On one of their journeys to North Carolina’s rural, impoverished areas to deliver doghouses to dogs chained to barrels, “sheltered” under a sheet of tin, or given no shelter at all, PETA staffers and volunteers discovered three ducks confined to a filthy little pen. They gave the ducks water and food but couldn’t persuade their owner to let them go. On a later visit, they found one of the ducks dead in the pen, and the two survivors were so dehydrated and malnourished that they could barely stand. The rescue team finally convinced the ducks’ owner to give them up, and PETA staffer Chrissy Matthies—who lives in the country, where the ducks would have plenty of space—adopted them.

Named “Quackers” and “Crackers” by Chrissy’s 8-year-old daughter, the ducks soon put on weight and were strong enough to waddle around and play. Every morning, Chrissy is awakened by their quacks, which get louder and more urgent when they realize that she’s awake. She obeys their command by immediately replenishing the water in their wading pool. When she sprays the ground around the pool with water, the ducks gleefully “tap dance” through the fresh mud and splash each other. When they’re done playing, they get down to the business of foraging for food, blowing bubbles as they find good things to eat.

Quackers and Crackers are adept at scouting out new sources of fun. When Chrissy turned on the sprinkler for her kids to play in, the ducks watched attentively and soon followed suit, popping in and out of the sprinkler and wagging their tails in delight. They love to chase Chrissy’s dog (also a PETA rescue) and even play fetch with stuffed toys. A bale of hay that was spread over a bare patch in the grass also turned into a source of amusement. Once Quackers took the initiative and checked out this strange new substance, Crackers joined him, and soon they were engaged in a hay-throwing mock battle. The ducks have a zest for life that has led Chrissy to dub them “feathered bundles of joy.”