We’ve all heard that dogs are man’s best friend, and cats can be aloof at times – but what about pet turkeys?

Animal lover Dave Brooker says his two-year-old pet turkey Trouble Version Two – or T2 for short – is like a child to him and goes with him everywhere.

He’s certainly attracted some stares from locals in Maidstone, Kent when they spot T2 in the passenger seat of his car, or see him giving her her favourite snack, the meat from a scotch egg, in the supermarket car park.

Dave, 56, even takes her to the pub with him and they can often be found sat in the White Horse pub together, sharing a packet of cheese and onion crisps.

He’s also stopped eating turkey for Christmas dinner since taking T2 on as a pet.

‘She’s like my child,’ Dave admitted, adding: ‘There’s a mutual bond. She’s good company and entertaining – sometimes I even think she’s part human.’

Dave, who keeps turkeys for their eggs, was forced to care for newborn T2 before he could return her to her mother, Trouble.

He explained: ‘Her mum was sitting on a dozen eggs and the weather turned awful.

Dave Brooker and his pet turkey T2, Maidstone, 22nd September 2023. Release date, 24/9/23. See SWNS story SWLSturkey. Don't mention Christmas but one turkey might just avoid the oven this year after becoming best friends with his owner. Animal lover Dave Brooker goes everywhere with his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two - or T2 for short - who is like a child to him and has followed him everywhere from the pub to the dentist since she was born two years ago. Locals in Maidstone, Kent, are often baffled as they see the 56-year-old 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. She can often be seen casually sitting in the White Horse pub in Maidstone with a packet of cheese & onion crisps and has had such an effect on her owner that he's stopped eating turkey for Christmas dinner.
Dave has a great bond with his pet turkey, T2 (Picture: Tony Kershaw/SWNS)
Dave Brooker in the car with his pet turkey T2, Maidstone, 22nd September 2023. Release date, 24/9/23. See SWNS story SWLSturkey. Don't mention Christmas but one turkey might just avoid the oven this year after becoming best friends with his owner. Animal lover Dave Brooker goes everywhere with his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two - or T2 for short - who is like a child to him and has followed him everywhere from the pub to the dentist since she was born two years ago. Locals in Maidstone, Kent, are often baffled as they see the 56-year-old 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. She can often be seen casually sitting in the White Horse pub in Maidstone with a packet of cheese & onion crisps and has had such an effect on her owner that he's stopped eating turkey for Christmas dinner.
He takes her almost everywhere – except for work (Picture: Tony Kershaw/SWNS)

‘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.

‘Ever since, she literally goes everywhere with me.

‘I feed her in the car park because she loves the sausage meat on scotch eggs.

‘She absolutely adores that and it’s her treat when she goes to Tesco.

‘We also go to the White Horse in Maidstone; she’s been going there since she was a baby.

‘I’ve got a video of her walking on the bar as a little chick.’

The pair are only really separated when Dave goes to work as an online order picker for Tesco – she even accompanies him to the dentist.

He said: ‘I was at the dentist recently and I asked the receptionist if she could turkey-sit for me.

‘She thought it was a joke, but then I brought T2 in. They all loved it.

‘Most people think it’s really strange, but it’s actually a really good talking point.

‘She draws quite a fair bit of attention from people, but she’s very well behaved.

‘At the pub, she sits on her blanket and stays there.

‘Unlike most dogs who would run around, you sit her down with a pack of cheese and onion crisps and she’s happy.

‘She’s very tame, very sociable and well-behaved. She doesn’t wander off and she lets people pet her.

‘Quite often I’ll be feeding her in Tesco car park and kids will come over, and adults.

Dave Brooker in the pub and with his pet turkey T2, Maidstone, 22nd September 2023. Release date, 24/9/23. See SWNS story SWLSturkey. Don't mention Christmas but one turkey might just avoid the oven this year after becoming best friends with his owner. Animal lover Dave Brooker goes everywhere with his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two - or T2 for short - who is like a child to him and has followed him everywhere from the pub to the dentist since she was born two years ago. Locals in Maidstone, Kent, are often baffled as they see the 56-year-old 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. She can often be seen casually sitting in the White Horse pub in Maidstone with a packet of cheese & onion crisps and has had such an effect on her owner that he's stopped eating turkey for Christmas dinner.
They’re often seen sharing a packet of cheese and onion crisps at the pub (Picture: Tony Kershaw/SWNS)
Dave Brooker shopping with his pet turkey T2, Maidstone, 22nd September 2023. Release date, 24/9/23. See SWNS story SWLSturkey. Don't mention Christmas but one turkey might just avoid the oven this year after becoming best friends with his owner. Animal lover Dave Brooker goes everywhere with his beloved pet turkey Trouble Version Two - or T2 for short - who is like a child to him and has followed him everywhere from the pub to the dentist since she was born two years ago. Locals in Maidstone, Kent, are often baffled as they see the 56-year-old 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. She can often be seen casually sitting in the White Horse pub in Maidstone with a packet of cheese & onion crisps and has had such an effect on her owner that he's stopped eating turkey for Christmas dinner.
T2 likes a scotch egg snack after a shopping trip (Picture: Tony Kershaw/SWNS)

‘It just helps people think about turkeys in a different way, because most people actually haven’t seen a live turkey.

‘I don’t eat turkey anymore. I used to, but I couldn’t now. Not with a pet turkey. It would be like someone eating 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.

‘Turkeys are interesting birds and they look prehistoric. T2’s my little velociraptor.’

Mr Brooker added that his bond with T2 is as important as dogs and their owners, saying: ‘Some people might find it very strange, but some people have 70 cats and they don’t even clean up after them.

‘I went through a bad spell of anxiety and depression back in 2014, and it’s helpful to have a bond like this with an animal.

‘People are worried she’ll run away when I feed her in the Tesco car park – but she’d never do that.

‘If we were all the same the world would be boring, and there’s a lot weirder things that happen than a man keeping a turkey.

‘She just makes people smile, which I think is fantastic.’

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