Dorothy reveals that she released Nipper near the railroad tracks, unaware that people capture the pigeons at that exact location to release them for the shooting. When the pigeons are released, Nipper is wounded. One of Palmer's friends, Beans, happens to be at the shooting, and he brings the pigeon back onto the field to be killed by the sharpshooter. Palmer chooses to carry Nipper off the field in the midst of the gunfire. As Palmer walks through the booing crowd carrying Nipper, he sees a kid nearby reach out to stroke Nipper's wing. The kid asks his father if he can have a pigeon of his own.