I Found A White Dove, What Do I Do Now?

This past week I had 3 calls from individuals who had come in contact with white pigeons who had lost their way or just were exhausted and couldn't go on.  And the question becomes what do I do with these pigeons?  First thing if you have the pigeon in your possession is to check if the bird has a band on its leg.  The two most common identifications if the birds are registered are the AU and IF bands.  If the band starts with AU you can go to http://www.pigeon.org/  which is the American Racing Pigeon Union and if it starts with IF you can go to www.ifpigeon.com  which is the International Federation of American Homing Pigeons.  Then arrangements can be made with the owner to get the pigeon.  Often times the bird does not have one of these bands, now what?

If possible you need to examine the bird to see if there are any obvious injuries.  If there are no obvious abnormalities than chances are the bird is exhausted and a little care will help this pigeon to be on its way.  So what care is required?  Feed and water.  The pigeon basically ran out of gas and a couple of days of feed with fresh water will do the trick.  The feed required is bird seed or even popcorn (not popped) and rest.  The action of the pigeon will be indication of when it is ready to go.  When the pigeon becomes restless in its cage you can take him outside to release and it will fly home.

I want to thank those who come in contact with our pigeons who at times require a little help and are willing to care for them.  If you come in contact with a pigeon that needs help please feel free to email me at dovesforrelease@yahoo.com if you need assistance.  If you are planning an event and need white doves check out our website www.dovesforrelease.com or call 609-758-5741.

Memorial Idea for a Young Girl

 The loss of a child is a difficult pain to overcome.  Sometimes a reading or a poem is difficult to come up with when planning a memorial for such an occasion.   My son introduced me to a song that might fit.  It is called "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry

When planning a memorial, a wedding or any event that would be appropriate for white doves call us at 609-758-5741 and as always check out our website at www.dovesforrelease.com .

Hand Release of Doves

Sometimes we get requests for releasing the doves by hand.  Charles Cole has a great YouTube video illustrating the proper way of handling and releasing doves.

Check it out, as always if there is a question or a need for a dove release call 609-758-5741 or check out our website at http://www.dovesforrelease.com/  we will be more than happy to help.

Doves a Memorial Gift

On the anniversary of a loved ones death we are often times reminded of their importance to us, and that we miss them.  I had the opportunity of participating in a memorial service at the Princeton Cemetery on April 7th for Nicholas, a young man who was tragically killed in an automobile accident five years ago. It was his aunt Nancy who gave the white dove release to his parents John and Laura. Nancy also put this reading together which I would like to include.

Life is like a train ride…………………………………………..by Steve Polittle

Life is like a train ride. We get on.  We Ride. We get off.  We get back on and ride some more.  There are accidents and there are delays.  At certain stops there are surprises.  Some of these will translate into great moments of joy; some will result in profound sorrow......

When we are born and when we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey.  Those people are our parents.

Sadly, this is far from the truth.  Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them.  They too, have journeys they must complete.  We live on with the memories of their love, affection, friendship, guidance and their ever presence.

There are others who board the train and who eventually become very important to us as well.

These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances, who we will learn to love and cherish...

 Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour; they will just go merrily along.

Others will encounter many upsets, tears, and losses on their journey.  Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off. (Nicholas surely did!!)

Some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will scarily leave a sign that they ever traveled along with you- or ever crossed your path.

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers, whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own.  Then again, there's nothing that says we can’t seek them out anyway.

Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will be taken

That's ok, everyone's journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbye's We must strive to make the best of it.......no matter what!

We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone.

Remember that at any moment during our journey- any one of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in need of our help

We too, may vacillate or hesitate- even trip….  Hopefully we can count on someone being there- and to be supportive and understanding.

The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don’t know when our last stop will come.  Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop -not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

I know we will be sad to make our final stop.  I’m sure of it.  Our separation from all those friends and acquaintances we made during the train ride will be painful.  Leaving all those we are close to will be a sad thing.  But then again I am certain, that one day we will get to the main station only to meet up with everyone else. We will all be carrying our baggage.  Most of which we didn’t have when we first got on the train.

As Ashley said last year in her beautifully written poem:

This she knows for sure:

We wouldn’t be together this day,

We wouldn’t be so strong

We wouldn’t be so close.

And we wouldn’t have come this far……….

We are all on this train ride together.  Above all we should strive to make the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can, right up until we each make the final stop and leave the train for the last time. 

Thank you all for taking this train ride with Nicholas and our family.

Thank you for supporting each other and honoring Nicholas on this day.

