Walks Like A Duck Pants Like A Dog

By Rick Wells, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A duck is a duck, unless he thinks he's a dog.  A Tulsa magazine recently had an article about a duck named Aflac.  He has been raised in a veterinary clinic and really doesn't know he's a duck. 

The duck wags his tail, and pants like a dog.

Ken Capron is a veterinarian specializing in animal dentistry.  He does root canals, reconstructions and crowns just like a human dentist.  But, Aflac is a duck and they don't have teeth.

Dr. Capron says Aflac came in as an orphan, just a little fuzzy yellow duck, but he got bigger and over the years, they've become buddies.

Aflac has his own pen and his own pool.  He's a Muscovy duck; it's a breed native to much of the Western Hemisphere.  He's kind of like the clinic mascot.  He's been at Dr. Capron's office for six years.

He makes a noise that is more like dog panting than a duck quacking.  Dr. Capron says he really doesn't know he's a duck.  He's really never been around other ducks, so it seems he adopted mannerisms from the animals he sees every day.

He likes the water, but doesn't like to swim.  Dr. Capron had to get him a smaller pool so his feet would touch the bottom.  Back inside the clinic, he kind of has the run of the place.

He might be an ugly duckling, but Dr. Capron doesn't mind.

"Remember Rick, beauty is only skin deep," said Dr. Ken Capron.