Alberta duck and dog prove love comes in all shapes and sizes | Globalnews.ca

A pet store in the small community of Thorsby, Alta. is becoming quite an attraction — all because of two of its residents.

The small Alberta town is where an unusual friendship has flourished between a two-year-old Call duck and a 10-year-old Rottweiler.

“I never expected this degree of a bond in their relationship,” their owner Andra Novakowsky said.

Novakowsky also owns Pet Necessities. She said the unlikely friendship began two years ago when — jokingly — she said she wanted a duck for her birthday.

She already had Bruce, who had become the unofficial store greeter.

“He did such a good job at that. He was so good with the animals and such,” Novakowsky said.

That’s when a duckling literally walked in and stole Bruce’s heart.

“Cashew bonded to him immediately. She likes me, but Bruce is her one and only,” Novakowsky explained. “It kind of hurts my feelings sometimes, because Cashew will squawk at me and not want anything to do with me and then she’ll go snuggle up with Bruce.”

Bruce and Cashew nap together, play together, eat each other’s food and even groom one another.

“If Bruce is eating anything, even stuff that she should not be eating, she wants it. She will try and take it away from him,” Novakowsky said. “If she sees something that creeps her out, she will just dart under Bruce’s legs to wait it out until all is safe and clear.”

“I’d say she’s got a big crush on him.”

Their bond has grown stronger over the last two years, despite the obvious differences in personality and size.

“She has no idea that she’s a duck,” Novakowsky said. “She’s actually been introduced to other ducks and wanted nothing to do with them. She is much more comfortable with the dogs here.”

“Bruce is more of the stoic, laid-back, quiet, reserved one and Cashew definitely is the more boisterous one. She’ll let you know when she’s upset or if she wants something, she’ll pull at your pant leg.”

The duck-dog duo has become a bit of a celebrity in Thorsby — attracting people from Edmonton and as far as Drayton Valley.

“The number one thing I get asked is, ‘Bruce hasn’t eaten Cashew?’ Nope. Not at all,” Novaskowsky laughed.

“I think the duck is the boss, to be honest. For sure,” Jason Dillabough, an employee at the store, said. “Bruce has never shown any aggression towards the duck at all.”

“I’m still getting people that haven’t seen them before,” Novakowsky said. “They’ll come in and rush back out and grab the rest of the family saying, ‘You’ve got to come in!’ They just love it.”

With files from Sarah Kraus, Global News.

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Original Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/3856676/alberta-duck-and-dog-prove-loves-comes-in-all-shapes-and-sizes/

Publishing Information: 11 Nov, 2017 By Jennifer Ivanov