>>>
>>> THE
>>> THE WHITE DOVE HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A SYMBOL OF
PEACE.
PEACE.
PEACE. THEY ARE OFTEN INCLUDED AT
WEDDINGS, FUNERALS, MEMORIAL
SERVICES.
SERVICES.
SERVICES. ONE MAN IN BURIEN TRAINS DOVES
FOR THESE EVENTS AND OTHERS.
PLEASE WELCOME DAVE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU,.
>> AND LET'S SHOW PEOPLE.
CAN YOU TELL US OR REMIND US
HOW DOVES BECAME A SIGN OF
PEACE.
PEACE.
PEACE. >>
PEACE. >> WELL THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN A SIGN OF
PEACE, LOVE, FIDELITY AND NEW
BEGINNINGS.
BEGINNINGS. AND I THINK THROUGHOUT THE
BEGINNINGS OF TIME THAT'S THE
WAY IT'S BEEN.
IN THE BIBLE AND SO ON.
>> THEY'VE BEEN SO SPECIAL.
SO YOU WERE INTERESTED IN BIRDS
JUST IN GENERAL, RIGHT.
>> WELL, I GOT STARTED WITH
THEM AS A YOUNG BOY READING AN
OLD NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
MAGAZINE.
MAGAZINE.
MAGAZINE. >> SEE, NATIONAL GEO IS SO GOOD
FOR SO MANY THINGS.
WHAT DID YOU READ THAT SPARKED
YOUR INTEREST.
YOUR INTEREST. >> IT WAS ABOUT HONING PIGEONS
IN THE WATER AND HOW MANY LIVES
THEY SAVED AND HOW THEY FLEW
HOME OR BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE
SUPPOSED TO GO.
BEING SHOT AT.
TERRIBLE WEATHER CONDITIONS,
BUT THEY CARRIED THOSE VITAL
MESSAGES HOME.
MESSAGES HOME. >> IS THAT NOT SOMETHING.
>> THAT JUST REALLY GOT ME.
>> I CAN SEE WHY.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH
DOVES.
DOVES.
DOVES. >>
DOVES. >> IT WAS -- I HEARD ABOUT
WHITE DOVE RELEASE.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS BUT I
KNEW A LOT ABOUT THE BIRDS TO
BEGIN WITH BECAUSE I HAD SO
MANY WHEN I WAS A BOY.
AND WHEN I WENT ONLINE AND READ
ABOUT IT I THOUGHT, I COULD DO
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. AND
THAT. AND I WANT TO DO THAT.
AND SO, WITH THAT SAID.
I GOT INVOLVED IN IT AND TODAY
WE'RE DOING A FUNERAL SERVICE
AND IT'LL BE OUR 2,097th
SERVICE.
SERVICE.
SERVICE. >> HOW MANY BIRD DO YOU
RELEASE?
RELEASE?
RELEASE? >> USUALLY 12.
>> IS 12.
>> IS 12.
>> IS 12. >> MANY TIMES WE'LL DO MORE.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE REQUEST A
SPECIAL NUMBER BECAUSE MAYBE A
PERSON'S AGE.
PERSON'S AGE. >> IT COULD BE MEANINGFUL IN
THAT WAY.
THAT WAY.
THAT WAY. HOW MANY DOVES DO YOU HAVE?
>> AT HOME ABOUT 300.
>> 300.
>> 300.
>> 300. DO THEY ALL HAVE NAMES?
DO YOU KNOW THEM.
>> IT'S KIND OF CRAZY BUT
THERE'S ONLY THREE OF THE 300
THAT ARE NAMED.
>> BABY, BABY BABY AND BABY,
BABY BABY.
BABY BABY. >> IT WOULD BE HARD TO GO FROM
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN SO MUCH
FUN.
FUN.
FUN. THERE WE GO.
THERE'S ONE OF THEM.
>> HI, HI.
>> AND THEY DON'T MIND BEING
HANDLED BY HUMANS.
>> THEY GET USED TO IT AFTER A
WHILE.
WHILE.
WHILE. >>
WHILE. >> WHERE DO YOU GET THEM?
>> I RAISED THEM ALL.
>> REALLY.
>> REALLY. >> SO THEY ARE YOURS.
>> CORRECT.
>> CORRECT. >> SO I READ WHEN I WAS
RESEARCHING YOU THAT YOU
WEREN'T SURE ABOUT THE WHOLE
FUNERAL IDEA WHEN IT FIRST CAME
UP.
UP.
UP. TELL
UP. TELL ME ABOUT THAT.
>> I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I COULD,
-- A FUNERAL IS SUCH AN
EMOTIONAL THING.
EMOTIONAL THING. >> AND SO PERSONAL TO EVERYBODY
WHO'S THERE.
WHO'S THERE. >> AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF I COULD
KEEP MY COMPOSURE LISTENING TO
THE STORIES ABOUT THE PERSON'S
LIFE AND THE PEOPLE AROUND ME
VERY EMOTIONAL.
