucky birdie to have you!

[phyll]

My heart hurts for you, Victor and Sweetie.
Victoria, I agree with Pete.
God sees the love you and your husband have for Sweetie ~ one of His creatures. I believe with all my heart that He will help you with this situation.
Since the pastor said he will not allow Sweetie inside the church because she has a disease, would it help if you or your husband tried to clear up his misconceptions.
He could get online and read the facts for himself.
Depending on your relationship with the pastor, maybe you could ask him if he TRULY BELIEVES that God would not want Sweetie to have temporary shelter there. Especially, if it was 40 degrees below zero!
If this guy believes that, he chose the wrong vocation.
No offense intended ~ to you, or anyone else.
Victoria, all of you are in my thoughts and prayers.
When you can, please let us know how everything is going.
God keep you in His care.

Phyll

[CyberFinch]

Your pastor's response and the cleaning ladies' intolerance are exactly why I left organized Christian religion years ago. I met more ignorance, hypocrisy, and intolerance on one Sunday than I did on many, many days out in "the world". At least he did offer you shelter.

This link is to a lovely piece by the Peace and Justice Support Network (Mennonite Church). It basically states that God values all beings of his creation, right down to the lowly sparrow, even though man devalues most of them (unless they offer a direct benefit like a cow and her milk). It's a good Christian argument in support of environmental protections and humane treatment of animals.

http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/leoeye.html

It's a long piece and you may not have time to read it. But, the most useful part to you may be the Bible verses which form the foundation of the article. Oftentimes, the best way to "enlighten" a Christian is to quote the
own Bible.

Matthew 10:29 (NIV)- Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not oneir of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

Moral: God cares about all creatures.

Ecclesiastes 3:18-19*(NIV)- ..."As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath (or Spirit); man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.

Moral: Humanity's fate is intertwined with that of the animal kingdom just as your fate is intertwined with Sweetie.

Psalm 84:3-4 (NIV)- Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young- A PLACE NEAR YOUR ALTER, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

Moral: God has reserved a place for Sweetie right near the alter of your church!

My thoughts are with you...

[Yong]

Victoria,

Your pastor may need to re read the book of Genesis. Also remind him that pigeons are doves...the symbol of peace. I found this snipit for you...


Pigeons have religious significance. Common city pigeons are actually European Rock Doves. They are the biblical dove of love and peace. They helped honor the birth of Christ. They are the same birds as the pigeon that Noah released, which returned with the olive branch to signify the end of the Great Flood. Nearly all religions revere pigeons as holy birds.

Pigeons are mans oldest domesticated bird. New evidence shows that pigeons have been domesticated for more than twelve millennia.

Pigeons save lives. To this day, pigeons deliver lifesaving medications and provide valuable messenger service in remote areas, as they have for thousands of years.


I wish I lived in your area so that I could help you with Sweetie until you were back in a place where you could care for her without fear. I will be thinking of you all. Yong

[Sweetie]

Hi,

Alice, one of the ladies from the church came over and took us to the laundromat to do our clothes. She asked where Sweetie was, in fact the words she used was Where is the bird, and I told her she was outside. She told me that there was some sort of law that stated that if a bird need some medical attention that it was suppose to be taken to the Humane Society for treatment.

I told her I have been researching the law about the type of bird that I had and couldn't find any law saying such a thing. Well, I didn't lie about her being outside. She was outside in her car, in my purse being still as a mouse. She was a good girl.

Victoria Lutes & Sweetie

[AZWhitefeather]

Hi Victoria,
I do hope things are going OK for all of you.

"She was outside in her car, in my purse being still as a mouse. She was a good girl."
Sweetie's name suits her well. What a little doll baby.

"She told me that there was some sort of law that stated that if a bird need some medical attention that it was suppose to be taken to the Humane Society for treatment."
People need to realize, some of us have a 'feral' pigeon who is physically challenged, however, it doesn't necessarily mean they need medical attention. It means they have been rescued, treated & are non-releasable.

I have three ferals, one is blind & two have irreversible wing damage. For obvious reasons, they cannot be released, but they don't need medical attention.

You are in out thoughts & prayers.

Cindy

[Sweetie]

Mr. Human can you look into my eyse to see my soul, kf you look into my eyes to see my soul
Mr. Human can you understand that my eyes and soul are saying my time has come to go, I am so week, my eyes are heavy with a such a mist, I am barely able to see you now, please Mr. Human I want to go, I am so tired, I just want to rest,
Mr. Human please won't you let me go, I want to go to heaven now Mr. Human, please don't let me suffer any longer please just let me go Mr. Human, I have promises of rest, food, and most of all no more pain and suffering so Mr. Human please look into my eyes to see my soul and if it is my time please don't be afraid to let me go.

