One day, my mom rescued baby chickens.
“What do you think of your new chicken friend?”
And I became obsessed.
I knew right away that it was my job to keep them safe.
Every morning, I'd wake up bright and early to greet them.
“Oh, you need to see your chickies?”
Yes, please.
Excuse me!
“Say, ‘Good morning, chickies!’”
Good morning, my little angels.
They were so teeny tiny.
They needed someone big to watch over them.
And guess what. I'm big!
“Good boy! You love your chickies, huh?”
I do.
I really, really do.
I’d spend all day by their side
making sure they didn't get lost or flutter away.
Three...four. Yup! Still all here!
I tried to spend all night there, too, but...
“Duke, it’s time for bed, come on.”
What?! And leave the chicks all alone?
I'm not even ti— (yawning)
I'm not tired.
“Come on. We're gonna go to bed.”
You can go. We're fine.
“Come on.”
But...the chickies! And...
Ugh!
“Duke, c’mon!”
Don't worry, little chickens.
I'm not going anywhere.
“They're OK. Come here.”
I think if I just ignore her, maybe she'll go and —
“Duke!”
Yes? Oh, shoot.
“Duke!”
Uh...
“Come here.”
Mom! We can't leave them alone all night!
“Come on.”
Farewell, my chickies.
Away from my chickies,
I was always sick with worry!
Until the next morning, when...
“Do you want to check on your chickies?”
Huh?
Yes!
Those were the best days of my life.
But then, one morning,
the chickies were gone!
Mom said they had gotten too big
and had to go live someplace they could roam around.
Someplace I couldn't keep an eye on them.
I was distraught.
My poor chickies.
Were they OK?
Mom could tell I was upset.
“Do you miss your chickies?”
So she got something to cheer me up.
Toy chickies!
They were so, so, so adorable.
Heh, this one likes to hop—
Oh, no!
Oh, phew.
I'll name you “Cheep,” and I'll name you “Cluck.”
And your name will also be “Cheep.”
OK, there are way more to watch over than before.
But I can handle it. I can handle it.
I loved them so.
But it wasn't enough.
They were not my real chickies.
And I still missed them.
What if they were sad or scared?
Then one day, Mom brought me into the car.
I had no idea where we were going until she said:
“We're gonna go see your chickens. OK?”
We are?!
After a super long drive,
there they were!
All grown up.
I barely recognized them,
and they barely recognized me.
But I stayed nice and calm and gentle,
and soon it was like no time passed at all.
Very good chickie.
I checked on each and every one.
Yup! Still safe!
And saw how happy they were.
And realized
I didn't need to worry about them anymore.
I could finally rest easy.
Someday, I’ll have more baby chicks to watch over.
But until then, I can keep practicing with these little guys.
And if you liked my story, then you're gonna love Gram’s.
Who’s Gram?
Oh, you just stick around to find out...
Right now!
Bet you've never met a dog rescuer before!
No, I don't mean a dog RESCUER.
I mean a DOG rescuer:
A dog who rescues.
Hang on!
They did just meet me and I'm a dog who rescues.
OK, OK, I'll butt out.
Take it away, Gram.
That's me:
Gram the dog rescuer.
Yeah,
I'm basically a hero.
OK, but no spoilers.
Here we go.
One day, I was just minding my own business
when I saw something unusual:
bunnies in a hole in my backyard!
I could tell they needed help.
And this little guy, well, he needed the most help.
So my mom brought him inside,
and we named him Dash.
Mom, stop hogging Dash. This is my rescue story!
"Shh!"
He fell asleep in my mom's hand.
At least I think he was sleeping.
It was hard to tell because his eyes weren't open yet.
We wanted to bring him to the wildlife rescue center,
but they didn't have any space for him yet.
So until they called, we had the perfect space for him.
We made a bed out of my dog toy,
and he fell asleep again.
Is this all bunnies do?
My mom needed my help big time.
Whenever she'd go warm up his milk, which was a lot,
she'd ask me to watch Dash.
"Gram, you're gonna watch him? Watch him, OK?"
I'll protect you, tiny, fuzzy little ball of cuteness.
So while he slept
and ate
and slept
and ate,
I was never more than a dog's breath away.
You warm enough?
Uh, too close!
Soon, he was getting too big for his bed,
and I said, "He can sleep next to me!"
But I didn't want to scare the little guy,
so I just watched over him,
and he let me get closer
and closer
until...
It's happening!
Dash started thinking of me as his big brother,
or his big blanket.
Either way, I was happy.
And then on the seventh day, he opened his eyes.
I was so excited for him to see me.
Hey, Dash! It's me, Gram!
Were you picturing me this furry?
Everything was going so well,
but then we got the call.
The wildlife center finally had room to take him.
That night, I didn't sleep too well.
I was thinking about how much I was going to miss this fluffy little guy.
The next morning, my mom let me say goodbye.
"You're gonna say bye."
I was sad,
but I knew he was going to the best place to learn how to be a wild bunny again.
Every day since, I've been thinking about Dash:
How he used to sleep on my mom
and sleep in my dog toy
and sleep on the bed.
He really slept a lot, I guess.
And then one day, the rescue center sent us a picture.
Dash was about to be released into the wild.
I hope that someday I'll see Dash again.
I'm sure he knows there's one backyard where he's always welcome.
(gasping)
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!
Grogu! You’re the cutest!
But why won’t you give us a woof?
You just kinda go:
(grunting)
Why do you only make squeaks?
Oh no! Mom says you’re sick!
But when you feel better,
you’ll bark to let us know.
Is it now?
OK, OK, we’ll be patient
and hope that it happens soon.
OK, try it now!
(grunting)
Oo, so close!
C’mon, Grogu, let’s hear a mighty bark!
(grunting)
Don’t give up, Grogu! We know you can do it!
Oo, maybe some kisses will help!
(barking)
You did it!
You did it! You did it!
(barking)
Wow! You’re really feeling better!