FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Two turkeys and the woman that takes care of them are giving the Williamson County community some food for thought this Thanksgiving.
"The turkey is a symbol of Thanksgiving and I think it's important that we know a little bit more about the bird than seeing it either on the dinner table or frozen in market," said Laura Turner, the "Turkey Lady."
Laura Turner, Beautiful and Jack, the names of her pet turkeys, have visited schools and churches in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
"[I started doing this] because I would see people bowling with frozen turkeys or dropping live turkeys out of airplanes...it's important to have respect for all living things, " Turner said.
With her turkeys, Turner puts on a humane education lesson about the history of the bird and how it became associated with Thanksgiving.
"They have to gobble up a lot of food this time of year. That's how they became a symbol of Thanksgiving because they become really fat to make it through the winter when snow is on the ground," she said.
Turner's turkey knowledge is self-taught, but she has been a fixture in the animal rescue, advocacy and rights world for years.
She plans to continue this turkey trot for as long as she can.
