When his favourite pastime nearly killed him, bird fancier Lloyd Sansom had to find a way to work around it.
Now he might look a bit funny wearing a mask over his mouth and nose while wandering up and down rows of birds at one show or another, but he is just happy he can still be involved.
Mr Sansom had to give up his own beloved pigeons about 12 years ago when he developed a disease commonly known as bird fancier's lung.
Caused by exposure to dust on bird's feathers or dust from dried excrement, the disease deprived the blood of oxygen and had symptoms similar to asthma, Mr Sansom said.
At his worst, his levels were down to 39% oxygen in his blood, he said. "They said if I got down 30%, that would have been it. The end."
A pigeon fancier for more then 30 years, it was the pigeons he had to give up first.
Then he had to give up his fancy bantams too.
He still had a few laying hens, but "the wife doesn't even let me feed them, either".
If he spent any extended time around the birds, even outside, he had to wear a mask to protect himself.
But that did not stop him going to the shows.
For 10 years, he had been a pigeon class and fancy bantam judge at bird shows around the South Island, including regularly the Dunedin Poultry Pigeon and Cage Bird Club's annual show, which was held at Forrester Park in Dunedin at the weekend.
"Oh, I still like going around the shows.
"I like looking at the birds, at the variety."
And while fancying birds was great, being alive was even better, he said.
"When you find out how close you are to being 6 feet under, you don't worry about giving [the birds] up."
Club president Stu Aitken said there was a great selection of birds on display at the show this year, including the famous breeds of domesticated birds such as Leghorns, Hamburghs, magpie ducks, Pekin and rosecomb bantams and other cage birds.
The competition was strong as usual, with about half a dozen judges required to judge the categories, which included fancy bantams, game birds, heavy breeds (up to 7kg), light breeds (up to 3kg), ducks and pigeons.
Judge John Davies said the Leghorns and silver spangled bantams were "outstanding" this year.
