Flock attack
<p>A plastic flamingo, bandaged up after being mauled by a dog, falls over after it was placed by the Coeur d'Alene High School dance team in front of the North Idaho Physical Therapy sign on Thursday in Coeur d'Alene.</p>
<p>Girls on the Coeur d'Alene High School dance team place plastic flamingos in front of the North Idaho Physical Therapy sign to "flock" the business on Wednesday in Coeur d'Alene as part of a fundraiser for the dance team.</p>
<p>Members of the Coeur d'Alene High School dance team grab plastic flamingos, some bandaged up after a dog mangeled them, out of a box before placing them in front of the North Idaho Physical Therapy sign on Thursday in Coeur d'Alene.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE — Hayden Pet Medical Center's practice manager, Donna Bodkin, never really expected a flock of injured flamingos to appear on the clinic's doorstep.
Or lawn.
Or flower bed.
But the bandaged plastic lawn flamingos were in the right place Wednesday morning after suffering an encounter with a curious, and probably hungry, canine.
"When I pulled into work Wednesday, I had to chuckle," Bodkin said Thursday evening. "It was the talk of the day with staff and clients both."
Coeur d'Alene High School Dance Team members hatched a plan this fall to "flock" yards and lawns, or decorate them with plastic flamingos for 24 hours, to raise money for their team.
However, an unforeseeable incident with an unknown animal assailant landed the plastic birds in a pitiful state of being.
“It’s actually a stray dog, is what everybody’s assuming,” said Vikette co-captain and CHS senior Stacy Sovereign, 17. “It was a random dog that came up and had a little treat.”
Sovereign explained that the flamingos had been positioned in the yard of a Coeur d'Alene home just over a week ago when a dance team parent drove by and realized the flock had been disturbed — flock down.
"The flamingos got torn up into pieces," Sovereign said, describing the scene of bitten and missing beaks, punctured pink plastic and lost legs.
"We took them to the vet to fix them all up," she said, grinning.
"We were pleasantly surprised to see them and we're glad the (Vikettes) felt we were competent to care for all the injured birds that they brought us, some of which were in very bad shape,” Bodkin said playfully. "I certainly think that they've got a clever plan going."
The Vikettes have a team of 23 this year and are working to raise as much of the necessary $11,000 as possible for uniforms, shoes, competition fees and more. They have done other fundraisers, but this one has really taken flight.
"It's really fun," said co-captain and senior Emily Fitzgerald, 17. "We sneak around like ninjas."
The Vikettes leave a "Dancing Flock" sign with an explanation of the fundraiser in their victims' yards. They're grateful for any contribution, and will happily take requests for their next "flock" targets for only $10.
As for the busted-up flamingo saga, the dance team had one more location in mind.
"They’ve been released from the hospital, so now they’re going into rehab to get back on their feet,” Sovereign said. “I think (the next target) will be a bit confused at first, but when they read the paper, they’ll get a chuckle out of it."
So, North Idaho Physical Therapy, how are you enjoying your flock today?
To request the next flock location for the Coeur d'Alene High School Dance Team and help with their fundraiser, contact Vikette grandma Nanci Hawkins at 660-8147.