Burton's “Wings of Love" Providing White Dove Releases

Indiana, Pennsylvania resident, Amy Burton, recently formed the company Wings of Love, turning her love and respect for rock doves into a business where she brings her family's doves to weddings, special events and memorials for releases, limited to within a 50 mile radius of Indiana, PA for the protection of the doves, to be able to return to their home safely. Burton's husband, Terry grew up raising and caring for birds. His passion carried over to his wife, Amy. She decided to start a local business to share her love of doves with others. The business is now open for bookings. “Being that the current trend is moving towards outdoor venues for weddings, I like that dove releases offer the brides a unique feature for their special day," states Amy Burton. Continuing, “Since doves mate for life and are generally recognized as a symbol of peace and love, they make a beautiful addition to any wedding.” The Burton's started breeding and training their doves four years ago with this purpose in mind.
Amy Burton stated in a recent interview, “Terry’s family has had doves all of their lives and we love how beautiful they are.” Continuing, “We took our idea of doing something beautiful and unique and decided to train and use our doves for releases.” As explained by both Amy and her husband, Terry Burton, a 50 mile radius is a safer distance for them to travel to protect them from predators. Terry Burton guides his wife with additional knowledge concerning the doves, due to his 50 years of experience working with doves, beginning from the time that he was a child. In a recent interview, he explained the training process. Amy Burton learned quickly about the doves, stemming from a heartfelt passion for them that she definitely shares with her husband.

The process of training the doves starts at six weeks old, where they live in their own part of the loft. There is an opening called a trap which is similar to a doggie door. They can get in, but not back out, until it is opened again. This is the norm in training the doves. The doves are released daily for the rest of their natural adult lives for exercise.

Terry Burton states, “When they are seven to ten days of age, "we dip a tiny band in baby oil and slide it over their leg with our contact info. Much like an ID tag for a pet.” The doves are always fed in the loft and this is how the baby birds learn how to go through the trap, from the landing pad into the loft. This takes frequency and repetition from training and this also protects them from predators. Other animals are reluctant to go through the trap once the trap is closed. The trap keeps the birds safe at their residence in the loft.

During subsequent stages of training, "an exterior cage is taken off of the platform, the trap is opened and the birds are let out to fly and explore the immediate area. The trap is then closed and the doves are called back to the loft to eat. As with any bird, they sleep at night and must be fed before the sun goes down." Continuing, "Knowing that they will be fed, safe and sheltered, this is their incentive and motivation to come back," states Terry Burton. The Burton family trains the doves by letting them out for various time frames throughout the day. This can be done from several minutes to several hours. It is good to vary the times for training, as summarized by Terry Burton, “When the parents have babies, they want to go directly back to the loft to care for their young.” It is interesting to note, as Amy and Terry Burton discussed at length that both parents equally share the responsibility of caring for the eggs and raising their baby birds.

The training for the doves is an ongoing, lifelong process which includes the doves being put into special carrying cages. The carrying cage can hold up to 15 doves at a time. “This is when they are taken away from the loft at various distances from home depending on their age. We release them, and then they return home," states Burton. "We feed them after they get back, and more often than not, they beat us home." This is their reward for coming back home. They are excited to return home to eat and take care of their offspring."

“Dove releases are healthy for the birds, as this hones their natural instinct and abilities,” states Amy Burton. “They are safe because we are only releasing them within the 50 mile radius so that they can return home quickly. When released they will make several circles to get their bearings and will then return home, traveling in a group allowing for added safety for all of the birds.”
Each pair of birds has their own nesting box within the loft and they will only sleep in a nesting box or roost of their choice. The doves choose their mates for life and share the responsibility of building each nest, using twigs, grasses and straw, providing them the comfort and the ability to safely raise their young. Amy's husband Terry concludes, "They are very fascinating birds, and I am very pleased and thrilled with my wife’s decision to turn a passion into a purpose for giving the birds what they need.”
Based on availability, the Burtons plan to donate a portion of their time to do dove releases on a complimentary basis for children who may be battling a serious illness or for a child who recently was victorious in overcoming a serious illness as a symbol of hope and love. The presence of doves is a symbol of hope and peace to many. They will be announcing more about the charitable element of their business on their website.
"The doves safety and well being is our number one focus, so rest assured they are living a beautiful life at home, while contributing beauty by doing what they do naturally."
If you are within a 50 mile radius of Indiana, Pennsylvania and would like to schedule a dove release, please visit www.BurtonsWingsofLove.com.
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