Lost - Story of Lucy the Canada Goose

Greg and I talked throughout the Summer about what our plans were for the Fall, when it was time for Lucy to leave us and fly South. We talked about introducing her to a flock of wild geese and letting nature take its course. That was something we would do in late Fall. One day, however, we came home from work and Lucy was gone. We searched the yard, called for her, and walked down the road looking in the ditch, thinking that a car might have hit her, but there was no Lucy. We knew this day would come, but we weren't ready yet. We selfishly thought it would be by our choice, not hers. I was looking behind a neighbor's house and thought I heard a lone goose honk. Greg came with me and we walked through a patch of woods back to a gravel pit that was full of water. There was one Canada Goose on the far bank. We called and the goose started swimming slowly toward us. We called again, and she began to answer us and to swim faster. We continued to call her and soon she was out of the water and flying up to us.

I'm not sure who was happier, Lucy or Greg, but she was found. Now, picture this ....... All of us walking out of the woods single file. Greg and I followed by Abby (our Lab), Sheba (our collie mix), and Lucy the Canada Goose. Through the tall grass, around the bushes, up over fallen logs, through the neighbor's yard, back into familiar territory. Lucky was very happy to see Lucy too. She was in the middle of the pond quacking as loud as she could.

We later discovered that while one of our neighbors was out for his daily walk, Lucy had flown out to the road to walk with him. She walked with him (about 1/2 mile) back to his house, met his grandchildren, then headed off toward the gravel pit. (This whole incident still remains a mystery to us.)

There were a couple of other times throughout the Fall she would "go missing", but we always found her back in the gravel pit and she was always happy to see us and to come back home.