Deacon Dave has since the age of 6 or 7 inherited his interest in doves and pigeons from his Grandfather Manuel Gomes.  Manuel had a pet barn pigeon named Jennie.  The pigeon was so attached to Manuel that it would fly along side of Manuel while driving his tractor. 

Deacon Dave’s own first pigeon was Pudgy I.  His Grandmother Clara helped little Davy snatch a baby pigeon form high up in the Harvester Shed.  Both Grandmother and Grandson had to feed the little baby pigeon by hand.  What a pet it turned out to be.  Followed them everywhere on the Gomes Ranch.  It had to be protected from Nana’s many cats who would just love an horsd’oeuvre. 

Little Dave began studying doves and pigeons.  Books upon books!  Many references of doves and pigeons in the Bible.  He learned that the dove is one of the signs of the Holy Spirit.  Doves and pigeons are essentially cousins.  As proven in 2004 when the Deacon crossed breed a pigeon and a dove.  The off spring was larger than a dove and smaller than a barn pigeon.  The soft coloring resembled a long extent wild pigeon.

Dave purchased some Silver Kings (a breed of pigeon) from local rancher.  The Silver Kings were a utility type breed for raising a heavy weight squab (baby pigeon 28 day old) for meat production.  Dave liked the Kings for their beauty not for the meat...

In High School Dave met the World renowned Show King Breeder, Mr. Fritz Freitas of Livermore.  Mr. Freitas introduced Dave to the Show King Pigeon.  Show Kings were breed for the Exposition and Showing at District and National Pigeon Shows.  Mr. Freitas was a world class breeder.  Some of his Show Kings sold for Thousands of dollars.

Deacon Dave will admit that he has never come close to the quality of Show Bird that Mr. Frietas breed.  The Deacon however did show various breeds of Show Pigeons at the Alameda County Fair, San Joaquin County Fair, Santa Clara County Fair, Ferndale Fair and other smaller pigeon meets.  Deacon Dave’s Show Pigeons have won numerous Championships and over 400 awards.

He has bread and raised:  Doves of many varieties, Show Kings: White, Blue, Black and Silver.  Fantails, Frillbacks, Modena, Giant Runt, American Strasser, Russian Trumpter, Lahore, Homing Pigeons, Carneaux and French Mondain.  He has given talks to groups on the subject of Show Pigeons.  The Deacon was invited to Judge the Show Pigeons at the Redwood Acres Bird Show in the last 1970’s.  His love of pigeons is current and the Deacon maintains many doves, a few Fantails and a variety of Show Kings in: Black, Blue, White and Bar Silver.

At one time there were over 550 pair of pigeons on the acreage of Casa del Pomba.  Those were the days when Dave was in High School and as his Future Farmers of America project, raised squab.  Dave won two Silver Awards for outstanding project.

Because the Doves, pigeons, ducks, quail, pheasants, chickens, finch and other birds existed on the agricultural zoned property, they were essentially located there long before the City of Livermore annexed the property to the City Limits.  The birds were “Grandfathered” into the annexation.  Therefore Deacon’s Casa del Pomba is the “littlest biggest” bird operation in the City of Livermore.  Over the years Deacon Dave has reduced the number of birds on the property to a few of each species. 

Ref: The Pigeon by Wendell M. Levi

From Levi’s Famous book “The Pigeon” comes some interesting research.  Archaeological Records of the pigeon made centuries and even millennia, before the time of our first documentary evidence, have been unearthed.  These bear proof that doves and pigeons were not only tended with living care by these ancient peoples, but that they occupied a position of reverence and were regarded as holy.

It was the Dove that was given the honor of bearing the glad tidings of land to Noah.  Noah sent out a raven, but the raven failed him and did not return; he then sent out a dove which returned when it could not find land; again the dove was sent out and found land but, instead of staying, it returned to Noah with the olive leaf, a demonstration of trustworthiness which remains one of the endearing qualities of the dove and pigeon to this day.

The Arabian version adds a bit of color to the service rendered to Noah by the dove.  (Ancient Egyptians, Vol. 1, p. 401) Says:  “on its second visit to the ark, the red appearance of its feet proved that the red mud on which it had walked was already freed from the waters; and to record the event, Noah prayed that the feet of these birds might for ever continue of that color, which marks them to the present day.

Reverence for the pigeon has continued to this day in Mohammedan countries.  In 1925 a near riot was caused in Bombay when two European boys ignorantly killed some street pigeons.  The Stock Exchange and general markets were closed and a widespread strike threatened.

The dove and pigeon has come to be almost worshipped in remote parts of he Mohammedan world, and at the pigeon shrine of  Kaptar-Mazzar, in Chinese Turkestan, good Moslems are supposed to dismount and approach the spot reverently.

At The Mosque of Doves at Istanbul pigeons have increase greatly in numbers due to the reverence for them.

Doves and pigeons are mentioned in both the Old and New Testament of the Bible.  In the Christian Religion the Dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit.  Thus it is easy to see why Deacon Dave dedicated his home, Casa del Pomba (House of the Dove, to the Holy Spirit.  The Chapel is also named “The Chapel of the Holy Spirit”.  The head bird on the property is a dove named “Spiritu Sancto” (Holy Spirit).

Matthew 3:16: “

From Wendell Mitchell Levi’s book “The Pigeon”: “ In War:  The pigeon has long been known to military strategists as one of the most effective means of liaison, and has always proved to be an able ally in time of war.  Ancient armies were limited in their means of communication.  Men on horseback and couriers on foot were, with the pigeon, the only means of liaison, and, compared with the pigeon, the horse and the foot runner are exceedingly slow.”

Most people are not aware that the U.S. Army had a “Signal Pigeon Corps.  The military used a “Combat Mobile Pigeon Loft.  The Pigeon Breeding and Training Center at Fort Monmouth, N.J. had at its peak, approximately 12,000 pigeons in training.  The Homing Pigeon, Cher Ami is perhaps the best known of military Racing Homers.  He is credited with saving the “Lost Battalion”.  G.I. Joe was another famous Military Pigeon of the U.S.

Over 33 British and American Racing Homers have received the Dickin Medal for Animal Heroes.

The Doves and Pigeons of Casa del Pomba (House of the Dove) have raised over 50 generations of birds.  They have been on the property long before the City of Livermore ever thought of annexing to the City.

The Photo’s that are a part of this article date from the Deacons Grandfather, 1930’s, 1940’s to a very young Dave.  The Deacon maintains much less in number of birds that in the 1950 and 1960’s.  We hope you enjoy the photo’s of the Doves and Pigeons of Casa del Pomba.  Deacon Dave is proud of his birds.  Deacon Dave’s Mother, Norma Rezendes enjoys helping with the birds and checks on them daily.  Deacon Dave’s Grandmother, the late Clara Gomes also was a big part of the bird care.