It started as a quick stopgap for a garden centre. It turned into a duck named Louie becoming part of a New York family, and an unlikely companion for their golden retriever, Barley.
Justin and Tori Cannarelli live with their two children, Cameron and Charlie, a dog, and a duck.
“I never expected to own a duck. Never expected him to stay long term,” Tori told CBS News.
The Cannarellis were looking for a duck for a garden centre owned by Justin when they found one on Facebook Marketplace that had hatched in a Long Island elementary school classroom.
Instead of taking Louie to the garden centre, Tori brought him home.
It was meant to be a short visit, but Louie quickly became especially important to Barley.
A couple of years ago, Barley started having seizures. The family put her on medication and the seizures stopped, but they also noticed side effects.
“She just lost her spunk,” Tori said. “She lost her goldenness.”
“We thought, oh man, this medication we have to give her for the rest of her life,” Justin said. “So this is how she’s going to be.”
Then the family noticed a bond growing between Louie and Barley.
“She started smiling again,” Tori said. “She started wagging her tail. She started having personality again.”
Now the two are virtually inseparable. Louie pecks at Barley, and Barley chases Louie. They wrestle and relax together.
Justin and Tori say they may never know exactly what changed for Barley, but their son Cameron has his own idea.
“She wanted to be friends with Louie and hang out with him a lot, so she kind of stretched her joy and fit in with him.”
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