Mo The Duck
By Tara Collins
We have an unconventional pet. Living in a suburban town within close proximity to all our neighbors, we are surrounded by people with dogs, cats, hamsters, and fish. Our youngest son is allergic to dogs and I’m not fond of cleaning up after them, so a dog has been a distant wish for my husband and children.
Last summer my husband and I went on a weekend getaway to a cabin in a quaint little town near our home. At a pond close to the cabin, we met a very friendly duck. Our romantic weekend turned into a few days of following this duck around, petting it, and letting it eat from our hands. Throughout the weekend my husband kept hinting that a duck was the perfect pet for our family. I hated to dash his enthusiasm, but in the back of my mind I knew it was impossible. We didn’t live in the country or on a farm, and we certainly didn’t have the proper environment to raise a duck. So I politely nodded, hoping that in a few days he would forget about the duck and we could move on with life as normal.
My husband had other plans. The day after we arrived home, I helped host a baby shower at a friend’s home. I was gone for several hours that day and when I returned home and pulled into the garage, I noticed something strange. There was a large package of hay, some empty boxes from a heating lamp and feeding dishes, and a giant bag of bird food. I slowly made my way into the house to find my husband settled into the couch with a tiny yellow 4 day-old duckling, wrapped in one of my good dishcloths. I didn’t say a word, and he quietly whispered to me, “His name is Mo. He has a mohawk, just like the duck we met this weekend.”
Our 4 year-old daughter and Mo quickly became pals. Anywhere she goes, Mo is right there ready to be loved. It didn’t take but a few hours for Mo to be a hit with the rest of our children and their neighborhood friends. He snuggles, kisses, and follows us around. He takes wagon rides to the pond, swims for a bit, and then gets out and waits for us to bring him home again.
Since Mo was not raised by a mama duck, his natural instincts have been compromised. He does not always recognize the dangers that surround him. We have tried to do our part to protect him from predators. He plays in our locked backyard by day and sleeps in a locked cage each night.
One day we had a visitor to our house who was going to be doing some work for us. After looking around in the backyard, we took him through the gate to the front, to show him some things in the neighbor’s yard. I was the last one out of the gate and I remember not being too concerned about pulling the gate tight because Mo never walked to that side of the house. Besides, we were just going to be gone for a minute.
A few minutes later, while finishing my conversation in front of the neighbor’s house, my 6 year-old son came running to find me. With his lip quivering and tears beginning to stream down his cheeks, he asked, “Mom, did you leave the gate open?”
I knew immediately what was wrong. I ran back home to a horrific sight. Because I left the gate open, the neighbor’s dog made it into our yard. A struggle ensued, and eventually the dog was spotted trotting out of the backyard with Mo in his mouth. A different neighbor yelled for the dog to drop the duck, and she did. At this point, Mo was lying motionless in the grass and my husband quickly ran to determine the extent of his injuries. As I made my way around back, it looked as if someone had taken a pillow and pulled all the feathers out as they danced across the yard. We didn’t know if Mo would survive.
We are lucky that this story has a happy ending. Mo recovered from his physical injuries, however he does have some emotional scars. He nervously paces back and forth and has the constant desire to be near our back door. Since Mo can’t fly, he relies on us to keep the gate closed so he is safe.
So many stories like this don’t end as well. I think of my responsibility as a mother. How many times have I left the gate open for destructive influences to enter my home? My children rely on me for protection from all kinds of harm. They are young and unequipped to protect themselves. If I am careless with my responsibility, I allow danger in all its forms to enter that gate and injure the people I love most in this world.
