This Turkey and Dog Are Besties

Blossom the turkey and Minnow the dog have something in common — they were both once thought of only as “food.” Minnow was rescued from a South Korean meat farm in 2015, and Blossom was saved last year from a commercial turkey farm in West Virginia. Today they share a home with Abbie Hubbard, and are like any other family. They go on hikes together, snuggle on the sofa and greet Abbie at the door. “When I put the keys in, I hear Blossom make loud chirping sounds in excitement,” Abbie, who is the Animal Rescue Responder for Humane Society International, tells LAIKA. “She always comes running, and it makes my heart do flips of joy.”

Abbie recalls once being asked by a reporter in South Korea what it was like to have a dog that was different from other ‘meat’ dogs. She explained that Minnow is no different, and that her heart is the same as all other dogs. “I often think about that question in regards to Blossom,” she says. “My response would be that she, too, is no different — her heart is the same as all other beings.”

While Abbie was already vegan when Blossom came to live with her and her dog Minnow, it was through Blossom that she gained a deeper understanding of turkeys — starting with the very first night she took her home. “Blossom watched as I pet Minnow and seemed to recognize that I was a source of kindness and was a safe being,” Abbie says. “Shortly after, Blossom came and settled into the crook of my arm. It’s hard to describe that moment without crying. I’ll never forget it as long as I live.”

Among the many things that Blossom enjoys is hearing a good beat. Abbie says that “if she is in another room and I turn on music, she comes running!” Her very favorite food is hummus, and her second favorite is watermelon. She loves hanging out in the kitchen when Abbie is cooking. She relishes a good head scratch and will rest her head in Abbie’s hand to receive cuddles. “She allows herself to be vulnerable with me, and I always recognize those moments,” says Abbie. “It feels like such an honor, especially knowing what people do to turkeys and other farmed animals.”

“That my dog Minnow has been deemed a companion by our society and my turkey Blossom has been deemed food is completely arbitrary.”

Killed at barely four months old and not protected by the Humane Slaughter Act, turkeys’ lives in animal agriculture are short and agonizing. Abbie has witnessed how easily Blossom gets frightened in the safety of her home, whether it’s by the doorbell, loud noises outside or even the soundtrack of a scary movie (This past Halloween, she got spooked when Abbie was watching Poltergeist and hid in the living room. “I turned the film off and went to comfort her,” Abbie says.) These moments offer a small glimpse into how terrifying daily life must be for turkeys on farms. In fact, it was this fear of danger that led to Blossom being rescued from that West Virginia facility. When the five-week-old turkeys were being moved to a “grow out house” to be fattened up for slaughter, she hid for days behind a piece of equipment. A farm worker who discovered her decided to mercifully surrender her to a local rescue.

These days, Blossom and Minnow are deeply connected. Because she is 30 pounds and can’t get up the stairs (turkeys are bred to grow unnaturally large quickly), Blossom sleeps downstairs. And Minnow stays right there by her side, keeping her company through the night. “That my dog Minnow has been deemed a companion by our society and my turkey Blossom has been deemed food is completely arbitrary,” Abbie says. “Blossom has the same depth and range of feeling. She bonds with others. She plays. She doesn’t like being alone. She hurts and she loves. Blossom is completely and entirely my companion for the same reasons Minnow is my companion.”