A few years ago, Virginia resident Tabatha Lamun was hanging out at home with her husband and daughter when all of a sudden, a goose walked into their garage. They had no idea where the bird had come from.
Tabatha Lamun
Lamun’s young daughter, Abi, immediately fell in love with the goose. She begged her mom to let her pet and hug the bird, but Lamun was understandably a bit hesitant.
To everyone’s surprise, the goose returned the next day. This time, she showed up at the family’s door and made her desire to come inside very apparent.
Tabatha Lamun
“She uses her beak and slams it until we finally go to the door,” Abi said in a video for The Dodo.
The goose started showing up every day, even following the family around on their evening walks. They tried guiding her toward their neighborhood pond, but she just came straight back home with them. Lamun even asked all their neighbors if they were missing a goose, but none of them were.
It became clear to Lamun that all the goose had ever wanted was companionship. It’s possible that she’d been raised by humans, or perhaps she was just an exceptionally friendly bird. Either way, it was obvious that the goose was simply trying to make new friends.
At that point, Lamun finally decided to cave. She let Abi give the goose a hug, and to Lamun’s surprise, the goose loved it and seemed perfectly comfortable.
Tabatha Lamun
“[Abi] was the only one of us who was brave enough to go up to her,” Lamun said in a video for The Dodo.
From that moment on, the goose, whom they decided to name Gumbo, became part of the family. Lamun and her husband set up an area for Gumbo in their yard with a little house and two pools. Gumbo was free to leave whenever she wanted to — but she never did.
Gumbo and Abi have been inseparable ever since. They snuggle together, walk around the neighborhood together and even play on jungle gyms together.
“[Gumbo] goes to the playground,” Lamun said. “She goes down the slide.”
Tabatha Lamun
Now that Lamun and her family have had Gumbo for a few years, the novelty of having a pet goose has worn off a bit. Because it feels so normal to them, they’ve almost forgotten that Gumbo is an unusual addition to their family.
“[Abi] tells everybody that she has a goose, and nobody believes it,” Lamun said.
Lamun would never have been able to imagine that a goose would become such an important member of her daily life. Still, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Abi loves to show her off and loves making everybody smile with her,” Lamun said. “Gumbo has positively affected our lives.”
