He and his hobby are of a feather

POST FALLS – When Dominic Daddato visits his pets, he’s greeted by the throaty cooing and the flapping of 26 sets of wings.

If he leaves them away from home – even up to 50 miles – they’ll always find their way back. No leashes required.

The Post Falls man’s pet of choice: pure white homing pigeons.

Nearly four years ago, Daddato, 65, began raising his brood with four of the pigeons, also known as rock doves. Since then, Daddato’s flock has grown and serves as a pleasant pastime, provides amusement to his grandchildren and holds a special place in his heart.

He’s had a lifelong interest in birds, but it wasn’t until after retiring and relocating to North Idaho that Daddato pursued his passion.

He built a pigeon coop with pale-blue siding to match his home, which rests on 10 acres above the Spokane River and overlooks the Rathdrum Prairie.

His flock grew so quickly he began giving birds away, and then he began to trick the birds by replacing their eggs with wooden eggs.

He trains the new hatchlings early on to maneuver through the pigeon coop and takes them on short flights, getting them used to always returning home. He maxes out the range at 50 miles, he said.

“I really worry about the little guys,” he said. The largest threat is hawks, he added.

Once, Daddato brought his entire flock to Coeur d’Alene for a flight home. But they didn’t come back. Fog had rolled in, and pigeons won’t fly when they can’t see or have trouble getting their bearings, Daddato said. More than two days later, the sky cleared, and the birds came home.

“I thought I lost the whole flock,” Daddato said.

Pigeons mate for life, and Daddato said he enjoys watching mates care for one another. The male will take over on the nest for the female around midmorning so she can eat and rest. Daddato can always tell when birds are pairing off because they begin to feed one another, he said.

He’s brought his flock to the Post Falls Public Library for a demonstration for children. He’s also talked to his grandchildren’s classes at school and released his birds at weddings.

Daddato said he’d like to widen his circle to include senior citizen homes and additional school presentations.

His own interest in birds began at a young age. As a child in Milwaukee, Daddato and his brother used to roam in abandoned grain warehouses and scoop up baby pigeons to raise at home. But they soon gave up on the idea, Daddato said wryly, after their father discovered the birds made tasty dinners.

Daddato saved one young pigeon by hiding it under his bed and feeding it by hand. He let it outdoors, and it would respond to his whistle and ride on his shoulder. When old age claimed his pet, the neighborhood children held a grand funeral procession and burial.

As an adult, Daddato couldn’t raise pigeons in his California neighborhood, where he ran a biotechnology manufacturing business. But the birds still played a special role in his life.

He credits a pair of doves for saving his marriage.

Early on in Dominic and Patricia Daddato’s relationship, the pair was arguing about whether to give up on it. The window was open, and a persistent scratching began at the screen.

It was a dove, flapping its wings and drawing their attention. The bird fluttered to the ground, where it was joined by a second. The two came to the window again, violently flapping.

The Daddatos, who are Christians, took it as a message that the marriage should be saved.

“We both got up and hugged each other and decided we would never utter the word ‘divorce’ again,” Dominic Daddato said. “We considered it a sign from God.”

Later on, he designed a new wedding ring for his wife that featured two doves. He threw his wife a surprise birthday party, where he proposed a second time and conducted another marriage ceremony.

“The birds,” Daddato said, “remind me of that day.”