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Dogs strain at their leashes. Cats meow in their carriers. A fluffy chicken scampers by in a diaper. Then a tiny dog wheels past in a special cart. The front desk of the Duluth Animal Hospital is busy! Many animals are brought here if they’re sick or injured. The veterinarians (sounds like vet-er-ih-NAIR-ee-enz) here treat all kinds of animals.

Their patients include dogs, cats, hamsters, lizards, turtles, even chickens. They help their animal patients feel better or give them shots to keep them from getting sick.

But the chicken and the little dog—called a Chihuahua (sounds like chi-WAH-wah)—aren’t patients. Penny and Roo work here. These two best friends welcome animal patients and their owners to the hospital in Duluth, Georgia, U.S.A.

The hospital staff appreciates their good work, especially Alicia Williams, their owner. Alicia works here as a receptionist. She helps patients prepare for their visit with the vets. So do Penny and Roo. Sometimes the patients are frightened or in pain. Their owners are worried.

But then Penny does something silly. She steals Roo’s treat and trots fast, fast, fast on her feathered legs. Roo chases her and tries to grab the treat back. People smile and laugh. The two friends are so funny that they help everyone—animals and humans—feel more relaxed.

Penny and Roo have been working together for three and a half years. How did these two unique friends get this special job? Penny came first. Alicia met Penny when she was taking a class in animal science. Alicia had to learn about what happens when animals are used in research, and she had to visit some places that did this work.

Research is an important way to learn more about both animals and humans. Here’s how it works. Scientists study a small group of research animals. They give the animals in the group a special diet or medicine. Then they carefully observe, or watch for, changes in the animals. Do the animals grow bigger? Do they get better?

The scientists gather the information. They write papers about what they have learned and publish them. Other people can read about their research and learn how to improve the food they grow or the medicine they make or give. Scientists and doctors often learn about the effect of certain medicines on humans by looking at how the medicines affect animals.

Penny was a research animal in a study on diet. Alicia saw her on the last day of the study. Now that the research was done, the scientists would no longer need her.

Did You Know?

There are more chickens—20 billion—than any other birds on Earth. They lay a trillion eggs a year.

Alicia looked at the young chicken. Penny was a beautiful hen! Instead of smooth feathers like most birds, hers were soft and fluffy. The feathers on her head and legs looked like a puffy hat and pants. Alicia wanted to give the hen a new home. “May I have her?” she asked the researchers.

And that’s how Alicia ended up bringing Penny to the house she shares with her parents, three sisters, five dogs, two cats, and four parrots. Everyone in Alicia’s family is an animal lover!

At first, Alicia didn’t know how to care for Penny. Parrots and chickens are both birds, but they require different care.

(photo credit 1.2)

Silkies are unique chickens, with soft, silky feathers. They have black bones and black skin. They don’t look very much like the jungle fowl that all chickens are descended from. One of their distant ancestors is the Tyrannosaurus rex! Silkies have some special traits. They have five toes instead of the usual four, and they have blue earlobes. They can’t fly. Silkies like to brood, or sit on their eggs. They will even hatch the eggs of other birds.

Penny was also not a regular chicken. She was a fancy, gentle type called a silkie.

Alicia’s boss, Dr. Mike Miller, was very helpful. He’s a veterinarian. He told Alicia that chickens need special food and plenty of time outdoors. Alicia made Penny an outdoor pen so that she could scratch at the ground and search for bugs and seeds to eat.

But because Penny is very friendly, Alicia also made her an indoor pen. Chickens are flock animals and like to be with other chickens. With an indoor pen, Penny could be around the other pets and people in the house.

Penny quickly settled into her new home. Except that she didn’t want to stay in her pen! She wanted to explore the house. But a chicken poops a lot, and Alicia didn’t want to be cleaning up all the time. So, she tried putting a little diaper on Penny. It worked! Penny had her freedom, and Alicia didn’t have a mess. What a good idea!

Did You Know?

Chickens make many different sounds.

A squawk might show fear, a purr contentment.

A rooster’s crow means “This is my territory.” Hens often say bawk when they lay an egg.

Now Penny could follow Alicia everywhere. She even learned to come when she was called. Alicia soon discovered that Penny loved to cuddle, too, unlike her parrots. Penny especially enjoyed sitting in Alicia’s lap.

To show her pleasure, she would make a soft sound, like the purr of a kitten. But when Alicia went to work, Penny was lonely. She missed her favorite human.

So, Alicia had another good idea: She would bring Penny to work. Penny and her boss thought it was a good idea, too.

Penny felt so comfortable at work that she soon started laying eggs at the hospital! Like Penny, these eggs are unique. Most chicken eggs are brown or white. Penny’s are small and pink.

Everyone loved Penny! Penny received lots of cuddling and attention. She helped people learn more about silkie chickens. Many had never seen one before. “What’s that?” kids would ask, pointing at the fluffy white hen. Sometimes they thought Penny was a kitten or a fancy dog!

When Penny first met Roo, he was in bad shape. She sat on top of him to warm him up. Soon, they both fell asleep peacefully. (photo credit 1.3)