Peter & I were leaving the Getty Villa. I had just auditioned for a production and was happy with the outcome and relieved that it was over. All I could think about was my work schedule in the future and how this show would affect it. As we drove down Sunset to PCH, I saw something in the middle of the island - the cement part where pedestrians could stand in the middle of a crosswalk. It looked like a bird but it wasn't moving. A homeless guy on his bike drove by as we were stopped at the light. The bird attempted to move but could not. Obviously it had been injured - probably hit by a car. Other people walked by. I told Peter "that's an injured pigeon - we have to save it." So he quickly turned around, into a gas station. There he got a box & gave me gloves to handle the bird. Dressed in a sparkly, beaded gown, in the middle of the afternoon, I went to the island to pick up the bird. Oh no! It flew IN THE MIDDLE OF PCH!!! I screamed, turning my head away & Peter said don't worry....all the while, busy PCH was full of traffic. I watched as 2 cars drove right over the bird. The bird was smart - it flew right in the center of a lane & the cars drove over without harming it. As soon as the traffic cleared, Peter grabbed the bird from the lane and placed it in the box I was holding, while I was sweating in my evening gown. Quickly, we had to get the bird to the California Wildlife Center, the only place I knew that would accept an injured wild animal. After driving for an additional 30 minutes to find the place, we finally got the bird to very loving, caring experts with wild animals. The bird was a rock pigeon...and the extent of the injury was unknown.

Nearly a week later, today I called the center for an update. Unfortunately, the poor baby had a spinal cord injury and had to be euthanized.

As hurt as I am, I am grateful for Peter being supportive and catching the bird and driving all of us to the CWC. I am also happy to know that places like the CWC exist. They were very caring when we arrived, and as I got the sad news, they had the same caring attitude.
They made sure it didn't suffer and when they realized the injury was so severe, they immediately made the bird's passing into the Rainbow Bridge one that was comfortable and painless. It pains me to think that so many wild animals end up suffering on the road - and this little bird would have been left to suffer on the hard, scorching cement.

There are many rock pigeons in the world, you can find them almost anywhere you go. But this little guy I will always remember - through his passing I have discovered there are humane people out there who truly care about non-humans....I am grateful for that.