The Symbolism of the White Dove

Many brides ask about the symbolism of white doves in a wedding ceremony. Some are familiar with the fact that the birds will "mate for life", which is true. But what they don't see is the true devotion these birds have to one another.  

The doves will pick a nest and always return to it. They will lovingly groom each other and whisper their quiet cooing. When the eggs are laid, both parents take turns incubating them and when the chicks emerge, both share in the feeding and rearing of the young. When they are separated for any length of time and then reunited, there is a joyous greeting when once again they are together.

What a fitting gesture to have these beautiful birds attend your wedding, whether it be in a decorative display cage for your guests to view, or when they put on their magical display during a flock release. The symbolism is much more than the joy and celebration that your guests will witness.  The white doves are also a symbol of home-building, teamwork, love, commitment, affection and lasting devotion.

TJ, the Amazing Little White Dove

White doves used in dove releases at weddings, funerals and other special events can be much more to their owners than simple working animals. Many Professionals who release pure white homing pigeons, also called rock doves, have heartwarming tales to tell about how special these animals are as individuals. Lisa, a member of the White Dove Release Professionals serving the Sussex, Delaware area recently wrote about one such white dove.

I'd like to share a little story with you.


I have one white pigeon that was hatched with a defect. His feathers are deformed so that he will never fly. He looks like he has perpetual pin feathers, but he is soft. Well, this little guy is precious. I brought him into the house, of course. I felt that running around in a loft where everyone else can fly would be too depressing for him. So he has his own elevated cage, a ramp leads up to it, and inside is his food, water and a padded nest bowl. He walks around the house following me, cooing, and loves to sit on my lap or on a small cushy dog bed I bought for him. I place the little round bed near my head, if I lay down on the sofa to watch TV or read, and he snuggles right in.


He loves to be petted, picked up, kissed on top of the head, and enjoys playing with hair. He cleans up after the parrot, who tends to eat all of her food with the exception of the corn kernels she tosses out...how perfect! He will even sit nestled down next to me, lean over and gently preen my eyelashes, or stick his beak in my ear, which always makes me laugh. He visits Dad, and he has his own little carry case. I open the case, and he struts right in, cooing, ready to go visit Dad's house. He enjoys the drive over, and sometimes will coo with certain songs on the radio; if I sing too, he coos louder, joining in. He loves Susan Boyle's new CD; loudest I've ever heard him coo.


Once we arrive at Dad's I open the hatch, and he struts out cooing, checks under the other bird cages for any treats on the floor there, then proceeds to look for Dad. He can walk very fast, and with such purpose, it is hysterical to watch. He goes right into Dad's bedroom, and will coo for Dad to pick him up. We have a special quilt just for him, and he walks all over the bed. He sometimes will pick up a card, if Dad is playing solitaire. He will perch himself on Dad's chest, nestle down, and take a nap with him while I fix dinner, or do other chores.


When I am drying my hair, I guess he must be cooing to get my attention, and I can't hear him over the dryer. He'll walk around the bathroom cooing as I dry my hair, and must think I am ignoring him. He is smart. He would not give up, and figured out how to get me to notice him. He walks over and climbs on my foot, and stares up at me. He wants me to "dry" him, too. He loves it, and even lifts his wings up for the warm air. When he stands on my foot, most of the time I have slippers on, and I still feel the weight of him, but in the summer when I am bare foot, his little toe nails tickle unbelievably, and it always makes me laugh out loud. He will stand on my foot, look up at me and coo until I sit down and dry him, too.


Funny little bird! Now that he knows he tickles my foot and makes me laugh, he does it more often. He is very smart; when he gets a laugh for a response, he remembers and does whatever made us laugh more often, then looks up at us, coos and struts around in circles cooing, I think it is his way of joining in the laughter.


This little pigeon puts many smiles on our faces every day. His name is TJ, and he knows his name. If I am a few rooms away and call, "TJ", he will come walking very fast. It is very cute. Dad and I get a kick out his little "tap, tap" footsteps as his toe nails click, with his little pink feet walking across a tile floor to come and see what we want.


TJ even made an appearance in the local newspaper. I brought him to the Blessing of the Animals at church; he was the mascot to bring blessings back home to everyone else. I guess I am not the only one who thinks he is cute...the photographer taking many photos of many animals decided TJ had to be on that page.

Everyone asks about the doo-doo. Well, he doesn't go much, and when he does, it's a perfect little round ball, and picks right up with a tissue. I have Cockatiels, Conures, Doves, Parrots, a Macaw, and I have had Canaries, Finches and a few wild birds in my care over the years, and he is by far the cleanest bird ever. Thank goodness, because I love him so much it wouldn't matter anyway.


I'm sure there are others that would have put him down, once they saw the deformity. You never know who may become so precious to you, who may make you laugh out loud and smile daily, or who will work their way into your heart. Who would think that it could be a little bird? Who would think that a little pigeon that couldn't fly could bring so much love and joy to life?


Merry Christmas, Peace, Love and Joy to You All!

Professional White Dove Release Business leads to Scholarships

Twin sisters, Rene and Robyn Cooper, are co-owners of Highland Doves, a professional white dove release business located in Morgantown, West Virginia. They provide professional white dove release services for weddings, funerals, memorials, and special events such as their local American Cancer Society Relay for Life fundraising event, Veteran’s Day programs, and many other community benefit releases. The sisters have donated numerous professional white dove releases for non-profit events over the years.

Rene and Robyn began their white dove release business when they were just 15 years old. They received some coaching from their uncle who also raises pigeons, and has his own professional white dove release business. They began by building their own specialized pigeon loft from plans; doing the work themselves with a little assistance from their father. Once their loft was built they trained their first flock of young pigeons for the white dove release work, and continued to increase their flock by breeding, hatching and training more birds every year. This process has allowed them to build their business as the demand for their white dove release services has grown.

Rene and Robyn have operated their white dove release business very successfully, and almost totally independent of adult help since the beginning. At first the girls’ father had to drive them to do training tosses (training flights), and to their white dove release jobs because they weren't old enough to have driver’s licenses. But since the age of sixteen they have done all their training tosses, professional white dove releases and marketing events such as bridal fairs without any adult help.Rene is now a sophomore attending West Virginia University School of Dentistry. A couple of weeks ago one of her professors pulled her off to the side, and invited her to an upcoming awards banquet. Rene attended the banquet, figuring she was probably going to get a plaque or something similar. It came as quite a surprise to her when they were down to the final award of the night, and she was awarded a large scholarship for the rest of her college career. When she was presented with the award the crowd was informed that this was the most distinguished scholarship a dental student could receive from this school. To receive this award the recipient must excel in all categories of the dental school. Rene was advised during the presentation that the sponsor of the scholarship was impressed with her grades, her attitude and the fact that she had established and operated a professional white dove release business since the age of 15.

Robyn attends West Virginia University on the West Virginia Promise Scholarship. Her scholarship requires the recipient to maintain a 3.4 grade point average. Robyn feels that her experience with the white dove release business has contributed a great deal towards her being awarded and maintaining this scholarship.

Rene and Robyn both have bright futures ahead of them, and can thank their feathered friends for paving the way.