EAST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. -- Ducks: livestock or pets? One family in East Hempfield Township says the latter.
They’re trying to change a township ordinance so a soldier has her pets to come home to.
The ducks are the three stooges, aptly named Larry, Curly, and Mo.
“They’re not just pets. They’re kind of like my children," said Georgie Boyd. “I am their mom. They imprinted on me."
Georgie Boyd is a First Class Airman for the United States Airforce, currently deployed in South Korea. She says her 3 pet ducks, Larry, Moe, Curly are her life.
Georgie brought the three stooges home in early 2016, raising them from babies. She believes ‘momming the ducks’ prepared her for basic training in the military, teaching lessons of structure and discipline.
While Georgie's overseas, her family fights to keep the ducks at home because the ducks are in violation of an ordinance which prohibits livestock in a residential area.
“They consider them livestock," said Jeff Boyd, Georgie's dad.
Jeff Boyd and Chris Regula are caring for Larry, Moe, Curly while mom’s away.
“They’re our pets.. they’re our babies. They live anywhere between 10-12 years. You can train them like a dog," added Jeff. “You know at first, I wasn’t for them, but to be honest, I fell in love with them."
Larry, Moe, and Curly are mute and only make chirping noises. The family says neighbors didn't complain about the ducks - township zoning found out through social media.
Now, the family is using social media to their advantage, receiving nearly 40,000 petition signatures online to keep the ducks.
Boyd and Regula say they want to make sure Georgie has her babies to come home to and will appeal the ordinance at the zoning hearing board meeting November 20th.
We reached out to the township zoning board, but haven’t heard back.