Hamilton is full of wild stories and 2019 was no exception, particularly when it comes to animals.

From a noseless cat's adventure to ducks waddling through school and a doe making itself at home, here's a look at some of the best animal stories from Hamilton over the past year.

Saving the turtles

Seven tiny turtles were released at Cootes Paradise on Sept. 5, 2019 the latest additions to a turtle recovery plan. 1:00

Hundreds of tiny turtles were released into Cootes Paradise as part of recovery efforts at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Among the newest additions was a handful saved from a nest found on a construction site at McMaster University.

They baby reptiles completed a leisurely lumber across some cool mud before successfully sliding beneath the surface.

But despite their great start, the turtles are in for a tough road.

"It's estimated one out of every 1,400 to one out of every 1,800 eggs laid will actually reach adulthood," explained Sarah Richer, a species at risk biologist. She says protecting adult turtles is also critical for maintaining the population.

Fuzz the cat finds his way home

Fuzz the cat was missing for two months before he showed up in Dundas, almost 70 km from his home in Selkirk, Ont. (Shelley Bentley)

Fuzz is a cat who really put that old line about felines have nine lives to the test.

He survived falling out of a tree face-first and slept through a house fire, but this past summer his owners thought he might be gone for good.

He disappeared from his home in Selkirk, Ont. without a trace. Months went by before he suddenly turned up in a cage at Hamilton's Animal Services shelter, almost 70 kilometres away.

His owners, the Bentleys, aren't exactly sure how he got there, but their bet is he crawled into a contractors van and fell asleep before waking up about an hour's drive from home.

A joyful reunion followed, along with a gentle lecture about wandering off.

What's in a (dog) name?

Bella, Charlie, Molly, Buddy and Maggie are the most popular names for canines in Hamilton, according to analysis carried out by CBC.

Here's a look at the full Top 10 list — it's nothing to sniff at.

(CBC News Graphics)

When it came to breeds there were some clear standouts in the city, too.

Labrador retrievers topped the list followed by Shih Tzus, golden retrievers, German shepherds and chihuahuas.

Make yourself at home, deer

Provincial police in Norfolk County helped a large doe escape a home in Port Dover after the animal jumped through a window. (Const. Ed Sanchuk/OPP)

Oh deer.

A Port Dover resident came home one January day to find a busted window and an unexpected intruder in the bedroom — large whitetail doe.

Provincial police and staff from a wildlife refuge were called in to lend a hand, but the animal ended up hoofing it on its own.

"The deer would not comply with police demands when it was asked to leave," joked Const. Ed Sanchuk at the time, adding it had apparently jumped through a side window.

In the end the animal suffered some minor bruises and scrapes, but seemed fine as it ran out the door and headed for the woods.

Just a short waddle through school

In what's now an annual tradition, a mother duck leads her brood through a high school in Burlington, Ont. 0:59

In what has become a sort of annual tradition, staff at Gary Allan High School take a short break from nurturing young minds to shepherd an unlikely brood through the school.

At least once a year a mother duck and her ducklings patiently peck at one the building's sliding glass doors until it's opened so they can waddle through the building from their nesting grounds to the waters of Roseland Creek.

The cross-school journey has been taking place for about ten years, according Robert Eatough, a superintendent of communications with the Halton District School Board.

"The staff certainly look forward to it," he added.

The skydiving bunny

Kevin Vanderwal (left) and Rob Pearce from Moore Environmental found the stuffed bunny on the roof of CAMA Woodlands Long Term Care Home. (Lost and Found - Hamilton/Facebook)

Ok, this may be a tale about a stuffed bunny, but it still makes the cut.

"Bunny," is a good-luck charm that survived a tour in Afghanistan and practically became a member of Maginnis family.

Then, on Nov. 9 it boarded Hamilton's vintage Lancaster Bomber along with the family for a tour over Hamilton.

Somewhere along the way Bunny took a dive, tumbling from the WWII-era plane to the ground below.

The family had little hope they'd ever see the stuffed animal again, but weeks later two HVAC workers doing maintenance on the roof of a long-term care home in Burlington stumbled upon Bunny just sitting there, waiting to be found.

"The odds of finding that there were just like a million to one," said Kevin Vanderwal after he and his coworker Rob Pearce made the discovery. "It was crazy."