- When Jessie Vallier, 34, welcomed mallard ducks into the hobby farm family, she knew they would feel right at home.
- So when one of the ducks, Olaf, took a liking to pup, Sven, Jessie knew it was the start of an unlikely friendship.
- Now the unlikely pair share an unbreakable bond!
Here Jessie tells her story in her own words
Whipping up a loaf of banana bread, I hummed along to my son Eli’s favourite movie, Frozen.
‘Let it go, let it go,’ I sang as I mixed the ingredients.
It was April 2020 and we were in the middle of Covid lockdowns.
My hubby Trent, then 32, worked in construction, while I was busy keeping house and raising Eli, then two.
Just as I was putting the bread in the oven, my neighbour called.
‘We’d be happy to take them.’
‘Do you have space for four mallard ducklings?’ she asked.
She’d rescued them not long before, but working in the medical field in a pandemic meant she didn’t have time to look after them properly.
Living on a 10-acre hobby farm, we had plenty of space and loved animals.
With our two cats, two dogs, six horses and a flock of chickens, our brood was already large!
Each morning my little helper, Eli, was excited to collect the eggs from the hens.
I knew the ducks would feel right at home.
‘We’d be happy to take them,’ I smiled.
Collecting the ducklings the next day, we kept them safe and warm in a makeshift pen in our laundry.
The next morning the little babies, who waddled around in a pack, greeted us with a happy quack, signifying they approved of their new home.
A month later, we welcomed another addition to our clan – a chocolate brown Newfoundland pup we named Sven, after the character from Frozen.
Around the same time, we discovered we were expecting our second son.
‘You’re safe now little guy.’
Welcoming him in February 2021, we named our boy Sam.
With our hands and hearts full, our little family felt complete.
Then one morning around three months later, I went to feed the ducks breakfast.
By then they were big enough to sleep in the coop with the chickens.
But they were nowhere to be seen.
‘The coyotes must have found their way in last night,’ Trent said.
Thankfully, all our chickens were accounted for, but I continued my desperate search for the ducks.
As I looked high and low through the coop, just one little terrified duck scurried out into the safety of my hands.
‘You’re safe now little guy,’ I cooed.
‘These two always put a smile on my face.’
‘I’m going to name you Olaf’ – also after a character from Eli’s favourite film.
In the days that followed, it was clear Olaf’s scary encounter had taken its toll on him, and without his pack he was feeling alone and exposed.
Roaming around our property in search of company one day, Olaf spotted Sven rolling around in the field.
At first, he kept his distance while he sussed out the 70 kilo ball of fluff.
But once he felt safe, he waddled over to say hello.
Despite his size, Sven was quite placid and wasn’t bothered by Olaf quacking and flapping about.
Before long, it was clear the two had formed an unlikely, but unbreakable bond.
The pair loved snuggling together, and wherever Sven went, Olaf would follow close behind.
One day, I even spotted them swimming side by side in the kids’ paddling pool.
People wouldn’t believe me unless they saw this with their own eyes, I laughed to myself.
‘He’s more dog than duck.’
That’s when I had the idea to start an Instagram page for them, so others could feel the joy that I did, watching their unique friendship unfold.
Our little boys struggled to pronounce the animals names, and called them Biss and Olee.
So their Instagram account @adventuresofbissandolee was born!
I shared snaps of their shenanigans, including their swimming and wrestling sessions, and our dynamic duo quickly captured hearts across the globe.
These two always put a smile on my face, one follower commented.
The serotonin boost we all needed today! wrote another.
When Olaf learned how to play fetch with Sven, we were all amazed.
‘I love how Olaf follows Sven around,’ said Eli and Sam, who’d by now learned how to say their names.
‘He’s more dog than duck,’ I giggled to the boys.
Wanting to spread word about their bond even further, we decided to turn their story into a children’s book.
‘You can’t hide from me.’
Using our savings to fund the project, we found our illustrator, Krystal Kramer, on Instagram.
Adventures of Biss and Olee was published in November 2021.
Two years on from its release, we’ve sold 2000 copies worldwide.
‘You’re famous,’ we often tell the pair.
They haven’t let it get to their heads, though.
Each morning Olaf patiently waits for his bestie to wake up and come outside to play.
Worried Olaf might be feeling outnumbered on the farm, we adopted a lady duck named Samantha to keep him company.
But to our surprise, he was more interested in hanging out with the pups.
These days when our boys Eli, now five, and Sam, now three, watch Frozen, I often catch them sneaking Olaf inside where he cosies up with Sven.
And when it’s time for bed, our feathered friend tries his best to camouflage under Sven’s folds of fur.
‘You can’t hide from me,’ I laugh, taking him outside.
It’s been almost four years since they joined the family, and we couldn’t imagine our lives without Olaf and Sven.
Their unique friendship quacks us up.
