Others have burglar alarms or guard dogs, but a woman in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, has a vigilant duck keeping an eye on the door to her stationery shop.

The duck, raised as a pet, not only brings joy to Peng's family, but alerts her every time a stranger enters the shop.

When the duck, called Ya Ya, sees someone entering the shop, it starts quacking and runs over to Peng. Ya Ya then looks up and down at the stranger until Peng comes over.

Peng's daughter seldom comes home as she studies in a boarding school. Sometimes when she does come back to their home at weekends, Ya Ya mistakes her for a stranger, quacks at her and even pecks at her feet.

The duck, who was bought last spring, is fed rice and vegetables and bathed every day.

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