Local couple starts dove release business in SBC
A childhood hobby has turned into an exciting new business venture for Mike and Shannon German.
As a teenager, Mike German, long fascinated by birds, began raising pigeons in his backyard. He pursued his hobby throughout high school, and when he began attending courses at Hartnell College, he met John Karnofel, a professor who taught in the school’s agriculture department and who also raised pigeons. The two became friends, sharing their passion for raising pigeons.
Mike finished his college education at Cal Poly, where he continued to raise and release pigeons, tracking their flight patterns and studying their habits. Mike met Shannon; the couple married and began a family – all while keeping the birds a big part of their lives.
“We’ve always had birds; our children have grown up around the birds and are very comfortable with them,” Shannon said. “It’s just a natural part of our lives.”
Towards the end of 2006, Karnofel contacted the Germans, telling them he planned to quit running his part-time dove release business, which he had run for several years in the Salinas-Monterey-Carmel area.
“John called and said he didn’t want his business anymore, and he told Mike he should take it over, since he was the only one who knew how to run it,” Shannon said. “Mike asked me about it, and we already had a bird loft and an area for the birds. I thought about it and decided ‘why not?’ I figured it was something I could do and that it would be fun.”
The Germans started Central Coast Dove Releases in January 2007, purchasing 60 new birds for their business.
“We had to buy all new birds, because if we had used John’s, they would have flown back to his house, not our loft,” she said. “The birds use their natural instincts to find their way home.”
Since beginning the business, Shannon has released doves at several local weddings, as well during the singing of the national anthem at last year’s San Benito County Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo and the Salinas Rodeo, which she has already booked again this year. Shannon says she tries to book engagements in the San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey or south Santa Clara counties or within 60 miles of the Fairview Road ranch where the couple houses their birds, although the birds can find their way home from as far away as 100 miles.
“It would take them all day, but they could do it,” she said. “Staying within 60 miles is a matter of convenience for me; the cost of gas and my time away from home.”
For weddings, Shannon attends the rehearsal as well as the actual event in order to give the wedding party an idea of what to expect and to scout the location for any potential release issues.
“I like to see the area where the birds are going to be released ahead of time,” she said. “They need an open space, because we toss them into the air forward. They don’t lift straight up like a helicopter.”
Wedding releases average around $200 depending on the number of birds released; prices for other types of releases also depend on the number of birds (one to 20 birds can be released at any one event) and will be determined by the Germans.
The Germans used to keep their birds in their backyards, but when they moved to Hollister several years ago, they were no longer allowed to do so under the Cielo Vista subdivision’s covenants, conditions and restrictions. The family now rents space on a local ranch, converting an abandoned pig barn to a bird loft. Twice a day the Germans – along with their children John, Holly and Joshua – go to the ranch to feed and train the birds.
“We train them with food,” Shannon said. “The loft has a one-way escape door, and we put the food at the bottom of that. We let them out every day so that they build up their stamina and their wing muscles. They come back when they get hungry. With new birds, I liken them to teenagers. They have to spread their wings, so sometimes they stay out all night.”
Shannon says the couple has lost a few birds since opening their business, but it is more likely the cause of predators rather than a bird losing its way.
“Knowing which way to go is their natural instinct,” she said. “But hawks and raptors sometimes will chase them. White birds do tend to stand out. But the one thing our birds have on their side is consistent speed, which helps them get away.”
In addition to her paid releases, Shannon also takes the birds to local schools for presentations. She has talked about flight patterns and homing instincts to students at Tres Pinos, Southside, Ladd Lane and Sacred Heart schools, and says she enjoys seeing the look on the children’s faces as they release the birds.
“I put the birds in a shoe box and give them to the students and we count to three then let them go,” she said. “They think it’s the greatest thing in the world.”
Shannon said running Central Coast Dove Releases has not only provided her with an exciting career, but has also given her the chance to meet many interesting people.
“People are amazed by the birds, and so they ask a lot of questions, and we get to know each other pretty well, even if sometimes they don’t even know my name – they just say ‘oh, here’s the dove lady,'” she said. “But I enjoy it so much. And my husband is glad we did this, too. It gives us a lot of time to spend together.”
Central Coast Dove Releases has approximately 60 birds for release at weddings, funerals, graduations, charitable and sporting events. Call Shannon German at 210-3138 or go to www.centralcoastdoves.com for more information.
