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May 29, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Pigeons on the Catwalk!

Pigeons on the Catwalk!

We had a fantastic time at the SF SPCA’s spectacular fashion show Dogs on the Catwalk and showed a whole lot of people a completely new way to see pigeons. Extra special thanks to the SF SPCA for including us, to Mandy Newkirk for the VIP treatment, to Nuena Photography for the amazing photos, to Betabrand, ClaireFarwellLondon and Jill Milan and all the models for showing off the beauty of pigeons so gloriously, to Palomacy volunteers Carole Craig, Steph Fries and Leda Hosier for making it possible and most of all to our pigeon ambassadors- Indy, Pat, Dylan, Amelio, Shimmy & Ragweed who worked so hard and looked so damn good doing it! (Pigeon Pants from The Bird Boutique)

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Steph, holding Indy, tabling for Palomacy at the SF SPCA Fashion Show Benefit

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The SF SPCA Humane Education Specialists love pigeons!

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To meet a pigeon (Shimmy in this case), is to love a pigeon.

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Steph, Amelio & Indy getting ready for the show

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Pigeon racing survivor Amelio looking fine in his Gold Tie Tux (by Jing of The Bird Boutique)

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Ready for the catwalk with the models of Betabrand

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Standing room only for the fashion show (photo courtesy of Nuena Photography)

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Betabrand model with rescued King Pigeon Dylan (photos courtesy of Nuena Photography)

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Compassion is beautiful! (Photo courtesy of Nuena Photography)

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Indy charmed Haylee (and visa versa)

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A model backstage with Indy (a survivor of pigeon racing)

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Fashion & compassion with Dylan & Amelio

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Palomacy- it’s pigeon diplomacy.

Leda and Ragweed SF SPCA Fashion Show 052915

Ragweed & Leda

Steph Fries and Indy SF SPCA Fashion Show 052915

Steph & Indy

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May 22, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Palomacy & Animal Place Working Together to Help King Pigeons

Palomacy & Animal Place Working Together to Help King Pigeons

On May 19, 2015, Palomacy founder Elizabeth & rescued King pigeon Dylan (bred to be butchered as squab) visited Animal Place Farm Sanctuary’s Rescue Ranch in Vacaville to firm up plans for a long-sought collaboration that will help save the lives of King Pigeons who have evaded the butcher and survived “release” to the streets but face death in Bay Area animal shelters for want of adopters.

Long peaceful drive into the property (10 MPH speed limit)

Long peaceful drive into the property (10 MPH speed limit)

Watch out for pedestrians

Watch out for pedestrians

Rattlesnake in the road

Hello

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Welcome to Animal Place

This is where Animal Place began

This is where Animal Place began

Jan & Dylan (rescued King Pigeon). Jan cares for all of the animals at the Rescue Ranch

Jan & Dylan (rescued King Pigeon). Jan cares for all of the animals at the Rescue Ranch

Rooster Radio and some of his beautiful ladies (“spent” hens saved from slaughter by AP)

Rescued "egg layer" chickens

Out of cages, off of wire, free to move, stretch their wings, express their feelings, be themselves

Future site of a life-saving aviary for rescued King pigeons!

Future site of a life-saving aviary for rescued King pigeons!

Jan with rescued King Pigeon on site of future aviary

Jan & Dylan are ready to make this happen!

Rescued chicken barn

Jan & Dylan visiting chickens in the barn nearest where the pigeon aviary will be

Rescued chickens

The chickens and pigeons will be neighbors

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Elizabeth is an Animal Place intern. It was her rescuing of a pigeon (which interrupted a chicken dinner) that inspired her to become vegan.

Rescue Ranch

The pigeon aviary will be in the clearing behind where Jan & Elizabeth are silhouetted

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Their covered porch has a very aviary-friendly design!

Jan & Elizabeth- ready to help pigeons!

Jan & Elizabeth- ready to help pigeons!

 

July 21, 2015 Update
Our Help Build an Aviary for Animal Place crowdfunding campaign is launched! Please click here to see more and help us save more birds!

Help Build an Aviary for Animal Place

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May 20, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Palomacy @ The State Capitol

Palomacy @ The State Capitol

We had a great time on the lawn of the State Capitol representing for birds, catching up with old friends and making new ones. Thank you to the ASPCA for including Palomacy in their California Paws for Celebration and special thanks to Christiana coordinating the event for us.

