Ron and Toni Bell, owners of a dove-release business in Cheney, often field a number of inquiries about their birds.


Before they respond, the couple would like to answer one question they figure everyones got on their minds.


Weve never had a problem with our birds messing on anyone, Ron Bell says. We feed them light so they dont unload on people.


The Bells birds have attracted interest from businesses and private parties in the Spokane area since the couple started the business, called Peaceful Messenger, in August 2002, Toni Bell says. The couple released the birds at 16 events last year, and have booked six events so far for this years season, which runs from early April to the end of October.


The Bells operate Peaceful Messenger from their home, where they raise and train about 72 birds for the business. Peaceful Messenger offers up to 60 birds for release at private or business events within a 50-mile radius of Cheney.


The birds homing abilities enable them to fly home no matter where they are released, Ron Bell says. The Bells birds actually are white racing pigeons that resemble domestic white doves, which dont have homing abilities, he says.


Peaceful Messenger gained some attention after the birds were released at two large events here, Toni Bell says.


In 2002, the city of Spokane hired the couple to release 60 birds for its Sept. 11 memorial service presented at the Lilac Bowl in Riverfront Park. The Bells and their birds received a taste of publicity at that time, as television and newspaper reporters covered the event, Toni Bell says.


A few days after that, the 60 birds were released again at a private party celebrating Walt and Karen Worthys grand reopening of the Davenport Hotel.


Besides those types of events, Peaceful Messenger offers dove-release services at funerals, weddings, memorials, and other special occasions.


All six of the events booked so far this year are weddings. Toni Bell says that many of the brides-to-be who have expressed interest in Peaceful Messenger have seen the birds released at other weddings.


Theyre not quite sure of it until they see the beauty of them being released, she says. Other clients say, This is something Ive always dreamed of.


The Bells charge from $85 to $200 per event; the amount depends on the size of the event, the number of birds released, and the location.


Peaceful Messenger is a side business for the Bells, who both have full-time jobs in Spokane. Toni works at a Yokes Fresh Supermarket, and Ron works for Worthy Enterprises Inc., of Spokane.


The couple know that Peaceful Messenger isnt going to provide a steady income, but they enjoy working with the birds and the extra money it brings in, Ron Bell says.


Were not going to get rich off of this, he says, but it pays the expenses and makes a little money.


Though the birds can travel about 600 miles in one day, the couple have limited the flying distance, with Post Falls, Deer Park, and Sprague being the farthest locations theyve served. The Bells release the birds no later than two hours before sunset to give them enough time to return home.


The Bells dont need to train the birds to fly home after release because theyre migratory animals, Ron Bell says. Its believed that the pigeons and other migratory birds use either the earths magnetic field or the position of the sun to find their way back to the place where theyre born, he says. Whatever the explanation, the Bells birds always find their way home, he says.


The birds need physical training, however, to condition their muscles after the four-month off-season, Toni Bell says. Sometime before April, the Bells take their birds about five miles away from their home and release them, then gradually take them out farther and farther, she says.


They need training just like athletes, she says. After four months, they need to start building their muscles up again.


The Bells take the birds to each event in special wicker baskets of varying sizes, including a heart-shaped white basket that holds two birds for a bride and groom to release at a wedding. The two largest baskets, which are about the size of a large, narrow suitcase, hold up to 30 birds each. The birds are released by unfastening the latches to the baskets built-in doors.


The baskets are imported from England, where they are made specifically for releasing birds, Ron Bell says. Racing pigeons are more popular in England and other European countries than they are in the U.S., he says.


Sometimes the birds stall immediately after the doors are dropped because they are frightened or a little too relaxed, but once one leaves, the rest follow, Toni Bell says.


They know the drill, Ron Bell says. They usually come firing out of there, but if not, we coax the slowpokes with a rod.


The rod simply nudges the birds closer to the door and doesnt hurt them, he says.


Ron Bell has learned how to take care of his birds since the time he was given his first pair of racing pigeons when he was nine years old. When he was growing up in California, he found a few inexpensive ways to get more birds, such as climbing on top of the movie theater near his home to gather baby pigeons for breeding.


Since then, hes bought, bred, and raised the birds as a hobby. He joined the Spokane Racing Pigeon Club in 1997.


The Bells live about six miles east of downtown Cheney in a small farmhouse surrounded by barn-like lofts where they keep their birds. When the birds fly home, they enter the lofts through a car bumper-sized hatch that acts like a trap door, keeping them from escaping.


When someone first enters a loft, the birds get a little skittish, furiously flapping their wings and darting around from perch to perch as they try to figure out whos disturbing their peaceful haven. Unless someone makes a sudden move, they calm down after a few minutes and eyeball the visitor with curiosity.


Though difficult to catch, the birds can get relaxed in someones hand, even to the point at which the hens are comfy enough to lay eggs.


Besides the Peaceful Messenger birds, the Bells also have 50 nonwhite racing pigeons, as well as two dogs, four chickens, and 11 Barbados sheep. The sheep around because eat grass and pine tree seedlings around the couples home, which decreases the risk of fire in the summer, Ron Bell says.


The Bells havent named all of their 100-plus birds, but theyve given special monikers to a few of them, including a bird Ron Bell named Q6 after he and the bird appeared on KHQ-TVs morning show. The couple also have set apart a group of birds they call the elite 30, which are more conditioned for release than the rest of the birds.


Though theyre small creatures, the birds require maintenance, which can get a little spendy, Toni Bell says. They need vaccinations once a year, supplies for their lofts, and food. The Bells buy food pellets about half a ton at a time.


If the Bells want to hold down the pigeon population for a while, they remove the eggs from under the hens and replace them with wooden eggs so the hens can still perform their instinctive duties as mothers. The hens will continue to mate if they dont have any eggs to sit on, Toni Bell says.


Though the Bells enjoy the work, they concede that the birds require time and money.


People ask us, Thats it, all youre doing is raising pigeons? Ron Bell says. I tell them, You just try it sometime.


The Bells suspend the dove-release business during the winter because of poor weather conditions and the hawk migration here during that time, Toni Bell says. The Bells havent lost a bird yet to hawks, which are natural predators of racing pigeons, or to any other predators, including the neighbors cats, Ron Bell says.


Like most other animals, the birds can be unpredictable even though theyve been trained and conditioned to fly when released, Toni Bell says.


Theres no telling what the birds will do, she says. They may circle around in the sky a few times to get their bearings, but its all part of the show.


The Bells anticipate that their business will grow in the future, and hope that more churches will show interest in making use of the birds, which often are used to symbolize loyalty, devotion, peace, and purity, Toni Bell says.


The couple plan to do more advertising, and expect that theyll book more events this year as more people discover Peaceful Messenger exists, Toni Bell says.


Besides making a little money for the Bells, Peaceful Messenger allows the couple to watch the reactions of customers and audience members, who often are surprised at how strongly they react to watching the birds take flight, Toni Bell says. Spectators often are moved to tears when the birds are released, as was the case at a peace vigil last year at Gonzaga University, she says.


It brings a special joy to people, she says. Its fun to see.