STRAWBERRY PLAINS, Tenn. — Some people have dogs and cats for pets. Others have fish or rabbits.
The Hosea family in Strawberry Plains' Carter community has ducks.
They bought three ducklings in March 2020 after their high schooler Elizabeth kept seeing ducks on TikTok.
"They were just following people around and I thought it was kind of cute," she said.
Elizabeth named the three ducks Daryl, Glenn and Merle after characters from the TV show The Walking Dead.
"Everyone that we named them after died except for Daryl," said Elizabeth.
That's not to say two out of three ducks are zombies now, but after releasing them into a pond last spring, Daryl was the only one who came back.
"He's just been hanging out with the neighborhood every since," said Elizabeth's dad, John Hosea.
He said his daughter cuddled Daryl a lot when he was little, and even taught him how to give kisses.
Daryl is so comfortable with humans, he'll walk up to anyone and let them pet him.
Hosea said this duck is really more like a dog.
"He learned his name a few months after he come [sic] back so no matter where he's at in the neighborhood we can go out on the back porch and holler, 'Hey, Daryl,'" he said.
Give him a few minutes, you'll hear Daryl quack and he'll come waddling right back home.
Daryl makes his rounds through the neighborhood, hanging with the neighbor kids when they get home from school.
"I just saw him one day when the bus dropped me off. He was waiting," said neighbor Nicholas Dardi.
Daryl is known to wait by the bus stop, visit people's yards and occasionally follow someone inside while they're unloading groceries.
"I never thought I could be attached to a duck, but he's definitely part of the family," said Hosea.
That's why it was a dark day when one neighbor found Daryl hurt on the road, feathers everywhere.
Hosea rushed him to UT's vet school.
"They took care of him, did about a three hour surgery on him. Now he's got a bionic leg with a couple pins and a steel rod in his leg," he said.
The neighbor who found Daryl started a GoFundMe to cover medical expenses, raising $1,130 in donations from people who didn't necessarily know the Hoseas, but they knew Daryl.
That duck really is everyone's pet, introducing the Hoseas to neighbors they'd never known before.
"It was overwhelming to see that," said Hosea. "I just couldn't believe the love and the warmth and everything that was given to her."
Her.
After a year, they learned Daryl is a girl.
She laid an egg at the vet.
"This past weekend while doing the first yard work of the year we found her nest that had another nine eggs in it," said Hosea
In total, she's laid 16 eggs, meaning there could be baby Daryls in the future.
She's keeping her name and her spirits up, hobbling around and inspiring her friends.
"I like that she's strong and independent and she never gives up," said neighbor Caragyn Jones.
Daryl the duck is doing her part to bring this neighborhood together, one quack at a time
"Hopefully she's gonna be around with us for a very, very long time and bring smiles to the neighborhood for years and years to come," said Hosea.
Neighbors are installing duck crossing signs to warn drivers Daryl may be around, and prevent any more injuries from happening.
Daryl is about to turn one year old and will have her cast removed in a couple weeks.
You can follow along with Daryl's journey in the 'Daryl the Duck' Facebook group.