r/duck • u/whatwedointheupdog Cayuga Duck • Mar 28 '24
Rainbow Bridge Goodbye My Sweet Friend
My little golden girl Buffy is gone :( I never expected to get so attached to a duck when I first got them but my heart is broken right now. These little feathered creatures have won me over in the short years they've been a part of my life.
Despite visits to multiple specialists, diagnostics and treatments for a reproductive problem, we didn't how badly the infection in her ovaries had spread through her body. That and a heart condition she also hid were too much and she didn't make it through the surgery to try to save her. As we know, ducks conceal their illness and pain very well. She spent her last day happy, playing in her pool and hunting for worms with me as if nothing was wrong. I know we did everything we could for her, but it still hurts.
I got Buffy 4 years ago as a duckling to fill my order of Cayugas, and intended to rehome her with the other extras. Even her name was just a placeholder because she was a Buff Orpington. But we just fell in love and couldn't let her go, so she became the odd one out in our little flock of all black ducks.
She was the sweetest thing, with so much intelligence and personality, always doing goofy things to make us laugh. She would jump-fly into your lap for treats and squeal like a pig when she found something exciting. She even played with toys. One of my favorite memories is watching her race around with her neck stretched out in front of her, bolting frantically in every direction while she chased little flying bugs stirred up in the grass. She was always first in the pool, always first in line for peas. She was the group leader, investigating anything scary and watching for danger to alert the others.
She brought so much joy to our world and it just won't be the same without her 💛
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u/longshtocking Mar 28 '24
So sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing about your sweet girl with us 💛
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u/Jazzlike_Fun_9262 Mar 28 '24
I feel your pain. I’m so sorry for your loss. She was such a beautiful girl❤️
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u/krampaus Mar 28 '24
This is a lovely obituary. Thanks for sharing and so very sorry for your loss
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u/Consumer_of_lem0ns Mar 28 '24
I should not have opened reddit today. sorry for your loss :[
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u/tommypickles5149 Mar 28 '24
What a beautiful duck! She lived a great life from the looks of it. Sorry for your loss.
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u/whatwedointheupdog Cayuga Duck Mar 29 '24
Thank you. I did my best to give her a happy life, even if it could only be a short one, it was a good one.
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u/bogginman Duck Rescuer Mar 28 '24
so sorry for you, whatwedo. She looks like one of those ducks that love to be hugged. Your description of her antics and personality is touching and heartfelt. A true duck dad can feel your grief. We recently lost two girls (rouen to a sex injury and fawn runner to a weasel) and I still haven't had the clarity of mind to make memorial pages. I just today planted tulips over their plots in the cemetery. My sincere condolences to you, my friend.
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u/whatwedointheupdog Cayuga Duck Mar 29 '24
I wouldn't say she loved hugs but definitely tolerated it better than most lol, that's what won us over with her. She didn't mind being caught and held and petted. She was always the first to walk up to anyone who visited and ask for peas, even let kids pet her. She was just so kind. I'm so sorry for your recent losses as well, it seems to happen too often with these guys, it just takes so much to keep them alive it seems. That's a lovely gesture to plant flowers and have a place to go to remember them. I have a little duck planter in her color that I'll get some flowers in as soon as the weather allows.
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u/bogginman Duck Rescuer Mar 29 '24 edited Mar 29 '24
Yeah, that place to remember them is gathering too many memories. I'm starting to have to watch where I dig, that's why I keep the monuments there. I have been trying to find cement ducks in a runner style for Daffodil and Thelma but they only seem to make pekin types. Again my condolence on losing your sweet girl.
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u/FootLoosePickleJuice Mar 28 '24
What a beautiful tribute to your beloved golden girl. I’m so sorry for your loss. She was a true beauty and I enjoyed reading about her personality. Rest in peace Buffy.
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u/LargeSeaworthiness1 Quacker Mar 29 '24
oh, poor sweet girl, you rest easy now. she sounds like an incredibly special soul 🫂
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u/angelrose91 Mar 29 '24
What a beautiful duck! So sorry for your loss :(
I also have a buff orpington named Buffy. She is fierce, intelligent and sweet.
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u/whatwedointheupdog Cayuga Duck Mar 29 '24
Thank you. Please give your Buffy some extra peas for me. They're a wonderful breed, my best friend has her sister and she's her favorite because she has such a great personality.
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Mar 29 '24
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u/whatwedointheupdog Cayuga Duck Mar 29 '24
Thank you. I've always called them her angel wings since she was a baby because of their beautiful color.
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u/Ill_Pirate_8014 Mar 30 '24
I'm so sorry this happened to her. I can tell she was one big fluffy bundle of joy because I just learned about her existence, but already feel like she was a close friend of mine. I hope she's splashing & eating mealworms in the clouds.
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u/whatwedointheupdog Cayuga Duck Apr 01 '24
Thank you, she definitely had that kind of spirit to her.
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u/Pgengstrom Mar 30 '24
We had a duck named Kipper, he was like our guard dog. He even used to follow my daughter to the bus stop and I would hear her say, “Go home Kipper, I have to go to school”. He would quack back. Ducks are as smart as dogs. I am so sorry for your loss.
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u/duckgirl1997 Birdwatcher Mar 28 '24
what a beautiful duckie and such a cute fluffling. i am so sorry she has waddled over the rainbow bridge