Pebbles the Great Horned Owl was rescued in 2024 in PebbleCreek. A resident found him on the ground as a fledgling and our resident raptor rescuer, Sheri Spirek, was called out to safely capture him and take him to Wild at Heart for rehabilitation.
Wild at Heart is a raptor (eagles, hawks, and owls) rescue that takes in injured and sick birds and attempts to heal and rehabilitate them. We are lucky to have Sheri in our community as she volunteers at Wild at Heart and knows how to safely handle these birds in a way that does not injure the bird and keeps Sheri safe from their beaks and talons.
Pebbles was found to have trichomoniasis, most likely from being fed a trichomoniasis infected pigeon by his parents as a baby. He successfully recovered during his time at Wild at Heart. He was brought back to PebbleCreek and released into our community on Jan. 16, 2025, along with a rehabilitated female to be his mate.
Why do we release raptors back where they were found? Because the territory is familiar to them. We also have abundant prey for them in PebbleCreek. We have an oasis in the middle of the desert that we have filled with grass and shrubs for bunnies to eat, trees for birds to nest in, lakes for waterfowl, roofs for pigeons, and citrus for rodents. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet for our predators, who don’t have to expend a lot of energy hunting for food. Our predators help to keep our populations of prey animals under control as nature intended.
You can join the Pet Companions Club by finding the membership form on our website at pcpets.org. The dues are $15 annually for a single, or $25 for a couple. You can support us by sending a tax-deductible donation to us through Zelle at pcpetcompanions@gmail.com, or a check by mail to The Pet Companions Club of PebbleCreek, PO Box 6106, Goodyear, AZ, 85338-0619.