Make wishtv.com your home page

Pet duck makes a splash on social media

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Linda McLean is a proud cat owner. Five years ago, she became a proud duck owner.

“One day, I was getting ready to go see my granddaughter and there was this duck on my driveway and got up and there was an egg there,” she remembers. “I put a flashlight up to the egg and there was red lines everywhere and I realized she was alive and I thought, ‘I can’t kill her now!”‘

McLean took the duck egg inside and decided to care for it.

“To be honest, I stuffed the egg in my bra to keep it warm,” she laughed. “Then she hatched on my birthday and it was crazy. It was just crazy.”

The birthday girls became fast friends. She named the duck Gail and started sharing videos of her online, to an eager crowd. She shares the pros of having a duck and a few of the cons. Bathroom habits being number one. And number two.

“It’s a little harness thing, goes around their back end and I put a baby’s diaper in there and it keeps her from getting all messy,” said McLean, holding Gail up to the camera to show off her purple harness and white baby diaper.

McLean says she goes through four diapers a day and does not go outside. She said Gail learned to play with children’s toys in every room of the house.

“She’s made up a lot of games and she loves to play with baby games,” she said, referencing video of Gail activating a step-pad piano. “She stands on it and plays music and she’s learned she can do that and she does that a lot. “

Gail also plays with some of McLean’s cats, although McLean says even though they play like siblings, Gail acts like the boss. Regular photos and videos of the adventures of Gail the Duck are making a splash online.

“Every one of them say, ‘I just love seeing Gail. I just love watching her videos’ and it makes them smile and that’s an awful darn good thing to see to know that she’s making someone happy, too,” said McLean.

But it’s McLean who says she’s the lucky duck.

“I think she was meant to be to help me with my life. She makes me happy, she makes me smile,” she said. “I’m just really happy to have her in my life.”

McLean says Gail could live around 10 years in a private home. If you ask her about adopting a duck of your own, McLean says don’t unless you’re ready for full-time, messy, but rewarding care.