Man adopts Wally as his 'emotional support alligator' and they've become the best of friends
Real friendship has a long tail.
You've heard of emotional support dogs, cats and even an emotional support peacock. But an emotional support alligator? This has to be a first. Joie Henney and his emotional support alligator, Wally, are turning heads after Henney took the gator to Love Park in Philadelphia recently. In the viral video, the gator can be seen in a harness and leash while it enjoys the splash coming from the fountain. The leash is being held by a little girl, who is the child of Henney's friend. That's a lot of trust in an animal that people would generally sprint in the other direction to get away from.
That doesn't stop Henney from treating the animal just like he would if Wally was a golden retriever. According to an interview Henney did with CNN, he came by the alligator after a friend in Florida asked him to take the baby gator that was in his pond. Wally was just under two feet long at that point, but he came at the right time for Henney, who had recently experienced the death of three friends.
Henney told The Philadelphia Inquirer, “My doctor wanted to put me on depression medicine, and I hate taking medicine. I had Wally, and when I came home and was around him, it was all OK. My doctor knew about Wally and figured it works, so why not?”
While Wally is certainly sweet, alligators can be vicious when encountered in the wild, so this isn't something you'd want to try at home. Wally was different from the start. Henney explained to CNN, "Wally has been quite different than any alligator I've ever dealt with in the past 30 years. He doesn't show anger. He doesn't show aggression. He hasn't since the day he was caught. We never could understand why." He went on to say that the gator sleeps with him and is known to be a pillow hog.
I don't know about you, but something about sleeping with an alligator's head on my pillow doesn't seem like it would be ideal conditions for a good night's sleep. But for Henney, having his prehistoric friend snuggled next to him helps his depression and has been a support through his treatment for prostate cancer, according to CNN. I suppose once you get over the fear that the alligator might suddenly decide that your face looks like a delicious snack, you learn to relax a bit.
The same goes for people around town. Wally is somewhat of a local celebrity. When he splashed around at Love Park, people came up to hug him and take pictures. Sure, people know he's an alligator, but the love is abundant for this surprisingly docile animal. Henney has told multiple news outlets that the alligator is not interested in biting anyone.
I'll just have to take his word for it. In the meantime, we can catch up with Wally and his adventures on social media where non-locals go to see what the alligator is doing. Wishing Henney all the luck with his treatments. I'm sure Wally will continue to give the best alligator snuggles while his human recovers.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."