Meet the woman with a pet racing pigeon who she takes to the pub

Pam Welfare, 40, who was born in Wales but now lives in Market Lavington, has had her pet racing pigeon Pepper since around a month after the bird was hatched in June 2023.

Pam explained: “I’ve had pepper for almost two years. I got him from my friend who has racing pigeons.

“I asked if I could have a pigeon. He said I could have one of two chicks, and I chose Pepper.”

Almost two years on, the two of them live a harmonious life of mutual happiness and comfort, she says.

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Pam said: “Having Pepper at home is wonderful. We’ve got little perches around the lounge where Pepper likes to fly. And he can be quite playful: he does things like nibble on my fingers.

“Pepper will allow people to give him a pet, especially if I’m holding him. And whenever my brother comes round, Pepper goes straight over to him.

“Pepper’s very independent, a bit like a cat. If Pepper wants attention, Pepper will come to you.”

She said: “It’s given me companionship. The difference between a pigeon and a regular bird, like a parrot is that Pepper’s a lot quieter and definitely less destructive.”

Pam is uncertain about Pepper’s gender – while she used to think Pepper was a female, she now suspects that Pepper is a male, but cannot say for certain.

Pepper is a racing pigeon, which makes him a little different from other birds of his kind.

Pam said: “I don’t think Pepper realises that he’s a pigeon. 

"Sometimes I go out and feed feral pigeons in Devizes and Trowbridge, and Pepper will look down on them from my shoulder.”

Pam and Pepper are often seen out and about, with Pam saying she often takes her beloved bird shopping with her.

“You’ll see me in B&M and the local high street shops, the Works, Poundland – people don’t mind. We’ve got a couple of restaurants that will allow me to bring Pepper in.”

The pair even go to the pub, and Pam singled out two in particular for their warm and welcoming attitude to the pinioned pub-goer.

Pam said: “The Market Tavern in Melksham, and the Water Meadow are fantastic. They know Pepper in there, and they always ask after him.”

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It’s not only familiar faces that show their curious side on seeing Pepper, Pam said: “I get stopped all the time, and I always have people asking me if it’s real. I know it’s an unusual pet, but I suppose I’m just an unusual person.”

Pam makes almost all  of Pepper’s equipment herself, including the harness, a shoulder pad which Pepper can stand on, as well as a nappy that helps protect Pam’s home.

Ms Welfare says she and Pepper have faced controversy in the past, especially when it came to property regulations.

“When I moved into my flat, they asked if I had any pets, and I said I had a caged bird. They asked what kind of bird I had, and when I told them it was a pigeon they said they didn’t allow poultry.

“Pepper’s not poultry, he’s a racing pigeon. In the end, I had to get a written note to allow me to have a pigeon in my flat.”

“Me and my mum went to a caravan park, and they said ‘we can’t take a pigeon’. That was a bit disappointing.

Despite the setbacks, Pam says she is very understanding about people’s reservations. And moreover, a spanner in the works of one holiday is by no means enough to foil Pam’s travel plans.

She continued: “I am planning on doing a trip around Scotland, and I’m planning on driving, and sleeping in my car, sort of roughing it. If I still have Pepper, he’ll be coming with me.”