My Pet - Goose from Tatura

‘‘When we got there the guy said he didn’t have any hens, but he had a rooster, I didn’t think the neighbours would have been happy with a rooster, so I said what about the ducks? He said ‘well you can have the white one, I don’t really want her’ and that was Goose,’’ Ms Russell said.

She said the name Goose stuck because Muscovy ducks looked like geese.

‘‘And she is a bit of a goose,’’ Ms Russell said.

Goose was several months old when she was brought back to the caravan park to live.

‘‘She was a bit snappy and vicious at first, so I had to bribe her with lettuce to come near us and after a few months she just became super friendly. If we picked her up she wouldn’t bite, so we started hugging her a lot and now she’ll come up to us for a hug,’’ Ms Russell said.

Goose became quite fond of the couple’s adopted dog Leo and cat Dussa.

‘‘She likes to go for walks over to the oval when it’s not too hot and she follows our Jack Russell Leo around and then when they’ve had enough, she’ll follow him home,’’ Ms Russell said.

‘‘She chases all the cats in the caravan park, but she’s befriended our cat Dussa.’’

In true guard dog fashion, Goose alerts the couple of strangers to the park.

‘‘She gets a bit protective and she’s got different calls for everyone. If someone she hasn’t met before is coming around, we know because she makes a different noise,’’ Ms Russell said.

With the neighbours’ approval of Goose, Ms Russell shares her eggs with the park.

‘‘The neighbours love her, they all feed her and I haven’t been able to cook up any of her eggs yet, everyone wants them, so we’re always giving them away,’’ she said.

Thankful the park allows pets, Ms Russell said she could not imagine life without her feathered friend.

‘‘I actually think she’s the best pet,’’ she said.