Dog lovers who like pigeons are a breed apart

In crowded cities like New York, dogs and pigeons cross paths on a regular basis. In fact, you can usually gauge the force of a dog's prey drive by how attentive s/he is to these ubiquitous bobble-headed birds.  

My former foster dog Syd used to go airborne after pigeons (fortunately he never so much as touched one despite his best efforts). My dog Angus has an unfortunate tendency to stalk pigeons, who always manage to stay two steps ahead of his laughable attempts to run them to ground.  

Meanwhile, my dog Pepper has a stomach-churning taste for pigeon poop, and she is wildly allergic to most ingestible substances, so I have to be extra-careful of sidewalks decorated with droppings, or she will not hesitate to lick them right up and risk an adverse reaction.  

This pigeon prattle is occasioned by a fascinating blog dedicated to this bird's many contributions to history and culture. Reading it will give anyone new respect for pigeons.

The blog's many links are fascinating too; one of them lists famous pigeon fanciers. Among the pigeon people who also happen to be serious dog people are England's Queen Elizabeth, who has lofts and pigeon keepers at her estate in Sandringham, and American cinematic royalty Joanne Woodward and her husband Paul Newman of delicious dog-food fame.

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