Police and postal officials in Broome County had to deal with a somewhat suspicious parcel early Thursday.

An employee at the Harpursville post office heard what sounded like the whining of a puppy coming from a box.

A Broome County sheriff's deputy and the Town of Colesville dog control officer were sent to the post office to investigate the matter around 8 a.m.

Postal workers were concerned someone had sent a small dog through the mail. The package had been shipped from a location in Pennsylvania three days ago.

Dog control officer Mike Rhodes said the box was taken to the address shown on the outside. When the package arrived at the destination on Harris Road in the Town of Afton, it was opened.

Rhodes said it turned out the box contained no puppy. Instead, there were three pigeons inside and they were fine.

Rhodes said it was "one of the stranger" calls he's received in the 11 years he has been the town dog control officer.

Officials at the Harpursville post office declined to comment on the shipment.

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Guidelines on mailboxes don't mention anything about puppies. [Bob Joseph/WNBF News][/caption]For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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