Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A Florida woman turned heads by taking her pet chicken out on the water to go paddle boarding.
The Florida Keys and Key West, a page run by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, shared photos of Karly Venezia and her pet chicken Loretta enjoying a ride together in Islamorada.
"Some canine-craving paddlers take their dogs along for the ride. Keys resident Karly Venezia, however, takes her one-year-old pet, 'Loretta,' a Rhode Island Red chicken along for the jaunts," a post on the Facebook page said Tuesday.
Venezia told Fox 13 that Loretta has no fear of being out on the water.
"Loretta is very curious and follows us around the yard, and living in the Florida Keys, we like to get out on the water so it only seemed natural to us to take Loretta paddle boarding and boating and things that we do with our dog," she said.
Wild chickens are common in the Florida Keys and Venezia believes the proximity to the water helped inspire Loretta's love of paddle boarding and other activities.
"Loretta seems to enjoy water-related activities. In addition to paddle boarding, we've taken her out boating for sunsets and she always seems to have a great time," she said.
Venezia told Local 10 that Loretta is a great companion and their water-based excursions have given her a new appreciation for her home.
"Paddle boarding's very calming, and I like hanging out with Loretta," she said. "She's an awesome pet to have. So for us, I think coming out here and getting to enjoy the beautiful sunsets is what makes living in the Keys so special."
