“She uses her beak and slams it until we finally go to the door …”
A few years ago in Virginia, Tabatha Lamun was spending a quiet day at home with her husband and daughter when something unexpected happened — a goose casually wandered into their garage. No one had any clue where she came from or why she chose their house.
Tabatha’s daughter, Abi, was immediately smitten. She begged to pet and cuddle the surprise visitor, though her mom wasn’t quite ready to let her run up to a wild goose.
But the very next day, the bird came back — this time marching right up to their front door and loudly knocking with her beak until someone opened it.
“She hits the door with her beak over and over until we finally answer,” Abi explained in a video for The Dodo.
Soon, visiting became a daily routine. The goose followed the family on evening walks, ignoring every attempt they made to lead her to the neighborhood pond. Tabatha even checked with neighbors to see if anyone had lost a goose, but no one claimed her.
It began to seem like the goose was simply searching for connection. Maybe she’d been raised around people, or maybe she was just unusually social. Either way, she clearly wanted companionship — and she had chosen this family.
Eventually, Tabatha gave in and allowed Abi to give the goose a hug. To her surprise, the bird leaned into the affection, calm and happy.
“Abi was the only one brave enough to approach her,” Tabatha said.
From that point on, the goose — now lovingly named Gumbo — was part of the family. Tabatha and her husband built a cozy setup for her in the yard complete with a small house and two kiddie pools. Gumbo always had the freedom to leave… but she never did.
She and Abi became inseparable. They snuggle, stroll the neighborhood together, and even play side by side at the playground.
“Gumbo goes to the playground,” Tabatha said. “She even slides down the slide.”
After a few years, having a goose as a family member feels completely normal to them — so normal that they sometimes forget how unusual it sounds to others.
“Abi tells people she has a goose, and they never believe her,” Tabatha laughed.
Tabatha never imagined a goose would waddle into her life and stay for good. But now, she can’t picture life without Gumbo.
“Abi loves showing her off and making people smile,” she said. “Gumbo has been such a wonderful addition to our lives.”