If you are planning a memorial service and would like our assistance call us at 609-758-5741 and as always check out our site at www.dovesforrelease.com

The Problem With PETA

It was brought to my attention that Reese Witherspoon got married on March 26th in fact the link was sent to me directing me to Faded Youth Blog.  So I read the article and it announced the marriage of Reese Witherspoon to Jim Toth. It talked about that they got married in Ojai CA on March 26th and the individuals who participated in the ceremony.  The article covered some of the guests that were present such as Conan O'brien.  Then as a conclusion of the ceremony 80 doves were released,  which the article had a picture of some of the birds flying.  I'm thinking to myself this is great publicity in promoting dove releases.  But at the very end of the article it goes on to say that they asked PETA for their thoughts on Dove Releases, and this is what one of their representatives had to say.

"White doves are specifically bred for release and used by thoughtless event planners. Because doves are flock animals, they have very little chance of surviving on their own when they are released at events. Sending white doves into the air after having kept them confined for their entire lives is tantamount to abandoning a household companion animal in the woods 10 miles from home and should be as illegal. The initial release confuses doves, especially if it’s done at night (when many celebrations take place). Doves are diurnal, so being exposed at night already puts them at a disadvantage. In the confusion of the moment, the birds dissipate and flounder into the night. Come morning, these doves are on their own. Unless they are lucky enough to find a flock of pigeons or other doves to join up with, they won’t survive. However, even if they do find other birds to hang out with, the disoriented doves will remain an easy target for hawks and other predators"

This type of misinformation just sets my blood to boil.  I'm a firm believer that animals need to be treated with respect and their handling needs to provide them with the highest form of safety.  When one looks at the picture of the birds in the article it is easy to identify them as homing pigeons and not ring neck doves.  It is this misinformation that confuses individuals who want to do the right thing and yet want to enjoy these beautiful animals.  My hat is off to Reese for releasing the doves it looks like it was a beautiful event.  If you have any questions or comments email me at dovesforrelease@yahoo.com  check out my website at http://www.dovesforrelease.com/ 

Susie Moore; 109 Years Young, Oldest Memorial Service I've Done

Some funeral services are very hard for me to do.  The death of a child, gang related killing or even a suicide when someone just feels life is not worth living.  We are affected by those who loose their life to illness or unexpected accidents and we feel there was so much potential life left to live and it causes us a lot of grief and pain in their passing.  I have been told that even in these situations the releasing of white doves help them in this grieving process, and gives them a sense of peace.

Last Monday I was at a funeral and was asked who was the oldest individual that I had the opportunity of doing a dove release for?  The answer to that question is Susie Moore who lived to be 109 years old.  I got to be thinking how different the world was since her birth of 1901 and of the things that she had experienced.

I want to thank Xenia Ware  and the James H. Hunt Funeral Home for allowing me to be involved in the celebration of Susie Moore's life in the releasing of doves at her memorial service.  We released 4 doves at the Jersey Shore Convalescent Center located at 2050 sixth ave, Neptune city NJ.  I released three doves first, representing the Trinity and Xenia released the fourth dove representing the spirit of Susie.  Those who were there I believe experienced a tremendous sense of peace and comfort knowing Susie was at a better place.

I would like to end with this poem.

"Little Dove"

On the wings of this white dove

I'll set your spirit free.

Up into the big deep sky,

to heaven, where you'll be.

I know God has a plan for us,

he wants us by his side.

But it is hard for us to understand

when we are left behind.

Little dove, help lift our hearts

as we watch you go,

God is there if we just ask,

because He loves us so.

If you are looking for doves to release for a funeral or memorial service check out our website http://www.dovesforrelease.com/ or email us at dovesforrelease@yahoo.com.

Doves vs Butterflies: Bliss Weddings Post made in 2002

Questions and interest continue to be made in regards to the decision if one should use doves or butterflies in their wedding ceremonies. Since  I raise doves (white homing pigeons) I have a bias in the release of doves.  Using a professional dove handler the birds are trained and managed in a way to guarantee the highest safety of their return home. The handler can work with your photographer to capture those special moments on film and can work with your wedding coordinator to personalise your release.  I found this old post and I thought I would put it on my blog to encourage dialogue. Please check it out.

http://www.pashweddings.com/weddingforums/showthread.php?t=486


If you have had butterflies at your wedding, or you are researching the use of butterflies for an event please share that information with us.  Maybe you raise butterflies or know someone who does, I'm sure butterflies are handled differently since 2002 would like to post that information.  If you have any questions about our birds email us at dovesforrelease@yahoo.com  or check out our site at http://www.dovesforrelease.com/