Quattlebaum - Together forever!: true stories of amazing animal friendships!

Penny is a chicken. Roo is a dog. They became fast friends. ()

Penny and Roo met at the Duluth Animal Hospital in Georgia, U.S.A. Theyve been attached ever since. ()

D ogs strain at their leashes. Cats meow in their carriers. A fluffy chicken scampers by in a diaper. Then a tiny dog wheels past in a special cart. The front desk of the Duluth Animal Hospital is busy! Many animals are brought here if theyre sick or injured. The veterinarians (sounds like vet-er-ih-NAIR-ee-enz) here treat all kinds of animals.

Their patients include dogs, cats, hamsters, lizards, turtles, even chickens. They help their animal patients feel better or give them shots to keep them from getting sick.

But the chicken and the little dogcalled a Chihuahua (sounds like chi-WAH-wah)arent patients. Penny and Roo work here. These two best friends welcome animal patients and their owners to the hospital in Duluth, Georgia, U.S.A.

The hospital staff appreciates their good work, especially Alicia Williams, their owner. Alicia works here as a receptionist. She helps patients prepare for their visit with the vets. So do Penny and Roo. Sometimes the patients are frightened or in pain. Their owners are worried.

But then Penny does something silly. She steals Roos treat and trots fast, fast, fast on her feathered legs. Roo chases her and tries to grab the treat back. People smile and laugh. The two friends are so funny that they help everyoneanimals and humansfeel more relaxed.

Penny and Roo have been working together for three and a half years. How did these two unique friends get this special job? Penny came first. Alicia met Penny when she was taking a class in animal science. Alicia had to learn about what happens when animals are used in research, and she had to visit some places that did this work.

Research is an important way to learn more about both animals and humans. Heres how it works. Scientists study a small group of research animals. They give the animals in the group a special diet or medicine. Then they carefully observe, or watch for, changes in the animals. Do the animals grow bigger? Do they get better?

The scientists gather the information. They write papers about what they have learned and publish them. Other people can read about their research and learn how to improve the food they grow or the medicine they make or give. Scientists and doctors often learn about the effect of certain medicines on humans by looking at how the medicines affect animals.

Penny was a research animal in a study on diet. Alicia saw her on the last day of the study. Now that the research was done, the scientists would no longer need her.

Did You Know?

There are more chickens20 billionthan any other birds on Earth. They lay a trillion eggs a year.

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Silkies are unique chickens, with soft, silky feathers. They have black bones and black skin. They dont look very much like the jungle fowl that all chickens are descended from. One of their distant ancestors is the Tyrannosaurus rex! Silkies have some special traits. They have five toes instead of the usual four, and they have blue earlobes. They cant fly. Silkies like to brood, or sit on their eggs. They will even hatch the eggs of other birds.

Penny was also not a regular chicken. She was a fancy, gentle type called a silkie.

Alicias boss, Dr. Mike Miller, was very helpful. Hes a veterinarian. He told Alicia that chickens need special food and plenty of time outdoors. Alicia made Penny an outdoor pen so that she could scratch at the ground and search for bugs and seeds to eat.

But because Penny is very friendly, Alicia also made her an indoor pen. Chickens are flock animals and like to be with other chickens. With an indoor pen, Penny could be around the other pets and people in the house.

Penny quickly settled into her new home. Except that she didnt want to stay in her pen! She wanted to explore the house. But a chicken poops a lot, and Alicia didnt want to be cleaning up all the time. So, she tried putting a little diaper on Penny. It worked! Penny had her freedom, and Alicia didnt have a mess. What a good idea!

Did You Know?

Chickens make many different sounds.

A squawk might show fear, a purr contentment