For those of you who do not know who Potroast and Pinfeathers are, let me update you. Potroast is my 13 month old cardigan, Mac and Pinfeathers is my 4 1/2 year old mallard duck, Mallory. Mac was given the nickname of Potroast because one day he was out racing around on our patio where Mallory lives, when he was about 5 months old or so. He was chubby and more square then long and lean like he is now. He used to run around and around her and one day I was speaking for Mallory and she said something to the effect of: "You think you're a greyhound racing about here but you're really a 4 legged potroast" and thus the name Potroast stuck! And before I begin with their new story, I need to make a change in my nicknames to my babies since we've added Reilly, 5 month old PWC. Toni, mom to Elvis and forgive me Toni, but I can't remember your second corgis name, came up with the cute idea to name Reilly Pumpkin. It keeps the "P" theme going and I like the sound of Potroast, Pinfeathers and Pumpkin! Ok, now to my story...

Pumpkin (aka Reilly) is madly chasing Pinfeathers on a daily basis. He's gotten really good at getting her too and she's just about had it with him. She has Potroast trained where he can chase her for a certain amount of time but then he's gotta lick her feathers and be nice to her too. Pumpkin hasn't gotten that message so she just takes off whenever she sees him coming out in the yard.

This afternoon around 4:00 pm, I was send Potroast and Pumpkin out for their potty break and then was going to head upstairs with them. I looked around for Pinfeathers noting that I'd need to keep an eye on her while the boys were doing their business. I called out to her and she didn't respond, which is not a big deal because she's a great hider. I'm looking around and can't find her and then I here this little quack but I can't see her.

I focus more directly where the noise is coming from and I walk over to where she is and I'm completely blown away. Pinfeathers had climbed into her old cylinder shaped feeding bowl tube and was hiding herself from Reilly! Do you know what I'm talking about? Those self feeders and self waters that has a round plastic tube? It's about 12 inches high and about 6 inches across and Mallory is bigger than that by far!!

She had crammed herself inside of this little tube and I know that it was to hide from Reilly because she's had this tube for years and never gone near it. Ok, what's my first thought? I know she's not hurt, she's content and crammed in there, another one of my creatures that loves tight places. My thought...where is my camera? I run in and grab it and pick up the tube and I'm laughing thinking no one will ever believe this, I've got to get a great picture of it.

She's content while I"m taking the pictures and being a real trooper. I call my son down to take a look and he's cracking up but also concerned about getting her out. I ask for some scissors to try and cut the plastic and I am able to cut it, but it won't rip. I call my husband, he doesn't answer. So, I pick up the feeding tube with Mallory snuggly in it and take it to my sink and wet it down and give her water. I know she's got to be thirsty because she's probably been inside that tube for about a day is what I figure. She drinks up the water and is quite pleasant about the whole thing. I am trying to get her to back out the big end and she's disagreeing with me and thinking "but mom, my head is sticking out this narrow little end, don't you think my whole body will go through here?" I wet her body and keep trying to gently pull her out and can't do it. I then take a serrated knife and very gently cut near the bottom of the tube, knowing that she's shoved her 3 1/2 pound body closer to the top of the feeding tube so I won't hurt her. I get a good cut and then wrip the plastic and about 30 seconds later I free her.

I bathe her in the sink and she's so glad to be able to preen herself that she is beside herself!! Since this was a red letter day for my little Pinfeathers, I scoop her up in a big fluffy beach towel and head upstairs with her in my arms and the boys tagging along. I sat down on my bed and she dried herself off and made herself all beautiful in about an hour's time.

She didn't show any fear at being this close to Potroast and Pumpkin while she was in my lap. In fact, Mac got close to her and she pulled at his whiskers and then Reilly got close to her and she was really ticked off and she pecked at his eye. I had to separate the two but to be honest, I think Reilly might have had it coming.

This story has a happy ending. No one got hurt. Pinfeathers didn't hurt any part of her body, her feathers are fine, she didn't hurt her wings and Reilly's eye isn't bothered either.

All is back to normal at the Greenhalgh home.

Story by Lisa Greenhalgh