Bouget, a retiree from the northwest French region of Brittany,
befriended the bird when it was a chick and now it tags along
with him everywhere, sitting on his shoulder or walking along
beside him.
"There's a desire to be together, because it feels good," said
Bouget, who before retirement worked in the building supplies
trade.
The pair first met when Bouget was out near his home and saw a
tiny pigeon fall to the ground as it tried to escape from a cat.
Bouget later mentioned what he saw to his wife. She asked him
why he didn't pick up the bird. So he went back.
"I came home with Blanchon in my pocket," he said.
He said he is often asked by people how he managed to train the
bird to be so tame, but he replies that there is no trick, just
mutual respect.
Any human can build a relationship with an animal, he said,
"once they respect the animal for what it is, that is a living
creature that shares the Earth with us."
"You just need to be patient, to understand how they live and
adapt to their life, because they will adapt to yours."
(Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
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