It’s an unlikely friendship that has touched the hearts of animal lovers. Caolaidhe Keelor is a bird of prey enthusiast and wildlife educator in Canada. But she never expected to befriend a wild crow who would then become best pals with her Border Collie and later, her kitten!
Keelor was out walking with her dog, Sam, when they found a fledgling crow on the ground. There’s nothing unusual about that and she knew it was best to leave the bird where it was because it is learning to fly and is cared for by the other crows. But when night approached and no other crows appeared to help the baby bird she brought it back to her home and put it in a makeshift nest on her deck.
By morning the other crows found the young crow and she went off with them. However, as the crow grew up she hung around Keelor’s home and assumed the area as her territory. The crow began tapping on Keelor’s window in the morning because she wanted to play with Sam and join the pair when they went for walks in the woods.
Keelor named the crow Darling and soon Darling became close to Sam. Sam is a very special rescue dog. He was so calm with Darling, letting her pull on his tail and ride on his back.
As for Darling, she noticed everything and when she saw Keelor holding Sam’s leash she wanted to try to do it herself too. She also kept Sam’s fur clean, picking burrs and nettles out of his fur. One time when he got a piece of stick stuck in his mouth Darling picked it out of his mouth!
Sam also was protective of Darling. On one occasion a Cooper’s hawk went after Darling but Sam managed to chase it away and keep his friend safe!
Although Darling was taken too early from her friends, she has left them all with a lifetime of memories.
Keelor wrote on Instagram, “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would befriend a crow…and that crow would befriend a dog and a cat…the funny thing is, although Darling was lovely to us…she really was a wild crow in every other way…she would dive bomb hawks who would stop by and chase little birds out of the yard…She really ruled the roost in her time in the valley.”
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.