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DIDJA KNOW?/Dove Releases

By August 15, 2012May 7th, 2019No Comments

Yes, Facebook is a time sucker.  But it’s also an amazing place where you can learn things you never knew!  A few nights ago, I read a post from Heather Yurasits Barbosa, the owner of  “Say It With Doves”,  a local company that specializes in humane dove releases.

She shared with me that a white dove release is the perfect complement to any outdoor ceremony–a wedding, a funeral, a graduation, a birthday, and anniversary, etc. The sky is the limit!

The first thing you need to do is hire a professional white dove release service.  I cannot stress the importance of this.  You should NEVER purchase doves at a pet store and release them.

There are two kinds of white doves you might encounter: white ring-neck doves and homing doves. Ring-neck doves are found in some pet stores, these are the kind of doves many magicians use. They are very small and have some difficulty flying.  They cannot survive in the wild and they have no ability to return home. They should NEVER be released into the wild, because they will not survive.

A reputable dove release company, like Say It With Doves, will only release white homing doves. Homing doves undergo thorough training which enables them to return to their home. They should always be banded with the owner’s contact information.   Every single dove they release has the ability to return to their home in Bethlehem, PA.  They never release a dove without their phone number on its leg. This way, if one happens to lose its way, the person who finds it can easily contact them.

Some less reputable white dove release providers will ship their homing doves to customers and permit self-release.  Doves that are shipped will definitely be too far from home to return safely.  A good rule of thumb is if the provider is more than 2 hours drive away from the release site, it is unlikely the birds will return home.

I never knew this!  What an awful thought that after a wonderful and joyful event, such a harsh fate might await the doves!  I think this is an awesome way to add something to your milestone events…but please, learn the facts and make the right choices if you’re going to include it in yours.

In short– when you release doves, make sure you hire a local white dove release provider to release the doves for you.  Make sure they only release trained and banded homing doves.

Learn more at www.sayitwithdoves.com

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