Donald’s Forever Home

As I carried Donald across the yard to the pond, I thought to myself, “He really is enjoying being carried!” This being my first duck, I hadn’t been sure how much ducks liked to be handled. He seemed quite content, safely tucked under my arm, observing the world around him from a higher viewpoint than usual for a two-foot-tall duck.

When I first thought about getting a duck, I was concerned that I thought the animal was great, but that the care for it would be too overwhelming. I researched articles on the Web from professionals to regular animal owners like me. With my home having an accessible pond about 100 feet from the yard, it seemed like my home would be a perfect match for the water-loving fowl.

The first day Donald came home with me we hit it off. He liked coming in the house and seemed to understand that if he needed to “go” he’d have to wait until he was back outside. He loved waddling around the kitchen, finding crumbs to snack on. Next, he would make his way to the family room. He would stand in front of the television as if wondering what it was. That first time I turned it on, he was hooked! Have you ever heard of a duck who likes watching the news?

Donald acquired his name, not because Disney had named a duck well, but because of his orange tuft of hair. It looked fake, awkward if you will. Of course, it wasn’t hair, it was feathers, but regardless it looked like a poorly made-up comb-over. I also found him unique by the strange color of his beak. It was almost as if he put that fake tanning cream on his beak just to darken it up a bit. I remember that cream from when my sister used it years ago. It turned her skin on her face and the palms of her hands orange! Anyhow, my unique Donald is now family and knows he has found his forever home.