It's a Family Affair for Fords-based Kaila's Love Doves

Doves are the family business for Harry Witt.

Witt - the proprietor of Kaila's Love Doves in Fords, has been in the dove release business for fourteen years, all at the behest of his granddaughter, Kaila Kraft.

"I started the business when she was seven years old, she's now a senior at Monmouth University.  So time flies,"  said Witt of his granddaughter, a psychology major at Monmouth and the namesake of Kaila's Love Doves.  "She was the inspiration that bought this business about."  Kraft continues to work with her grandfather when not in school, working on the Kaila's Love Doves website. (Witt's wife, AnnMarie, also works for the company, doing office work.)

Witt initially got into the dove release business through an in-law.  "Before I was married, a very long time ago, my wife's brothers had racing pigeons, so my interest was piqued then," said Witt.   "So I got a small loft with a couple of racing pigeons."  Witt's business was in racing pigeons until switching over to dove releases in 1998 - when Kaila saw a dove release during a televised wedding in California.  "We transformed the business into a dove release business, and the rest is history," said Witt.

The switch from pigeon racing to dove releases was a naturally one for Witt - the common pigeon is actually a type of dove known as the "rock dove," or homing dove.  The type of birds used in releases are white Rock Doves.
"Their homing ability is incredible.  The success rate of our birds returning home is near 99%," said Witt.  "Typically they will come home every single time after being released."  Well trained homing pigeon stock have a range of over 100 miles, and releases within 50 miles of their home generally ensure the safe return of the birds, according to literature provided by Kaila's Love Doves.

"This is a business I totally enjoy. I lost my job in 2007," said Witt, who worked as a manager of inspection and expediting at GAF Materials in Wayne.  "I was with them for 20 years.  They merged with another company and got rid of four or five hundred people, and so I decided to dedicate my full-time efforts to the business, and I enjoy every single release that we do."

The releases Kaila's Love Doves typically do are weddings and memorials, Witt notes.  "We have three different sayings to choose from, and the bride and groom and edit it, personalize it, combine them, so they're saying what the doves really mean to them," said Witt of the ceremony involved in releasing the doves at weddings.  The dove releases typically  include a display cage - a heart-shaped basket with two doves inside - as well as a basket of five doves and a keepsake plaque. 

"The are usually two that are released by the bride and groom - sometimes they can pick the number of doves they want - sometimes it's symbolic, sometimes not," said Witt.  "After the doves are released, the bride and groom take pictures with the birds on display, they typically do not get released."

In addition to weddings, Kaila's Love Doves also does releases for memorials.  "Its beautiful.  Typically our deluxe package consists of a single spirit dove being released out of a heart shaped basket, followed by a trinity of three or another number up to seven that are released out of the chapel," a basket shaped like a church, said Witt.  "We also have a keepsake plaque just like the wedding, in loving memory of the person."

The turnaround time for Kaila's is remarkably short - a week for weddings, and two days for memorials - so those interested in doing a dove release during the fall wedding season have plenty of time to set up the arrangement, said Witt.

In addition to weddings and memorials, Witt and family have been involved in dove releases for other large-scale events in the area.  "We've done a lot of 9/11 stuff - that's how I got involved with some special events that we do pro bono, like the Tunnel to Tower run.  I think that this is our fifth or sixth year doing that event," said Witt, noting that they've also done dove releases for the New York City Marathon ("We released 51 doves - one representing each state, and one for the other countries represented.")

Perhaps the biggest event for Witt and Kaila's Love Doves occurred in 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI visted the old Yankee Stadium.

"I was contacted personally by the New York Archdiocese - they wanted 150 doves, and of course I only own 40 or 50 at the time, so I had to solicit other companies to do the release with me," said Witt.  "It went off without a glitch, it was absolutely terrific.  I had baskets made out of cardboard to accommodate 25-30 birds in each basket.   I bought the boxes over to the school at St. James Church and the kids decorated them for us.  It was really terrific."

Witt - a baseball fan - was overwhelmed by the experience.  "I'm a Mets and Yankees fan, mainly a Mets fan but my granddaughter likes the Yankees," he said.  "I had an all-access pass, so I was able to to go into the Yankee clubhouse.  Going up the stairs from the dugout into the clubhhouse - there were amazing pictures of Babe Ruth, Lou Gerhig, Mickey Mantle.  It was unbelievable."

If there's one thing he's proud of about Kaila's Love Doves, however, it's the prices they charge for dove releases.  "In the metro area, our prices range between $295 and $425 for our deluxe package.  We've only raised the price $20 in the last thirteen years," he notes.

Ultimately, it's the symbolism of the dove that drives business for Witt and his family.  "Doves symbolize different things to different people," said Witt.  "This is a wonderful way to greet the bride and groom, as they leave the church.  Customs have changed - rice and confetti were big, not they're as environmentally safe.  This is a perfect solution; the birds return home safely and everyone gets to enjoy the beauty."

If you are interested in a dove release for a wedding, memorial, or special event, Kaila's Love Doves can be contacted by phone at 732-634-4470, or online at www.njdoves.com.

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