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May 11, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Sunshine Makes a Difference

Sunshine Makes a Difference

Laura Ann Quills Young Sunshine Prism

Sunshine makes a difference

Guest post by Laura Lee

Sunshine took our world by storm. On a frigid Canadian winter’s day, Sunshine was rescued by our special friend Bob. How something so sweet could be found alone in a garbage can, I will never know. I had no previous experience with baby pigeons but I have a trained ear now for their disinctive ‘squeak’. Bob gave me Sunshine but both of us knew it was unlikely the chick would live. My boyfriend chose the name Sunshine for the little squeaker because of the brilliant yellow fuzzies that covered the baby’s body. I felt at the time that every single day Sunshine stayed with us was a gift while hoping for the best and expecting the worse.

Sunshine Laura Lee FIRST EVER open eye photo

Sunshine opens his eyes for the very first time

Sunshine had the unlikely company of my Society Finches who even tried their ‘beak’ at feeding him. My pet white doves were also excited to welcome this yellow fuzzy baby even though he rapidly grew larger than they were!

Laura Lee pearl and Sunshine chick

Foster dove mom Pearl nurtured baby Sunshine

Sunshine showed a strong character even before his eyes opened. I told Bob and his wife Debbie how this amazing little bird grew up, feathered out and chased toys up and down the hallway. Tragically Bob passed away before he could see the vibrant bundle of healthy energy and love Sunshine had become. Sunshine is a daily reminder to us of the incredible people Bob and his wife Debbie are. Anyone who has seen Sunshine play fetch with his ball or watched him having a party in his splash pool cannot help but smile. And that happiness we all feel is because Bob believed every bird makes a difference.

Bob never got to see Sunshine grow into the vibrant healthy pigeon we know and love. Sunshine wants to say thank you to his rescuer by doing what Bob loved best- spreading awareness of the needs of birds… Without Bob there would have been no Sunshine.

To thank you for helping pigeons, Sunshine has created a very special gift set: Introducing Palomacy Awareness Ribbons!  Sunshine will send one of his handmade satin Palomacy Awareness Ribbons to the first 50 donors who give to Palomacy on 5/13/15 through GlobalGiving! They come in three different designs, each with a high quality lapel pin.

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Sunshine working on his Palomacy Awareness Ribbons

Laura Ann Quills Palomacy Ribbons Quills Approves

Quills inspects each ribbon

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Sunshine’s Palomacy Awareness Ribbons are ready!

And there’s more! Sunshine would also like to give you a handmade bookmarker with a silk tassel and little, tiny ringable bell. They are made from pictures of Palomacy diplomats such as Bell and Dylan and Amelio as well as one of baby Sunshine and one of rescue dove Queen Quills! Which one would you like?

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Sunshine’s Palomacy bookmarks

Still not sure you are going to make a donation to Palomacy right now?  Sunshine is a persistent little guy and he wants to give you yet another thank you gift… a Palomacy dove fridge magnet!

Sunshine Fridge Magnet

Sunshine’s Palomacy fridge magnet

All expenses including printing, ornamental pins for the handmade satin ribbons, dove magnets, shipping and handling – everything… will be paid by Sunshine. That is how important it is to Sunshine to thank Bob for rescuing him- and to thank you for helping Palomacy rescue more pigeons and doves and find them forever homes. Help Palomacy bring more ‘Sunshines’ into our lives.

Help Sunshine prove the difference one pigeon can make! Please donate to Palomacy during GlobalGiving’s Bonus Match on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.

On Wednesday, May 13th, 2015, every donation made to Palomacy via GlobalGiving (up to $1000) will receive a bonus match from the $75,000 fund and the first 50 donors will receive this super, extra special thank you inspired and created by Sunshine whose life was saved by Bob Johnston.

Bob Johnston was a very active bird advocate and he and his wife served as leaders in the Parrot Community in Ontario. Bob passed away six weeks after he rescued Sunshine, a year ago this May 12th, 2015. Bob’s wife Debbie says there is nothing Bob would have enjoyed more than the gift of Sunshine’s ribbons helping promote awareness of Palomacy, helping birds. Download Bob’s article “Your Future – Your Pet”

Debbie Bob and Indigo

Debbie and Bob with Indigo

Laura Lee, along with Sunshine, Quills, and lots of other feathery friends lives in Niagara Falls, Ontario and is employed by Pawistive Products as their sole bird handler caring for ducks, doves and a large flock of parrots. She has worked in Equador at a rescue center for illegally trapped parrots and in Africa with endangered birds. Laura writes, “After sharing my life with my doves and pigeons, I really want to give back to these amazing and often misunderstood birds. I’ve read about how the Dickin Medal was awarded to 32 pigeons for saving lives in WW1 and WW2. Still more than not people treat them mean – yet don’t mind exploiting pigeons’ talents if it suits them. Palomacy promotes awareness of how special doves and pigeons truly are and how they can become loved family members. Following Palomacy’s posts on Facebook has given me a chance to learn more their work, volunteers, community involvement – and the sweet precious birds in their care. I want to help any way I can to be apart of such a valuable cause.”