VERY EMOTIONAL. AND I START TO GET THAT.
BUT AFTER A WHILE, WHEN I SAW
HOW IT HELPED WITH THE HEALING
AND THE CLOSURE.
WHAT THESE LITTLE BIRDS MEANT
TO THE PEOPLE.
IT REALLY GOT ME.
AND I THOUGHT, I LOVE DOING
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. >>
THIS. >> IT MAKES PEOPLE SO HAPPY
WHETHER IT'S A CELEBRATION OR A
PASSAGE LIKE THAT.
WHERE YOU HAVE A LIFE
TRANSITION AND SOMEHOW THERE'S
JUST SOMETHING SO SPIRITUAL
ABOUT SEEING THOSE BIRDS TAKE
OFF.
OFF.
OFF. I
OFF. I THINK I MENTIONED TO YOU
YEARS AGO I WAS COVERING THE
POPE WHEN HE CAME TO
CALIFORNIA, PREVIOUS, TWO OR
THREE POPES AGO.
AND HE CAME TO DODGER STADIUM
AND THEY RELEASED LIKE A
THOUSAND DOVES.
THOUSAND DOVES. I DON'T KNOW EVERYBODY JUST
GASPED IT'S AMAZING.
>> IT IS.
>> IT IS.
>> IT IS. >> SO WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE
FOR YOU.
FOR YOU.
FOR YOU. YOU DO THIS OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.
AGAIN.
AGAIN. DO
AGAIN. DO YOU STILL GET A THRILL.
>> EVERY TIME.
BECAUSE I KNOW I RAISED EVERY
ONE OF THE BIRDS.
AND I TRAINED THEM, AND I JUST
HOPE THAT THEY'LL ALL MAKE IT
HOME SAFELY.
HOME SAFELY. >> AND THEY DO.
>> GENERALLY THEY DO.
>> HOW DO YOU TRAIN THEM?
>> BY TAKING THEM OUT JUST A
LITTLE BIT AT A TIME.
>> JUST A LITTLE SHORT DISTANCE
AND THEY COME BACK.
I KNOW ABOUT DOGS, WHEN YOU
COME BACK HOW TO YOU REWARD
THEM?
THEM?
THEM? >>
THEM? >> FIRST OF ALL THEY'RE NEVER
RELEASED.
RELEASED.
RELEASED. FAR EXAMPLE AT THE FUNERAL I
HAD TODAY.
HAD TODAY. THOSE BIRDS WILL NOT BE FED
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. BUT WHEN I LOAD THE BIRDS UP,
THEN I PUT FOOD IN.
SO THEY KNOW WHEN THEY COME
BACK THEIR FOOD IS WAITING FOR
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. >>
THEM. >> EXCELLENT.
>> EXCELLENT. >> ALSO THEY MATE FOR LIFE.
>> DO THEY, I DID NOT KNOW
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. >>
THAT. >> SO I WILL BE IN THE LOFT AND
I WILL SAY OH YOU LOOK GOOD
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. AND I WILL SELECT ONE AND LEAVE
THE MATE AT HOME.
AND GO THROUGH THE VARIOUS
BIRDS.
BIRDS.
BIRDS. >>
BIRDS. >> SO THEY WANT TO COME HOME.
THEY HAVE A MOTIVATION FOR ALL
OF THAT.
OF THAT.
OF THAT. >> ALL THEY THINK ABOUT IS
GETTING HOME THE THE MATE AND
GETTING FOOD.
GETTING FOOD. BUT GETTING HOME TO THEIR MATE
IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.
>> ISN'T THAT LOVELY.
HOW DO PEOPLE GET AHOLD OF YOU.
>> I HAVE A WEBSITE AND PHONE
NUMBER THAT PEOPLE CALL.
>> HOW BIG OF A FACILITY THAT
YOU HAVE THESE 300 BIRD IN.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ASK, HOW BIG
IS THE FARM I LIVE AT?
AND I LIVE IN A VERY
RESIDENTIAL AREA.
RESIDENTIAL AREA. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> AND I HAVE A LOFT IN THE
BACKYARD THAT ALL THE BIRD LIVE
IN.
IN.
IN. THERE'S TWO BUILDINGS.
>> I'M CURIOUS WHAT DO THEY
EAT?
EAT?
EAT? >>
EAT? >> THEY'RE STRICTLY
VEGETARIANS.
VEGETARIANS. IT'S LIKE SEEDS, SAP FLOWER,
POPCORN, ALL SORTED OF
DIFFERENT THINGS.
DIFFERENT THINGS. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> IT WAS REALLY GOOD TO BE
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. >>
HERE. >> I WANTED PEOPLE TO MEET YOU
AND SEE THE DOVES AND HAVE THIS
IDEA FOR WHATEVER IT IS THEY
MIGHT WANT TO USE THEM FOR.
THANKS AGAIN.
THANKS AGAIN. >>> WE'LL SEE HOW ONE ARTIST
TURNS PAPER NAPKINS INTO WORKS
OF PRETTY INTRICATE ART,