We Can All Learn A Lot About Friendship From This Unlikely Duck-Dog Duo

Pretty much every human being knows something about love and friendship, but these two friends show us that if a dog and a duck can become pals, then no two humans could possibly be enemies forever. Rudy the Pekin duck and Barclay the golden retriever weren't pals from day one. Quite the opposite, actually. Barclay would try to get at Rudy's delicious duck food, and Rudy, being the alpha duck of the group, would chase Barclay away. But over time, Barclay became such a frequent visitor to the duck's coop that Rudy took a shine to him. They've been best pals ever since. These days, the two are inseparable. “When they are together, somebody is always chasing or jumping on someone else, but when they are apart, they’re always calling for each other," Pam Ishiguro, the owner of the dynamic duo, says of their relationship.

The two animals get a lot out of their friendship.

“Barclay likes to drink their bath water and, if he happens to be stealthy enough, he loves to sniff a little duck butt," says Ishiguro. But Rudy gets to have a good time too. “Now Rudy has to ‘claim’ Barclay every once in a while by climbing on top of him. Barclay doesn’t seem to mind terribly because that gives him the opportunity to sniff Rudy’s butt – win-win!” “Rudy and Barclay need each other – I think that’s why they have such a strong bond, they’re like the oddballs on the playground. No one else will play with them, so lucky for them, they found each other.” These days, while Rudy and Barclay are still inseparable, more ducks have joined the family, and they all love Rudy.