Farmer Poppy loves his feathered friend and actively takes care of her.
Despite his health problems, he plays the piano for the duck and goes shopping with her.
Pennsylvania – Anyone who thinks dogs are people's best friends has never seen this grandpa with his duck.
Poppy (83) and his pet, Gertrude the duck, are inseparable.
The farmer from Pennsylvania, a state in the eastern United States, loves his duck.
And his duck loves him.
animal | Peking duck |
kind | domesticated form of the mallard, the most common type of domestic duck |
Weight | up to 3.5 kilos |
Size | up to 60 centimeters |
For six years now, Poppy and Gertrude have been a duo that only comes in a double pack.
They go shopping together, make music and cuddle in the rocking chair.
Poppy has been ill for a long time.
Nevertheless, he still takes care of his Gertrude and likes to take the fans of the rustic couple with him through his everyday life.
Fun with Gertrude: Poppy wants to stay fit for his duck
@mypetducks is the name of the American and his daughter's Instagram account, which now has 32,500 followers and on which Poppy not only shares his life with Gertrude, but also with his other ducks and feathered friends.
While people in Germany are afraid of bird flu, from which Alster swans have already died, duck Gertrude – who is always easy to recognize with her fluffy tuft of hair on her head – is without a doubt the star of mypetducks.
The hashtag "Gertrude's Fabulous Hair" should therefore not be missing from Gertrude's contributions.
She is a six-year-old Peking Duck who wears diapers and lives in the house with Poppy.
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Poppy and his beloved duck Gertrude cuddling in their favorite armchair.
(Instagram @mypetducks)
© mypetducks/Instagram
Today, the unlikely team spends their days relaxed together: Poppy is now retired and has time to cuddle with Gertrude, watch Animal Planet together, take her to the fair in a baby carrier or go shopping with her.
Captioning a hilarious clip of Gertrude sitting in the booster seat in a shopping cart outside a pet supply store, "Gertrude was pretty upset when we told her she couldn't have the bag of cat food she was trying to steal."
The duck also loves it when Poppy plays the piano for her - according to the music school association, the most popular instrument in Germany.
Despite his deteriorating eyesight due to advanced macular degeneration - a chronic disease that usually affects both eyes and is caused by a metabolic disorder - the duck dad still gives everything to play for Gertrude.
He also likes to tell her stories about his first duck, Mrs. Eeps, which he had when he was a little boy.
Gertrude became a therapy animal: she helps Poppy in difficult times
It is well known that pets such as dogs or cats can make life happier for retirees and prevent dangerous loneliness in old age.
For Poppy, duck Gertrude has become something of a therapy animal.
The farmer had cancer years ago and regularly weakens in his old age.
Gertrude is by his side when he is not feeling well.
In a video captioned "when people ask why Gertrude is a therapy animal," Poppy is seen cuddling in a chair with his duckling.
Gertrude snuggles her head on Poppy's shoulder, who whispers to his pet, "You make Poppy happy." Even when Poppy was unwell at the end of February, Gertrude sat next to him on the sofa and looked after her boyfriend.
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When Poppy is sick, Gertrude takes care of him.
(Instagram @mypetducks)
© mypetducks/Instagram
When he came back from the hospital after a brief moment of shock, the duck didn't want to leave her master's lap.
Under the video, Poppy's daughter wrote: "I think someone missed Poppy.
I am so thankful for our Gertrude and for giving him love through so many difficult days.”
Gertrude's siblings: Other ducks, chickens and roosters also live with Poppy
Gertrude isn't the only feathered roommate Poppy has, though.
Duck Happy is always part of the party.
As does Drake Swimmy Fallon, who recently underwent eye surgery and is now being nursed back to health by Poppy.
Wednesday, a black chicken, is also part of the feathered family.
All her siblings died in the cold winter storms that hit the US at the end of last year, which is why Wednesday also lives in the house because she is not yet healthy enough to stay outside.
That doesn't seem to bother the chicken, though, as it's quite comfortable indoors - and has already developed a fondness for Michael Jackson songs.
There is also the old rooster, Tyrannosaurus Pecks, who also prefers to come inside and be petted when it gets too cold outside.
Recently, Poppy has also become a "turkey daddy" because the farm now has baby turkeys.
Rubric list image: © mypetducks/Instagram
