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A dog helped an injured wild crow. Now they’re best friends

The Washington Post|Published

Meeko, a border collie, has been protective of Russell, a crow.

Image: Autumn Buck

Kyle Melnick

Autumn Buck sometimes feels like she’s in a Disney movie.

Her border collie, Meeko, recently took a liking to an injured wild crow that showed up in her yard in Portland, Oregon. To her surprise, the crow felt likewise, and now they’re “thick as thieves,” she said.

The two now run around together and take naps side by side. Sometimes the crow pecks on the glass door to get Meeko to come outside and play.

“I do have these moments of: I can’t believe this is real life,” Buck, 37, told The Washington Post.

Buck named the crow Russell after actor Russell Crowe (the crow’s middle name is Sheryl in case it’s a female; they have no idea).

Meeko and Russell play fetch, scrutinize strangers at the front door, pass a pinecone back and forth and spend a lot of time chasing each other.

The relationship began in June, when Buck got a call from her brother-in-law, Casey, who lives next door.

A large bird nest had fallen from a roughly 80-foot tall fir tree in his yard, leaving a small crow dead on the patio. Another small crow sat in a nearby rhododendron plant, trembling, staring at the dead crow and struggling to walk.

Buck hoped the crow’s mother would feed it and take it to safety. But by the evening, the crow was in the same spot.

Worried a wild animal would eat the crow, Buck and her husband, Tedd Simmons, made a makeshift nest by placing needles, twigs, branches and leaves into a basket. They hung the basket about six feet off the ground from a tree branch and placed the crow inside.

They fed Russell wet kibble and mashed up bananas and water from a hose.

Meeko and Russell have built a close bond.

Image: Autumn Buck

Every night, Buck said, she prayed the crow would survive. It did, partly because of its new friend and guardian, Meeko, 5, who chased stray cats from the yard and stayed by Russell’s side.

Despite their size differences - Meeko weighs roughly 35 pounds; Russell is about 12 ounces - they became inseparable.

“Russ thought Meeko was his mother,” Buck said.

Soon, every time Buck looked outside while working her remote marketing job, she saw them hanging out. Russell sat on Meeko’s tail as they lounged in the backyard or they rested on the front porch.

When the crow’s legs recovered, it followed Meeko around the yard and became interested in the dog’s hobbies, including gnawing on pinecones and playing fetch.

It’s not unusual for crows to quickly learn basic activities. Scientists consider crows to be among the smartest birds. They can recognize human faces for years - and hold grudges against them - and they use statistical reasoning to make decisions.

Buck tried to help Russell learn to fly by placing it on her arm or palm, which she moved up and down until the crow jumped. By the middle of July, Russell could fly and scavenge for food, including bugs, blackberries and hazelnuts.

Russell slept in a nearby chestnut tree and greeted Buck and Meeko on their front porch every morning. When the family was inside, Russell pecked on a glass door - sometimes distracting Simmons, 40, from his marketing job he works from home - until Simmons let Meeko outside.

When Buck threw a blue and orange flying disc to Meeko, Russell often sat on it. Buck’s friend gave her a small crochet item that resembles a cake to test if Russell wanted to play fetch. Sure enough, when Buck threw the cake, Russell flew to it and grabbed it with its beak before dropping it so Meeko could return it.

Another time, Meeko barked and ran toward a mailman delivering a package to Buck. Russell joined him, prompting the mailman to ask: “Is that your crow?”

Buck said Russell has helped her cope with her grief since her father, Tony, died in January. But her attachment to the wild animal came with the fear that Russell could die at any time.

When Buck and Simmons went on a road trip for a weekend in mid-July, they worried Russell would be gone when they returned. But when they pulled into their driveway, Russell flew to the front porch to caw.

“There’s an important lesson there, you know, about everybody coexisting and getting along, even if you are completely different from someone,” Buck said.

In recent weeks, Russell has spent time with other crows. Buck said she wants Russell to find a crow community and, eventually, a partner. Crows typically find a mate for life in the spring and early summer.

Buck said she’s hoping for crow “grand babies” next year. She just hopes Russell brings them by for a family visit.