The Story of Doodles the Duck #MetOnPetfinder #ad @Petfinder

Anyone could tell by visiting my site that I have a lot of pets. But did you know that most are adopted? Take for instance, Mr. Whistles. We adopted him when we found him not being treated properly in his previous residence. The day we got to take him home, his previous people threw him in a cardboard box, taped it up and give him to us like that. Who would treat a parrot that way?

Over the years, I've had a lot of pets and I'm no stranger to adopting. I've spent countless hours searching online for animals that need a forever home. One of the sites I have used in my searches is www.Petfinder.com. Did you know that on Petfinder you can search for not just cats and dogs but also birds, small animals and even barnyard animals like ducks and chickens?

And speaking of barnyard animals, that's how I adopted my newest baby, Doodles my Pekin duck.



Through the years, I've had two very special Pekin ducks but both were killed in tragic ways. And it wasn't until this past April that I even thought about getting another duck. I guess it's hard to understand, but once you bond with a duck, it's not the same without one. Ducks are very special animals in the fact that they can imprint on you. Imprinting is when you get a duck when it's very young and are constantly around it without other ducks. Eventually that duck will imprint on you and think it's a little human. I know it sounds crazy, but all my other Pekin ducks imprinted on me because of this too.

When we went to adopt Doodles, he was only 2-weeks-old. He was in a bin with about 60 other baby ducks and they had no water, plus their wood shavings were filthy. When I picked him up for the first time, he got so scared that he threw up right on my hands. It broke my heart but we adopted him and took him home.

Doodles became a special duck because he has never lived outside. From the time I adopted him, he has lived in the house with us. When he was little, he bathed in the bathroom sink and lived in a pet stroller that was lined with pet liners. And as he grew older, he started bathing in the tub and he now lives in a playpen in the living room. He has his own set of stuffed animal toys that he plays with and he loves to play with the dogs too! But what really makes him funny is he hates being outside. If I go outside, I have to force him to come and take a walk. And when he's done with his walk, he will go sit back up on the front porch and wait for me to open the front door to let him back in.



Doodles and I have been best friends since I adopted him. I guess he thinks of me as his mother duck because he follows behind me where ever I go. He's one of the best friends I could have ever asked for and it would have never been possible without adopting him.

For the past 20 years, Petfinder has worked to ensure that more adoptable pets find their forever homes. Since 1996, Petfinder has helped facilitate more than 25 million pet adoptions through its shelter and rescue member organizations. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Petfinder is asking pet parents, pet lovers and pet advocates to join the celebration and its effort to donate $200,000 benefitting 20 shelter and rescue members. To make this donation possible, Petfinder is asking animal lovers to help generate one million views of its #MetOnPetfinder anniversary video by October 24, which shows how adoptable pets have transformed the lives of their adopters. When the one million views goal is met, 20 Petfinder shelter and rescue members will each receive a $10,000 grant from the Petfinder Foundation to help continue to transform the lives of the pets in their care and cultivate more lifelong relationships. As part of the celebration, Petfinder families, advocates, partners and fans are encouraged to share their Petfinder adoption stories on social media by using the hashtag #MetOnPetfinder.