New Life on the Block: Portage Park Family Welcomes Baby Ducklings After Heartbreak

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Portage Park · June 1, 2026

Sometimes, the most uplifting neighborhood stories happen right in someone's backyard — and this one comes with feathers. A Portage Park family, the Pabellos, is celebrating a joyful new chapter after a rough patch earlier this spring. In late May, the family's beloved pet duck Henry and a chicken were found beaten to death in their backyard — a heartbreaking discovery that left the family shaken. "At first I was very angry but then I got hit with a wave of sadness because I was very confused," Jacob Pabello told the Chicago Sun-Times.

But Portage Park being the tight-knit, resilient neighborhood it is, the story didn't end in grief. In early June, the Pabello family welcomed two new ducklings — the offspring of Henry and his partner Winona — bringing new life, and a whole lot of cuteness, back to their Northwest Side home. It's the kind of small-but-mighty moment that reminds us why community matters: even in hard times, life finds a way to keep going.

Want to follow along with the Pabello ducklings' journey? Keep an eye on neighborhood social media and the Portage Park Chamber of Commerce at portageparkchamber.org for more local stories worth celebrating. Got a heartwarming Portage Park moment of your own? Share it with the Socialhood community — your neighbors want to hear it!

Sources:
1. https://chicago.suntimes.com/portage-park