Laura Lee with Jazzy and Indigo

Laura with Bob and Debbie’s parrots Jazzy & Indigo

Sunshine at play

UPDATE: Thanks to Laura & Sunshine & all of your support, on 5/13/15, we raised a much-needed $7632 (our best Bonus Day ever)! Thank you for helping Palomacy to help birds!

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April 27, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Feather & Bone

Feather & Bone

Young emaciated racing pigeon

Starved very nearly to death

This young pigeon, now named Vivian, is extremely lucky to be alive.  She was bred to be used for pigeon racing. Taken miles from her home and “tossed” to her fate, she tried her best to fly home. But she failed. And she very nearly died because of it. I checked on Vivian at the request of Bruce, the kind man who rescued her. She weighs only 232 grams. She should weigh 400 or more. She is feather and bone. She is so emaciated that her body consumed its own breast muscle tissue in the fight to survive, grounding her without the muscles needed for flight.

Emaciated pigeon on scale showing 232 grams

Vivian lost nearly 50% of her body weight to starvation

Thanks to Bruce, she is slowly coming back to life.

Kind man Bruce with rescued racing pigeon

Vivian asked Bruce for help and he saved her

Bruce writes, “The rescue began as I was outside our building in Point Reyes Station, watering plants.  It was about 6:00 pm. I was filling up the watering can & she walked over to me from underneath our car.  She just sat there watching me as I watered.  I knew almost immediately that something was different about this pigeon.  There are quite a few in the belfry of our building. I walked over to her & saw the numbered blue band around her leg. I sat next to her for a bit, and then walked up the stairs to go inside. She followed me up the stairs! I brought down bread for her (she wasn’t interested). I went back upstairs to get Neil & when I returned, she was walking all alone down the street (cue sad, heart breaking music here!). I followed her & she let me pick her up. There were ravens & hawks around, and I knew there would soon be cats. I brought her inside, put her in a box with sesame seeds, wild rice (that’s all we had) & water. Neil went to the market for bird seed. She happily ate everything we gave her. We assembled our pup’s old dog crate, which was perfect. We made a perch & lined the crate, and Vivian went to sleep. She seemed very…relieved. As were we.”  

Exhausted survivor of pigeon racing

Vivian is still exhausted & recovering from her ordeal

Vivian’s successful self-rescue is a miracle. Most of the racing pigeons that get lost, injured and/or starved aren’t so fortunate. Despite their heroic efforts to find their way home, they will, for the “sport” of others, suffer and die.

Racing pigeons, though they look very much like their wild cousins the Rock Pigeons, are domestic birds. They have been bred and raised by people for so long that they are no longer wild. They no longer have the skills needed to survive on their own and so when they are taken away from their home and released to “race”, they are highly likely to die in the wild. Vivian’s approaching Bruce for help is not unusual. Pigeons are very smart and, having been raised by and depended on people for care, will often attempt what we call “self-rescue” by approaching people when they are in trouble. What’s unusual is that Bruce didn’t dismiss her. He saw that she was asking for help and he gave it.

So Vivian is safe now. She has been saved. She has a home and family that loves her and who will not play games with her life. She is a survivor of pigeon racing.

Lucky pigeon in a beautiful family photo

Bruce with Vivian, his dog, his sister and his son

Learn more at What’s Pigeon Racing?

Donate to help us help the birds.

See our adoptable birds.

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April 25, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Garage Sale Fundraiser (#7!)

Garage Sale Fundraiser (#7!)

Cheryl smiling and waving a garage sale sign

Cheryl is our Garage Sale Queen!

On Saturday, April 25th, 2015, Cheryl hosted her seventh Garage Sale Fundraiser for Palomacy! Since the first one held in April 2012, she has collected, stored, organized, sorted, stacked, displayed, sold, repacked and transported donated treasures that have raised $7000 for the birds! Each Garage Sale involves mountains of stuff and hours of work and even though many of us help, all of our efforts combined don’t come close to matching all that Cheryl does.

The first one was on April 7th, 2012.

 

Cheryl’s got a good location for garage selling but her extra efforts, including collecting huge quantities of donated goods, hanging big signs at all the key intersections, posting online and organized displays, are what crank these events up to be super fundraisers! The first one Cheryl hosted raised $1058 for the birds!

You have to sell a lot of $1 books & housewares, $2 pairs of shoes & sweaters, and $20 collectible treasures to raise $1058. But that’s what we did and so the Garage Sale performance bar has been set very high right from the beginning.

