Hannah Ross Smith was kayaking on the Cuyahoga River near the Carter Rd. Bridge last night when she came across some exotic wildlife. No it wasn’t a Blue Heron, peregrine falcon, or a beaver. It was a rooster. A salmon faverolle rooster to be exact. One can easily imagine the rooster channeling Talking Heads’ Once in a Lifetime’s classic lyric “Well, how did I get here?!”.

"He was just hanging out. We kinda laughed and kept paddling down the river. On the way back we decided if it was still there, we would try to get closer and investigate. When I got closer it was apparent he was trapped and needed help. He was balancing on a plank of wood full of nails.”

‘He couldn't jump up high enough to get on the shore, and they aren't good swimmers. He kept trying to balance and reach down to get a drink of water but couldn't reach it. It was close to a 100 degree day, and it was unknown how long he had actually been stuck there. So I paddled gently up next to him and stuck my hand out and he jumped right in. He knew I was there to help!”

Ralph’s instincts were spot-on as Hannah is the owner of “Sits N Wiggles Dog Training”, a positive reinforcement dog training business that doesn’t promote the use of prong, pinch, training, choke, radio, or shock collars. I’m used to finding stray dogs and rescuing them off the street so the rooster was on that continuum.”

“We paddled back to the Merwins Wharf dock and got out and he fell asleep in my arms the whole car ride home. Some folks told me that the Glass Bubble Project on W.25th has roosters and hens, so I called. But Ralph is not theirs. One of our friends lives on a farms with similar breed chickens so Ralph has a place to roost if we don’t find his owner. If only he could talk and let us know how he got there!”. Dormant Twitter account @RalphRooster provides a potential clue to Ralph’s walkabout (A #story of #travel, #language, #culture, and how a cocky #rooster leaves the farm and becomes a wiser, kinder #global citizen).

Video courtesy of hannah ross smith

Hannah, a Cleveland Heights resident, has been kayaking for years but had always rented. This year, like tons of other paddlers have done during the last year, Hannah finally bought her own kayak. “Kayaking is my Zen place - it’s where I go when I’m stressed out. Renting kayaks really restricts where you can go. I wanted to be able to go wherever I want.”.

Hannah had rented both sit-in and sit-on kayaks and rented ocean kayaks when she visited her grandparents in Key West. “So I joined the Kayak NE Ohio Facebook group and waited for one on a buy/sell/trade page eventually finding a pair of ocean kayaks on OHIO KAYAK, SUP, CANOE Garage Sale Facebook group that were selling for half the price of new kayaks.” When Share the River spoke to Hannah earlier today we were pleased to learn she had already signed up for the recreational 8.6 mile paddle/float portion of the Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on July 24 at Cleveland Metroparks Merwin’s Wharf & Cleveland Rowing Foundation.

So the search continues for Ralph's home. Folks, if you happen to know where this river rooster resides, feel free to message us. In the meantime, register for the July 24 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest!

Hannah plans to bring Ralph down to Blazing Paddles to make an appearance and wish the paddlers who rescued him well. So NEWS ALERT: Ralph the Rooster is the unofficial mascot of the 2021 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest! (update below)

Photos and video courtesy of Hannah Ross Smith.

Editor’s Note: If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this story it’s that bird lovers certainly flock together. We received MANY messages inquiring about Ralph’s status and some have kindly offered Ralph a cushy home. Hannah tells us Ralph is in great shape after being nourished back to health and he is currently in quarantine at a local 75 acre farm with peacocks, ducks, chickens and horses. Ralph is the epitome of the phrase “died and gone to heaven”. Once Ralph clears quarantine, the farm owner is having some new hens brought in that will be “his” hens. So when you’re facing a tough situation and things are looking bleak, remember Ralph!

Blog