Meet Berty
Documented unlock: complete Dorothy's first commission, and the pigeon joins the workshop. After that, Berty sits in the studio and offers his own small orders when clicked — a separate track from ringing the bell for the next story customer.
Pigeon commissions
Pigeon requests play by the same rules as any commission: a requirements card, a draft, a delivery. The walkthrough documents one by name — Pidgeon Adoption, asking Warm, Eclectic and Sophisticated with a jewel or a brooch. Its requirements behave like any accessory row: the counter stays at 0 until the accessory is actually placed on the dress.
That screenshot is the general lesson for accessory rows: “sewing complete” only means the sewing. Add the jewel or brooch at the accessories stage and watch the row move before you finish.
What they feed: friendship and achievements
Two documented payoffs. Completed pigeon requests raise friendship and pattern progress with customers. And the official achievement list includes Birds of a Feather, Frock Together: complete all commissions received via pigeon. “All” is the pigeon's own list — finishing the main story does not cover it, and a pigeon that has gone quiet is not proof the achievement triggered; check your achievements list.
The achievements guide's author reports pigeon requests remain available late in the game. Treat that as one author's experience with his saves, not a guarantee that no request can ever be missed.
One dialogue to watch
The achievements guide ties the hidden-named Sucker for Punishment achievement to a dialogue choice inside Vivian's pigeon request: when the animal conversation comes up, choose the leech. The official list gives this achievement no description, so the connection is community-documented, not official. There is no documented replay if the moment passes — make the choice deliberately when you reach it rather than planning to fix it later.