Sensitivity Training for Pigeon Flyers?
By: Grace Mehl, IF Public Relations

We have all heard the phrase “politically correct.” But, most of us think that only applies to famous people, and particularly to those running for political office. But, it isn’t so. It applies to us, Racing Pigeon Handlers/Fanciers. How is that? We have all moaned about our sport’s decreased popularity and wondered how we can get new people into the sport. We have tried to come up with ways to attract new people and particularly young people. There are lots of good ideas. But, there are also many ways to alienate and turn people against the sport, and these seem much too common. These should be considered offenses against the sport. Some examples of these offenses follow:

A Good Samaritan who knows little or nothing about our sport catches a bird because it comes to their bird feeder. They see the band and go on the web and through much effort, find the bird’s owner. They contact the owner and the bird’s owner who tells them “the bird is no good to me, just kill it.” The Good Samaritan is shocked and dismayed by this response and comes to the conclusion that all pigeon flyers are in-humane and barbaric. At every opportunity he will tell anyone who will listen how horrible Pigeon Flyers are and advocate banning the sport.

On the other hand, if the flyer had picked up the bird, or if that is impractical, sent a shipping box to return the bird or contacted another pigeon flyer to pick it up, perhaps through the IF Lost Pigeon Coordinator, the good Samaritan would have been left with a good feeling about what a great sport we were in and would have been a proponent of the sport in the future. Today, finding a bird’s owner by going online is easy. Searching on pigeon will bring up several websites, including the IF website at www.ifpigeon.com. The band list is published on the website and Club Secretaries’ phone numbers and even e-mail addresses are listed (if provided). This is a great resource and makes it easier for all to find the owner and easier on the secretary to get messages about lost birds if their e-mail is listed here. Make sure yours is listed!

A pigeon flyer who lives in a community with small lots allows his pigeons to free-loft or bum all day. The birds routinely sit on the roofs of the surrounding houses. One day the neighbor complains because they are having a barbecue and have company and the birds are strutting back and forth across their white awning. The fancier gets defensive curses them out and spews about his rights. At the first opportunity, the neighbors will make an official complaint to the town and other neighbors who witnessed this will back them up and a ban against keeping pigeons may be called for.

If, however, the pigeon flyer had limited his birds liberty to the time they actually spent flying and gotten them right into the loft upon landing, ensuring they never got in the habit of sitting on anyone’s roof all along, he probably wouldn’t have gotten any complaints and the whole issue could have been avoided. If he did happen to have a rogue bird or two that sat on the roof of a neighbor’s house, he should have apologized and made sure in the future the bird was not let out unless it was hungry and could be called in. Maybe he should have offered to give the kids at the neighbor’s barbeque a tour of the loft and let them hold a warm egg or a tiny baby pigeon. The youngsters might have enjoyed that and the flyer would have made a friend of the neighbor instead of an enemy.

A pigeon flyer is letting his training birds out in a parking lot when a shop owner comes out and tells him “you can’t let those things out here! We have enough trouble with pigeons already.” The pigeon flyer has dirty crates and sawdust is flying all over the parking lot and across the mowed grass. The shop owner is very distraught about the mess. The pigeon flyer just laughs and gets in his dirty car with sawdust all over inside and drives off. The shop owner will tell his fellow business people on the street about what happened and the next time they see someone liberating training birds, they might call the police.

If the pigeon flyer had taken the time to explain that the birds were going home to their own loft and had shown the shop owner how they left and explained about how a race is conducted, the shop owner might not have been so upset. The flyer should have cleaned up his mess or used a litter in his crates that would not blow out, such as tobacco stalks or straw. If there was someone watching from a shop window, he could smile and said good morning. A smile can go a long way in breaking the ice and getting the lines of communication open before people jump to the wrong conclusion. Stop by and buy your coffee or a newspaper in the shop after you let the birds go. The shop owner would be glad to see you in the morning then. If he is adamant that he doesn’t want you there after all this, then go somewhere else! Don’t make an enemy.

All these situations may seem obvious to you, but, every one of them has happened…repeatedly. We should each try to look at ourselves as the non-pigeon flying citizen would see us and make sure we are presenting the picture we want them to see. That picture should be professional, courteous, and respectful of the rights of others. We have to take responsibility for our birds, even if they are 200 miles away. If you can’t do it alone, ask for help from another pigeon flyer. If another pigeon flyer asks you for help, give it your best. These are the ways every pigeon flyer can help promote the sport.

Let’s all try to be ambassadors of the sport and use every opportunity to show off the good side of our birds and ourselves