Need help in Central CA

1301 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by wolfwood, May 16, 2009

ZeldaCA

Discussion Starter · May 15, 2009

I am hoping there is someone here in the Central Valley who can help me.

We have a local pet store which is selling white ring-neck doves for ceremonial release. As most bird fanciers know, this is 100 percent fatal to the doves, as they have no survival instincts and do not home.

The pet shop owner said he would be glad to refer anyone looking for ceremonial bird releases to someone who does it with white homing pigeons, if I could give him a contact number.

I also contacted the woman breeding the doves, and she basically told me that she doesn't really care what happens to the doves she is breeding, and will continue to breed them because she just loves seeing the babies. "And this is America and I can do it if I want."

But I think if I could find a white homing pigeon business, I could at least persuade one pet store to only sell the doves as pets.

Does anyone know of anyone who has white homers and does ceremonial releases in this area? Or is there anything else you all can think of to help remedy this very sad situation?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Zelda

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Lovebirds

· #2 · May 15, 2009

You can check this web site and see what you can find, but I'm thinking the shop owner is just telling you what you want to hear.

http://whitedovesociety.org/index.htm
If you find someone who releases white birds, and he steers his customers to them, then he doesn't make any money. Right now it sounds like he's making a pretty good profit. He sells the birds. The birds are released and of course perish so he buys more birds and sells more birds........and the cycle just continues. Not many people will come in a buy 10 pet doves.....but they'll buy 10 and release them to their death. HE looses money and obviously, the lady raising them will loose money.
IMO, this person who's raising the birds needs to be turned in to the authorities for endangering animals or something.......she's an idiot.
Any REPUTABLE white bird release company doesn't sell their birds to someone to release. The owner of the company is on site and releases the birds for them to go back home over and over. There's no death for the birds involved..........

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Brummie

· #3 · May 15, 2009

ZeldaCA said:
I am hoping there is someone here in the Central Valley who can help me.

We have a local pet store which is selling white ring-neck doves for ceremonial release. As most bird fanciers know, this is 100 percent fatal to the doves, as they have no survival instincts and do not home.

The pet shop owner said he would be glad to refer anyone looking for ceremonial bird releases to someone who does it with white homing pigeons, if I could give him a contact number.

I also contacted the woman breeding the doves, and she basically told me that she doesn't really care what happens to the doves she is breeding, and will continue to breed them because she just loves seeing the babies. "And this is America and I can do it if I want."

But I think if I could find a white homing pigeon business, I could at least persuade one pet store to only sell the doves as pets.

Does anyone know of anyone who has white homers and does ceremonial releases in this area? Or is there anything else you all can think of to help remedy this very sad situation?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Zelda

YES! This is the USA,therfore you have every right to report the vendor to the humane society.Put it this way, if you saw somebody kicking a dog, would'nt you report them too?

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ZeldaCA

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 15, 2009

Thank you both for responding.

I will put in a call to the local SPCA and our animal control, but I'm skeptical they will do anything...we are overrun with stray dogs and cats here, from people who overbreed them and then dump them out in the country. Our Animal Control folks can't even get a handle on all those calls.

That's why I wanted to start with the pet store owner and give him an alternative (he's the most intelligent of the bunch), because I thought if I could reason with him, he might be able to reason with the woman breeding them and deprive her of a market to sell them, at least.

I get the impression he's taking the birds as a favor, possibly because they attend the same church. He did say he spends more money feeding them than he gets back in selling them, and it seemed like he genuinely would like to direct his customers elsewhere so he can tell this woman that there's just no one buying her birds anymore and will then wash his hands of it.

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Lovebirds

· #5 · May 15, 2009

ZeldaCA said:
I get the impression he's taking the birds as a favor, possibly because they attend the same church. He did say he spends more money feeding them than he gets back in selling them, and it seemed like he genuinely would like to direct his customers elsewhere so he can tell this woman that there's just no one buying her birds anymore and will then wash his hands of it.

Well, if that's the case, then it's at least worth a try to see if someone in the area does releases.

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bbcdon

· #6 · May 15, 2009

Many many years ago, I raised a few ring neck doves. Beautiful birds. I never let them out, but if they are settled at a loft, I think they would stick around. But to take them a distance away and release them, I think their odds of survival are few to none. I can understand people wanting them for funeral services at the cemetery, but odds are, the people paying for this have no idea the the birds will probably perish. I would think that using white homing pigeons by a fancier who lives in a near locale would be the way to go, but not doves.

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bbcdon

· #7 · May 15, 2009

Zelda, I live in central Cal, in Porterville. I would start with your local or county animal control officer and ask them. They would be able to tell you what to do. There is probably nothing he can do about the pet shop selling the doves, as they are a retailer. But you can ask him if there is any violation of code if the people purchasing them are subjecting the birds to certain death, by releasing them. Hope this helps, Don.

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ZeldaCA

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 16, 2009

You know, that's a good point, Don. I also work for the local paper, so maybe I can get something in there bringing that up. Perhaps educating the public is a big step. The American Dove Association makes flyers for distribution you can pull from their website, so I think I'll take one in to the pet shop owner. I already gave one to the woman who is breeding them.
I just wish I knew of a local fancier to send all the business to! It would be nice to help someone who is doing the right thing by using homers instead of doves.

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Big T

· #9 · May 16, 2009

Sounds like you can start a business. If you do I'll send you two birds to get started.

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bbcdon

· #10 · May 16, 2009

It would be great if there were fanciers across the nation who love the birds, could turn it into a business also Big T, where people receive the service they want, the fancier makes money, and the white homers get good exercise. It is a win win situation for everybody. I personally witnessed a bird release at a funeral about a year ago at Huntington Beach, CA on a saturday. I was delivering to our store there, and got to see the birds being released, It was a beautiful site, and they were using white homers, not doves. It was a very relaxing and soothing moment to watch the birds circle and then leave.

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pigeonnewb

· #11 · May 16, 2009

I know a guy in my club who does it and plus I know a lady up north who does it. So check you PM and get in contact with me. I'll help you. Here in Fresno there is one guy I know of and I know of one other person up north in Merced also.

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LUCKYT

· #12 · May 16, 2009

Well, sad to say, there is no Legal way to stop this person from selling doves to release, WHICH, is sad. The REAL sad point is it is most likely Cheaper to buy 10 white doves, and let them go, than it is to hire a White dove release Co. Dave

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wolfwood

· #13 · May 16, 2009

At the very least, maybe you can provide the pet shop with a bunch of those flyers - to give to every buyer of the birds....and maybe put one on a poster board for him to post in the shop to educate his customers. That way, the would-be buyers will at least have the opportunity to get some education and may just be prompted to ask MORE questions.

You said you work for the paper .... surely someone in at least one of the Depts will be interested in this story ...

And then there's always reporting the BREEDER to the ASPCA, Animal Control, AND Fish & Game ... they aren't wild birds but, my experience anyway, is that Animal Control does not get involved with birds of any kind (maybe it's different there ???). You could also put flyers together and deliver them to local vets .... they're likely to get involved in this eventually, anyway...

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