The Andy Griffith Show helped a family reunite with their long-lost pet

How a toe-tappin' tune was able to reconnect a family with their pet after three years apart.

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It's no surprise that we here at MeTV are big fans of The Andy Griffith Show theme song, "The Fishin' Hole." The fun, cheerful whistlin' tune is instantly recognizable and just makes you want to dance.

And apparently, that feeling crosses species!

In April, a scruffy-looking cockatiel surprised members of Christ United Methodist Church in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania when the little bird showed up on their front porch. Since the bird had a colorful plume, they knew it wasn't native to the area, and called the animal rescue group ORCA (Organization for Responsible Care of Animals).

Suspecting that the cockatiel may have been an escaped pet, ORCA posted photos of the bird on their social media. Almost immediately, they were contacted by someone who thought that this may be their own bird, Lucky — who escaped from an open door three years ago.

The owners came to see Lucky, but couldn't confirm for sure that this was their own long lost bird. 

That's where The Andy Griffith Show comes in.

You see, Lucky's owners were Andy Griffith fans as well. During the time Lucky lived with them, they had trained him to do a certain trick: when he heard "The Fishin' Hole," he'd start dancing!

In order to confirm Lucky's identity, one of the members of the family started whistling the iconic tune, and sure enough, Lucky started bobbing along to the music! It was confirmed: this was their own Mayberry-loving feathered friend.

Unfortunately, in the years since Lucky flew the coop, the family had moved to a smaller house and no longer had adequate space to care for him. They worked with ORCA to find Lucky a good new home. 

In a happy ending for the musical cockatiel, ORCA was able to place Lucky with an experienced cockatiel owner. We just hope that Lucky's new home still lets him watch his favorite TV show!

Watch The Andy Griffith Show on MeTV!

Weeknights at 8 & 8:30, Sundays at 6 & 6:30 PM

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15 Comments

lynyrd33 20 months ago
What was the goats name that ate dynamite?
Jimmy? Buddy? Rocko? Billy?
lynyrd33 20 months ago
Best show ever. Andy Griffith was a funny very under rated actor. He was also a great musician. We are going to Mayberry (Mt. Airy)on weekend and we are going to stay overnight in the house Andy grew up in. I moved to North Carolina to be close to Mayberry
Awesome place to spend a weekend and see all the landmarks from the show.
jaelinsmith40652 21 months ago
I like the theme song, but I can just listen to it the next time I watch The Andy Griffith Show.
DaleM5 21 months ago
A bird dancing to the Andy Griffith show? That would be way way cool to see…
texasluva 21 months ago
It's a bird of a different feather🦜....Lucky too 🎈
cperrynaples 21 months ago
Fun Fact: Melissa Etheridge has a pet bird which she taught to dance when she whistles the TAGS theme!
Andybandit 21 months ago
That is so great that Andy Griffith reunited the dog with it family.
KJExpress Andybandit 21 months ago
Bird, actually. 🦜
Pacificsun 21 months ago
Lovely story! Thank you, writers for finding it!!
LoveMETV22 21 months ago
That was a fun story with a MeTV connection. The video link was a nice added touch. Glad they found a new home for Lucky. Maybe MeTV can do a cross species guest shot starring Lucky. LOL🐦🐦. It could train with this other cockatiel
🐦🐦
Pacificsun LoveMETV22 21 months ago
I needed a smile today, and you found one for me! Thank you!!
MrsPhilHarris LoveMETV22 21 months ago
That is so cute!
LoveMETV22 Pacificsun 21 months ago
Glad it gave a smile.
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