Our beautiful snow white birds are members of the homing pigeon family. We call them love doves because they exhibit such a love of flying, and this is something that both Faye and I share with them. It is a joy to watch them soar in a blue sky.

Pigeons and doves are in the same order of birds, yet have significant differences. Common pigeons are sometimes called Rock Doves, and white homing pigeons are also named Love Doves. These birds possess subtle beauty and dignified charm. From Noah's adventure to today's symbol of peace, doves have made their mark on mankind.

These birds are extraordinary in the fact that they can drink water without tilting their heads back to swallow because their throat is constructed much like that of a mammal. They can swallow without removing their beaks from the water.

They typically mate for life and care for their young together. And like their unique ability to drink, they also feed their young quite differently than most birds. The squabs are fed a milk-like substance that forms in the mother's throat near the end of the incubation of her one or two eggs. The newly hatched young feed by inserting their beak into the mother's beak and throat. The mother then pumps the liquid "pigeon milk" down into the baby's throat.

Domestic doves are not good flyers and their fight is usually limited to stretches of 100 to 500 feet. Domestic doves usually cannot find their way back home after being released and are almost never successful at surviving in the wild. You can find those who will do a release cheaper than ours and who use these doves. Releasing a domestic dove into the wild is, in our opinion, inhumane and ecologically unsound.

Homing pigeons on the other hand are excellent flyers. Bred for their athletic ability and their wonderful gift for finding their way home, homing pigeons are perfectly capable of traveling long distances to do so. People have been breeding homing pigeons for thousands of years but it is still a mystery how the homer manages to find its way home. There are many theories, but no known facts as to how they accomplish this feat.

Homing pigeons have been used in the past and are still maintained today in the military in many countries, including the United States. They have been used to deliver messages during times of war, often from behind enemy lines. During WWI, a famous homing pigeon known as Cher Ami, returned to his loft badly wounded, but saved the lives of 194 soldiers of the "Lost Battalion." A WWII homing pigeon named G I Joe was awarded "The Dickins Medal of Gallantry" in London, by the Lord Mayor. A homer named Snow White received "The Military Cross" for successful flights in Berlin and Italy.

Unlike most pets that are anxious to escape their cages, homing pigeons love their homes and will make every effort to return to them. Besides their true love of flying, a homing pigeon's heart is at the loft where it finds shelter, safety, food, water, warmth and family. This is why homers can fly free for hours every day and then happily return to the loft without fail.

Our birds are well cared for, admired for their beauty and talent, and they are loved. We hope they will bring the peace, love and joy to your heart that they do to ours. We love to share them with you and are honored when you choose to have a ceremonial love dove release at your special event, provided by Touchstone Love Doves.

Release Policy
Because we love our birds, it is our policy to:

Release only well trained, well cared for white homing pigeons

To return deposits for acts of God, etc... when a planned release cannot be completed because of weather conditions not being safe for the love doves

To NOT release birds INDOORS

To NOT release birds AT NIGHT

To NOT release birds in INCLEMENT WEATHER

To NOT ship birds by mail for self-release

To NOT release birds beyond a range they are able to safely fly and return home

To Ensure that EVERY event has at least one knowledgeable release coordinator present

This is our commitment to you and our birds.

We reserve the right to NOT fly at any time when in OUR opinion, the safety of our birds is in jeopardy by releasing them to fly.