I’ll never forget being in the middle of the first one, exhausted from all the prep work and knowing there were many more hours of work ahead, when Cheryl offered to host another one! Super Cheryl is amazing like that!

And so, there have been six more. All have raised about $1000 each, one way or another. (Sometimes Cheryl writes a donation check to make up the difference if our sales are off!)

 

Our latest Garage Sale was full of drama. Rain (so needed for our drought-striken region) threatened but Cheryl held steadfast. And the weather was fine. We mobilized a great volunteer team and got lots and lots of stuff donated but we didn’t have as many shoppers as we usually do.

 

Our volunteer team was awesome!

Smiling team of hardworking volunteers

Volunteers L-R: Reza, Rhonda, Cheryl, Shae, Chris, Clare, Josette

And we had fun along the way…

 

When the sale was over, there was still lots of work to be done.

 

In addition to the $605 we raised from the event, we will earn money from the three large loads of treasures we donated to Community Thrift (they share proceeds from sales) and once again, Cheryl wrote a very generous check to bring us up to $1005!

And we need every penny. We’ve had a lot of birds needing a lot of vet treatment this month including Josie, Evan, Rose, Oakley, Fleetwood & Muriel.

Thank you to everyone who donated so generously, worked so hard and shopped so enthusiastically to make this Garage Sale Fundraiser yet another epic success. Extra, extra special thanks to our amazing host, Super Cheryl!

Super Cheryl (flying with cape)

If you want to host a Garage Sale Fundraiser for us, we would be honored. Or you can donate items in our name to Community Thrift or you can donate directly. One thing is for sure- your support will make a life and death difference for the birds who need our help.

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April 23, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Thank You Doc’s Clock!

Thank You Doc’s Clock!

Doc's Clock Showed Us a Great Time!

Doc’s Clock Showed Us a Great Time!

On Saturday, April 11th, Doc’s Clock hosted a very special fundraiser for us! Not only did we get to share cocktail time with lots of our favorite people, but we got to bring pigeons in pants too! And while we were having fun, Doc’s Clock raised a much appreciated $911 for us to support the birds! Thank you all for your wonderful support!

Musette & Pat with Kay

Musette, Pat & Kay

Alice with Mr. Stinker & Henry

Alice brought Mr. Stinker & Henry

Wendy & Indy

Wendy & Indy

Aria & Joolee with Indy

Aria & Joolee with Indy

Hazzel with Baby

Hazzel & Baby

Amanda & Pat

Amanda & Pat

Amanda, Ariana & Danielle

Amanda, Ariana & Danielle

Barna with Mookie

Barna & Mookie

Palomacy Loves Doc's Clock!

Palomacy Loves Doc’s Clock!

Cocktail Time with Palomacy!

Cocktail Time with Palomacy!

Raise a toast to pigeons!

Raise a toast to pigeons!

Thank you so very much to Carey, Kay & Lisa of Doc’s Clock for treating us to such a wonderful afternoon and to supporting our work with their generosity! Palomacy loves Doc’s Clock! And great big thanks to all of our wonderful supporters who came out and toasted the pigeons and showed us so much love and support!

 

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April 6, 2015
by Elizabeth
Comments Off on Palomacy at The Conscious Eating Conference

Palomacy at The Conscious Eating Conference

Karen Davis, founder & director of United Poultry Concerns with Pat

Karen Davis, founder & director of United Poultry Concerns with Pat

I had an amazing day on Saturday, April 4th, 2015. Pat, a rescued King pigeon (bred for meat- squab), and I attended the fourth annual Conscious Eating Conference put on by United Poultry Concerns & Animal Place. We learned so much! T.J. Tumasse of Animal Legal Defense Fund presented on what investigators find happening to farmed animals and if only a few moments of what he showed was common knowledge, people would look at their food very differently. (Farmed animals need their own Blackfish-type film to awaken consumers.) Mary Finelli of Fish Feel gave a mind-blowing  presentation about the trillions of fish being killed annually- far more and even more wastefully than any other animal. Kim Sturla made the case for why farm sanctuaries have to be educators, providing “classrooms without walls”. Karen Davis who, 25 years ago did what everybody said couldn’t be done and created United Poultry Concerns, spoke eloquently on the role of single issue campaigns. When Karen wanted to start UPC, she was told that if people couldn’t even be inspired to care about whales, they could never care about chickens but she has proved them wrong. Victoria Moran, author of Main Street Vegan and The Good Karma Diet (among other titles) gave an uplifting call to the abundance of vegan living. It was a great conference and we were privileged to be there advocating on behalf of pigeons and learning from animal rights leaders. Click on the photos to see full size.

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