Thank you Mr. Human for your strength, for the warmth, for caring, and most of all for looking into my eyes to see my soul.

Hi,

I have some bad news today. Sweetie died at 115AM this morning. Yesterday morning she was fine. I let her flap for an hour than I cleaned up the newspapers, and My husband brought up the vacum cleaner
and vacumed, and Me, Victor and Sweetie went to OCC and used the computer yesterday. I gave her water during the day and she did drink it. When we left OCC, we went to Tim Horton's to have something
to drink. That was when I noticed something was wrong with Sweetie. She had laboured breathing. She seemed like she was in a lot of pain.
I tried to see what was causing this pain. I couldn't see anything, but when I tried to touch anywhere around the vent area she moved around. She lifted her tail and was like trying to push, but I couldn't see anything. It felt hard around the vent area. I told Victor that Sweetie wasn't breathing right. We went back to the church around 7:30PM and I took Sweetie out of the purse to see how weak she was, by this time she was very weak couldn't get around. I knew she was dying. She was still trying to drink water for me so I made sure it had some sugar in it because she wasn't eating at this time. I couldn't find anyone willing to take me to the vet so all I could do was make her comfortable and keep her as warm as I could. I petted her and talked to her. I knew she was trying to fight for her life, she was still trying to drink her water. Her breathing got worse. I told her "You don't have to fight anymore. You can go. You
will be going to a far more better place. You will be able to fly and
walk. You will not be in pain anymore. Then I told her I loved her and that I would miss her terribly. I said to her, "You can go now, you don't have to linger, mama will be Ok. I kissed her five or six times, and even though she was in a lot of pain, she was comforted. I
kissed her a few more times crying. Then all of a sudden she lifted her neck straight up, and fluttered and then relaxed, then a few seconds later did the same thing. It was like she flew into the arms of God. There was no more suffering, she was in peace. I guess I was
kind of in shock. I couldn't sleep very well. I went to lay down around 2:30AM and woke up at 5AM. Couldn't sleep after that. The ground was frozen so we couldn't bury her, so we laid her body under a
big pine tree at the church. The church doesn't know she died yet. I
went to another church this morning, who didn't have anything against Sweetie. I needed some uplifting today, so I went to the Church Of The King. I saw my true friends today. They all had excepted Sweetie
for what she was. They knew I loved her very much, and that went went
through a lot while I had her. I was fighting for her rights as an animal. She was a good little girl. I found out this morning how she
really died when my husband tilted the small box we placed her in after she died, I felt some egg white drip on my front part of my wrist. That is how I found out truly that she was a female. She was eggbound.

I would like to thank the person who wrote and dedicated the poem "Look Into My Eyes To See My Soul"

Thank you Ellen Walley. For it was a comfort to me and it helped me let her go. Don't worry, you will not be getting rid of me very soon.
I am staying with this group and I will be the one praying still for any of those sweet, dear, pigeons that are injured, sick, and unreleasable. I want to become a Rehabber so I can help more with wildlife and pigeons and doves. I am also going to keep an eye for anyone that is finding homes for their pigeons that are unreleasable.
I want to be able to rescue more pigeons and doves. I am also going to still fight for their cause. I have some pictures of Sweetie, but I have no way of scanning them. If someone would allow me to send my pictures to them so that they can scan them for me and send the scanned pictures to my email. I would really appreciate that very much. Please let me know.

Thank you, and keep me in prayer, for this is very hard for me, I have
been crying off and on all day and night.

Thank you,

Victoria Lutes
Sweetie said Goodbye

[Lin Hansen]

Victoria,

I am so, so sorry for your loss. You and your husband have gone through so much. I am so sorry about Sweetie, I know she meant so much to you. I am sure she is flying with the angels now and someday will be there to greet you when it is time for you to meet again. As hard as this is to bear, I will bet that from now on, your luck will turn around....because now you will have a guardian angel....Sweetie...looking out for you.

Linda

[AZWhitefeather]

God Bless you Sweetie.

Cindy

[Victor]

I am truly sorry about the loss of your beloved Sweetie.The pain will be there for a long time for you two, but just remember that she is off to a far better place and at peace now. You brought her love,comfort and a safe haven while she was on this earth and what you did was very commendable.Try and remember the good times.She is physically gone but will forever remain in your hearts.God bless.