Jacqueline received Petunia as a rescue on 9/23/04. Petunia's rescuers had this to say about her miracle rescue.

"Petunia was laying in the middle of the road after being hit by a car. At first I thought she was dead, but I decided to pick her up and bury her in my yard. But then she moved her head slightly. She really was in bad condition - she was barely conscious and there was blood coming out of her bill. I couldn't get her to a vet right away, because it was 8:30 PM, so I had to wait until the next morning. I didn't really think she was going to make it. But she was still alive, so I rushed her to an avian vet. The vet said he was going to try to save her, but it wasn't going to be easy. I guess she was a lucky duck after all - she made it through the next couple of days, after which the vet said she was probably going to live. You can't imagine how happy I was!

Unfortunately, one wing was broken so badly that she would never be able to fly again. We tried to at least save that wing, so that she could balance herself easier while walking. But for some reason the wing just wouldn't heal. The vet tried to insert some metal pins into the wing to help it mend, but finally said it had to be amputated. Petunia seems to happy with just one wing however, and ever since she's been staying on my porch during the day and inside the house at night. She even laid some eggs and built a nest in the corner of my bedroom. So that's her story and I hope she'll make many new duck friends at Lame Duck Rescue."

Petunia just celebrated her 2nd anniversary with Lame Duck Rescue.  She is very tame to those she knows. She has taken a mate that she shares with another black and white Muscovy. His name is Dinky. Petunia maintains a nest and lays regularly. We collect the eggs daily to be sure there aren't any ducklings, because there are too many ducks out in the world that need homes.

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Sebastian, a duck with wheels!
Sent in by: Sharon, Sebastian's human

One summer night this tiny yellow duckling was crawling & struggling to walk across the sidewalk. Some cruel person didn't think her life was worth anything and threw her out with the garbage. She had cuts and scrapes all over her tiny body. To make matters worse for this little duckling, her legs were deformed, she was handicapped, her legs bend & she couldn't stand up and walk, so I took her to the doctor to see if anything could be done for her legs to give her a chance at life, but they wanted to put her to sleep they said nothing could be done.

I said no, I won't put this little duck to sleep. I named her Sebastian, not knowing if she was a boy or a girl. She turned out to be a girl duck and I took her home. That was 11 years ago. I guess the doctor didn't think anybody would care for this little duck... I couldn't find her a home or an organization that would take her so I had to keep her myself. I became her mother and she my child and I must say what a great job I did. I unselfishly and unconditionally love Sebastian... I added 10 years to Sebastian's life that otherwise she would not have had if not for my love and my own sacrifice, no time off and no vacations, it's hard work & total dedication round the clock.

Sebastian is the love of my life I just love Sebastian so much words cannot describe it. Her life is filled with love, hugs and kisses everyday, since she is handicapped I have to do everything for her it's a lot of work and dedication but I don't mind one bit because of the strong love I have for this duck, we both love each other so much and are so bonded. My husband builted Sebastian a wheelchair although she can't move it she doesn't mind sitting in it to be near me while I do housework.

Sebastian has her own bedroom and sleeps in a playpen on baby blankets, she needs to be kept on soft surfaces so she doesn't get sores on her hocks, her hocks are wrapped in self grip to prevent sores,  our day begins with good morning & happy to see you kisses, then I changed the blankets she was sleeping on all night with clean fresh ones, then after that I go and get her breakfast ready, she knows I making it because she starts quacking up a storm, after breakfast she will take a nap, after the nap comes more blanket changes and lunch, after lunch I will put her in the kiddie pool for her daily bath & swim when she ready to come out I put her in her outdoor pen where she preens herself and enjoys the sunshine, I begin her laundry by washing all her towels & blankets and I scrub out her playpen clean, after several hours of being outside in her pen, I take her out and hold her on my lap for some petting and play time or we just sit on the grass and play, now it's toward the evening I feed her dinner her tummy is full...I can sit and relax for a while until later when I give her a snack before she goes to bed kiss her good night shut the lights and start all over again the next day... I want to say thank you for all the wonderful & touching comments everyone has expressed towards Sebastian.

When you have a pet that is handicapped and you unconditionally take care of that pet, the love that you receive back is so much worth the work that it takes to care for them. Never give up on your beloved pets that can no longer walk. They deserve every chance that a human does, because all forms of life are precious. - Sharon

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