If one could imagine a theory of mind for ducks, it would be easy to imagine one female duck's confusion as 4,000 bright yellow rubber ducks floated towards her while she was on an early afternoon swim up the channel at Dutch's Campground in Coldstream Saturday, June 28.
It was the Vernon Lions Club's fifth annual duck race, which raises funds for children with autism to receive a service dog, and it was a photo finish.
People buy tickets corresponding to one of the rubber ducks in the race, with $1,000 on the line for the person whose duck finishes first.
The duck Ï㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥” the real one, not one of the thousands of rubber ones Ï㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥” got caught up in the action, and out of some animalistic curiosity, or perhaps incredulity, she fixated on the sight before her, floundered for just a moment and nearly interfered with a few of the rubber ducks leading the race, just a few feet up the channel from the finish line.
Whether or not the duck slowed down one of its rubber emulations didn't matter; she's home to the creek, as much a natural feature of it as the rocks and twigs that snagged many of the other rubber ducks along the way.
What did matter was that more than $23,500 was raised for the cause. It costs roughly $35,000 for one service dog, but BC & Alberta Guide Dogs will top up the funds and provide one dog to the community for every $10,000 raised.
Lions Club member and past president Sharon Cain came up with the idea for the duck race, and the Lions Club started it in 2019.
"I just hope it goes on forever," Cain said, after the event moved this year from Polson Park due to the creek naturalization project. "We've just had a lot of fun doing it."
Some past recipients of service dogs were at the event, and another service dog is coming to a young person in the community in August.
After the duck race, the winners were announced. First prize and $1,000 went to Robyn Miyazaki; second place and $500 was won by Brian Wyatt; Richard Turenne took home third place and $250; and the $100 "lame duck" prize Ï㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥” given to the ticket holder for the duck that crossed the finish line last Ï㽶ÊÓƵֱ²¥” went to Dick Auty.
For more information on the many kinds of professionally trained service dogs, or to donate, visit .
