How Fern the Duck’s Chewy Claus Wish Brought a Michigan Town Together

Aspen DeMonaco has been rescuing animals since she was five years old. So when she spotted a baby duck struggling at her local park a few years ago, she didn’t hesitate. 

“She was very frail,” Aspen recalls. “She was dirty—she wasn’t even really white. Just skin and bones. She didn’t even have her big feathers yet, just her baby feathers.” 

Fern was shivering, hungry, and weak, eating from a puddle of muddy water just to survive. 

“You could hear how congested she was from the cold night, and how much mud she had stuck in her mouth and nose,” Aspen says. “You could see her breathing in and out from how skinny she was. And she was just standing at the curb waiting for whoever had dumped her to pick her back up.” 

Aspen brought Fern home, unsure if she would make it through the night. 

“We worked day and night, hour by hour taking care of her,” Aspen says. “I spent countless hours researching what she needed, and hours at emergency vets. She fought hard. She had fevers, she was coughing, she could barely eat. She had tremors and could barely walk.” 

But neither of them gave up. 

“I just knew that she had the fight,” Aspen says. “And I had the fight, and she knew that I was fighting hard for her. Between us both, we didn’t give up.” 

It wasn’t long before Fern’s feathers grew back, bright white and shining. And with them came her personality. 

“She is definitely not your average duck,” Aspen laughs. “She has a fun and quirky personality. She loves to watch TV and movies. I think she’s seen more Disney movies than I have! She actually watches!” 

Fern loves to garden alongside Aspen, nibbling weeds while she helps plant flowers. She attends community events and local sports games, where she often steals the spotlight. 

“One thing about Fern is that she loves the attention that she gets,” Aspen says. “And people love giving it to her.” 

Behind the smiles and selfies, Aspen and Fern are on a mission. Each new friend they make learns something important: Domestic ducks like Fern can’t survive in the wild. 

Domestic ducks were bred by people to have a different diet, different instincts, and different abilities, says Matt Lyson, founder of the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary in South Lyon, Michigan.  

Because they typically can’t fly, they’re at risk of predators in the wild. Their nutritional needs can’t be met solely through foraging, which is why abandoned ducks like Fern often eat things like mud just to fill their bellies.  

Plus, domestic ducks aren’t adapted to cold weather. In places like Michigan, where winters can be especially harsh, they could freeze to death out in the elements. 

That means they need to live as farm animals or pets—but not everyone knows that.  

People often bring ducklings home from a farm or farm store, Aspen explains, then release them into parks or forests believing they’ll thrive in the wild—an issue known as “duck dumping.” 

“Every time Fern meets someone new, it’s another pair of eyes out in the world looking for dumped ducks,” Aspen says. “So we get to raise awareness and also have fun on top of it.” 

Since rescuing Fern, Aspen has begun volunteering at Michigan Duck Rescue to help save the lives of more ducks. She’s spreading the word with the next generation, too. At the school where Aspen works, Fern is the star of a weekly “Fern Alert” newsletter that updates students on her latest adventures and teaches them about animal care and local wildlife. 

“It’s a great way to continue spreading awareness with that fun, quirky personality of hers,” Aspen says. “It connects the students with animals and nature. I’ve had students tell me they want to go rescue and volunteer with me.” 

Fern’s also an inspiration to students who need a little extra hope. 

“She really pulls out their determination and their purpose,” Aspen says. “Someone gave up on Fern. They didn’t see the value in her—but we see the value in her, and we see the value in all our kids.” 

Fern has a lot of hobbies. But her favorite, Aspen says, is visiting holiday light shows. 

“When she sees Christmas lights, she’s, like, taken aback,” Aspen says. “You can see in her face that she’s just amazed and taking it all in.” 

It makes sense—birds can see more colors than humans, which is why Fern’s view of holiday lights is brighter than most. 

So when it came time to write her letter to Chewy Claus, Fern didn’t wish for herself. She wished to bring that joy to everyone around her. 

Chewy Claus answered that wish with a dazzling light display at the Harrison Township Library and Park, designed especially for Fern’s brilliant color vision—a bigger and brighter display than the small town had ever hosted before. 

Lights covered the entire library building from top to bottom. The pathways to the entrances were covered in arches of sparkling lights, including a long accessibility ramp that was transformed into a twinkling tunnel.  

In the adjacent park, trees and bushes were brightly lit in traditional Christmas colors. And at the center of it all, a massive pine tree twinkled top to bottom. 

In total, over 36,000 lights lit up the space—far more than the town had ever used for a holiday celebration. 

Fern arrived at the event as the guest of honor, riding through the glow in a garland-wrapped stroller, her blue scarf matching Aspen’s. When she first saw the lights—paired with live holiday music from the local high school marching band—she chirped and bobbed with unmistakable joy. 

The magic that started with Fern rippled outward. Dogs in cozy sweaters and babies in Santa hats gazed up at the lights in amazement. Neighbors connected over cocoa and cookies, pointing and smiling, asking, “Did you see Fern?” and “Who would’ve thought, in our little township, that this could happen?” 

Inside the library, kids crafted ornaments and lined up for balloon animals. Outside, older kids played in the snow while younger children squealed and giggled when they spotted the duck at the heart of the celebration.  

For one night, everyone saw the holidays a little more brightly—exactly the way Fern hoped. 

By the time the mayor presented Fern with the key to Harrison Township, it was clear she’d earned more than a title. Her wish didn’t just bring light to a winter evening—it brought her community closer together, and reminded an entire town just how bright the holidays can be when we see them through a pet’s eyes.