Friendly Duck Shows Up On Doorstep And Helps To Heal Grieving Dog’s Broken Heart

Jul 08, 2021 by apost team

Dogs are highly intelligent animals, but they can also be very emotional and form strong attachments to those they love. When you lose a friend or family member the grieving process takes time, and this is also true for dogs. One dog named George lost his best friend of 12 years, a lab named Blackie, in 2014. For the following two years he fell into a deep depression.

George grew incredibly anxious and nearly died twice from the physical manifestations of a broken heart. His owners were unsure how to help him until one day in 2016 a duck wandered into their yard and befriended George. The pair were fast friends, with George even allowing the duck to sleep in his bed. George is so comfortable with the duck he allows the bird to rest its bill on his leg.

George’s owner, Jacquie Litton, named the duck Donald. Donald made a huge impact on George’s mood and soon the dog was in much better health. Litton said that the dog looked visibly happier after just a week of bonding with Donald. She has even begun letting the duck inside her house so he can spend more time with George.

Litton also said that George and Donald enjoy going on walks together. The two animals even seem to communicate with each other through quacks and barks. Litton wonders if they are having an actual conversation. These two can’t get enough of each other’s company, and their friendship came at just the right time for George. Read on to learn more about George and Donald’s peculiar companionship. 

George was in very bad health after losing his friend Blackie. "He's almost died twice. He doesn't eat, starves himself, (he has) anxiety and a multitude of skin conditions from chewing on himself," Litton told Inside Edition. However, all of that changed after meeting Donald.

Litton added, "Since the duck showed up he's been okay. He's not wanted [to be] in the house. He's not whined. He's not meeting you at the car, you know, looking sad." It was as if a switch had been flipped and George was excited about life again.

Donald and George may be different, but that doesn’t stop them from enjoying each other's company. "It's his buddy," Litton said. "George loves him." Hopefully, this odd couple will be able to stay in each other’s lives for years to come.

Litton mentioned that she has no idea where Donald came from or what his life was like before meeting their family. Wherever he was before, Donald is happy now by George’s side. "They are totally different species and found comfort in each other," Litton explained to Inside Edition.

Coincidentally, Donald showed up almost exactly two years after Blackie passed away. "It is strange for a duck to just appear at our house and be attached to your dog and even more strangely the anniversary week of Blackie's passing," Litton wrote on her Facebook page in 2016.

It does seem odd that a duck would randomly become so attached to George, and for the dog to reciprocate the love as well. One person commented, “Maybe Blackie got reincarnated as a duck to help George?”

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Did this story touch your heart? What do you think of George and Donald’s friendship? Let us know, and be sure to send this on to your friends and family who love animals.