A woman’s love for her pet ducks, chickens, geese, and turkeys – all 200 of them – ignites a battle with local animal rescuers and puts her marriage in jeopardy.
After finding a baby duck on her property, Kathy Murphy’s infatuation with birds began. Since then, she has cared for 200 geese, chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Her life starts to crumble when the SPCA is notified that her animals are being neglected by living in extremely unsanitary conditions unfit for habitation. When volunteers arrive, they are shocked by the amount of filth and animal secretions on her couch, floor, and bed, where the birds would often sleep. Kathy claims she and her pets are happy but she wasn’t aware that some of the chickens hadcontracted terrible foot infections and parasites due to lack of sufficient water to drink and sitting in their own excrements all day with no space to move around.
Kathy begins receiving sporadic visits from animal welfare convincing her to release the birds into their care.
Her husband Gary, who desperately wants the birds gone so he can live a normal life again, complies and even helps the SPCA seize the animals from their home. After Kathy discovers that her husband knew about the plan to take her birds away, their relationship completely dissipates. She receives a court order for her negligence and after over 20 years of marriage, Gary moves out of the home. Kathy is given five years of probation for cruelty to animals and begins to rebuild her new life living alone.
This story is so heartbreaking and sad because we see that Kathy truly doesn’t know any better, loves the birds so much and never means to hurt them. The court comes down really hard on her even after she complies with the animal safety organization taking most of her birds away. It really makes you wonder about the judicial system. The ending is really sad yet hopeful, this is such an amazing film that will deeply touch you in every way.
Now playing in select theaters
