We ran back home as fast as we could and after an hour figured out where we should probably take it. But it also meant we had to catch the goose, which turned out not to be hard – by the time we got back to it, she was worn out. We put her in a box, bundled her up with towels, and drove to Contra Costa Veterinary Emergency Hospital.

The staff there said that they'd turn her over to animal services in the end. I hope she makes it… when I called the next day to check, they said they still didn't know what the issue was. It was really sad to see that her friends were just a few yards away and that she was in pain and would probably die alone if we hadn't come along.

We also found out that removing birds from Lake Merritt is a misdemeanor. So we need to find the proper way to handle things next time we find a bird in distress in the off-hours.

Dedicated to all the tiny hearts of the world.