Pet turkey accompanies owner to 5km Parkrun
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Britain’s luckiest turkey survived the Christmas Day chop by going on a 5k Parkrun with her owner. Dave Brooker, 58, takes his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two, or T2 for short, everywhere with him – including to the pub and dentist. The Maidstone-based pet owner feeds T2 meat from a scotch egg and even cheese and onion crisps in the pub.
![[Dave Brooker with his pet turkey T2. Dave is doing a park run on Christmas day with his pet turkey. An animal lover will try to convince people to go vegetarian this festive season - by taking his pet turkey to a Christmas Day Parkrun. Those out for a festive 5k run in Maidstone, Kent, will be shocked to see the animal following them in a buggy pushed by Dave Brooker this year before heading home to tuck into their Christmas dinners. The 58-year-old takes his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two, or T2 for short, everywhere with him - including to the pub and dentist. Locals in Maidstone are often baffled as they see Mr Brooker sat alongside T2 in his car when they stop at traffic lights, or when he feeds her her favourite snack - the meat from a scotch egg - in the middle of a Tesco's car park.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234245509-79a2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
T2 has had such an effect on her owner over their three years together that David has now turned fully vegetarian. This year, he took T2 on a Christmas Parkrun, saying: ‘It might also make people think twice about eating turkey. I think they’re lovely animals. They’re very intelligent and sentient. It’s also a nice way to show her off.’.
![[Dave Brooker with his pet turkey T2. Dave is doing a park run on Christmas day with his pet turkey. An animal lover will try to convince people to go vegetarian this festive season - by taking his pet turkey to a Christmas Day Parkrun. Those out for a festive 5k run in Maidstone, Kent, will be shocked to see the animal following them in a buggy pushed by Dave Brooker this year before heading home to tuck into their Christmas dinners. The 58-year-old takes his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two, or T2 for short, everywhere with him - including to the pub and dentist. Locals in Maidstone are often baffled as they see Mr Brooker sat alongside T2 in his car when they stop at traffic lights, or when he feeds her her favourite snack - the meat from a scotch egg - in the middle of a Tesco's car park.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234245502-3bf0.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The unlikely duo’s story began when David, who keeps turkeys for their eggs, was forced to care for newborn T2 before she could return to her mother, Trouble. He explained: ‘Her mum was sitting on a dozen eggs and the weather turned awful. The first two that hatched died, so I set up a brooder to get the turkeys strong enough to go back under their mum.
‘T2 was the first one out and I fed her for 10 or 11 hours. She was on her own with me checking on her and must have thought I was her parent. The others all went back underneath the mother quite easily, but not T2.’. Since then, T2 has gone everywhere with owner David and even provides him with entertainment.
The bond between the two is so strong that David stopped eating turkey on Christmas dinner – likening it to eating a dog. ‘When you keep an animal it’s quite hard… Maybe if you’re a farmer you can switch off to it, but I’m a bit of a softy,’ he said. ‘Last year made me think about not eating meat at all. My relationship with T2 has definitely had a part to play in that.
