Turkeys and Thanksgiving Day

Source: Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

Why Turkeys And Other Birds Make Great Therapy Animals 

The woman who made headlines after bringing her pet turkey on a plane shares her side of the story.

Most mornings start the same for Jodie Smalley. She wakes up, gets ready for the day, kisses her 25-pound Wild Turkey goodbye, and drives to work. Like any loyal pet owner, it’s not easy for her to leave her animal alone for the entire day. But what makes it more challenging is that the turkey, a female named Easter, is Smalley’s emotional support animal, or ESA. “It must be how parents feel leaving their kids home with a babysitter,” she says.

Smalley has owned Easter, a broad-breasted bronze, for almost two years. The full story of how the turkey fell into her lap is a long one, but here’s the short of it: It was Easter Sunday in 2014 and two of Smalley’s friends were driving to her home in Duvall, Washington, just outside Seattle, when they saw an abandoned turkey chick on the road. They took the chick to Smalley’s house, and it was love at first sight. The timing could not have been more perfect, Smalley says, because she was going through a separation from her husband and was looking for comfort. “It was difficult living on my own. I don’t have any family out here, so she’s all I have,” she says. Still, it wasn't until later, after Smalley's ex-husband died of cancer and she began seeing a therapist, that Easter was classified as an ESA. After the therapist determined that the bird was providing legitimate support in helping her grieve, Smalley got her turkey registered.

In the time since she adopted Easter, Smalley says the turkey has become an invaluable part of her life. “She helps me realize that I am okay, and not as bad as I think I am,” she says. In some ways, Easter has been even better than her therapist. “I can’t kiss and cuddle my therapist.” 

Unlike registered service animals, ESAs aren’t regulated under the American Disabilities Act, so they don’t have the same rights and access, like being allowed in restaurants and hotels. But they are permitted in some public places. Last month Smalley and Easter made headlines when the duo boarded an airplane together. 

Some may look askance at the idea of a turkey trotting around business class. And there’s reason to be skeptical—the ESA system is abused by many. Aubrey Fine, a board member at Pet Partners and author of The Handbook on Animal Assisted Therapy, says lying about having an ESA or obtaining a fake ESA certificate is an all-too-common practice. “I really care about my animals, but I’m not going to call them my ‘emotional support animals,’ because I’m able to function without them,” he says. Smalley, for her part, agrees that it should be more difficult to get an ESA. 

But that doesn’t discount the idea of an ESA altogether. Marty Becker, a veterinarian and author of The Healing Power of Pets, says owning an animal for emotional support is better than any medicine. “It’s a medicine that’s trusted and doesn’t have any side effects. And on top of that, it’s free. How do you beat that?” Fine says that, unlike dogs and cats and other traditional pets, birds have a unique social aspect that many people find appealing. “Having a bird can be very engaging—some say words and sing songs. Once that connection is there, owning a bird that chirps when you come near them is really special.” (The New York Times Magazine recently published an article about parrots helping veterans overcome their trauma.) 

For Smalley, Easter is more like a family member than a pet. She rides in the front seat of the car and sticks her head out the window. “I imagine her thinking of flying,” Smalley says. She has a kennel at Smalley's apartment, and she uses a diaper when they travel. “She’s a ray of sunshine," Smalley says. "She’s innocent, but can be mischievous, just like a toddler."

Source: audubon.org 

Click on the link to see the turkey on the plane.

Vocabulary:

to make headlines -

to share your side of the story -

challenging (adj) -

a support animal -

a babysitter -

to fall into your lap -

here's the short of it (inf) -

a chick -

love at first sight -

the timing could not have been more perfect -

to go through (a separation) -

#PV GO THROUGH
- experience a difficult or unpleasant situation
e.g. He's GOING THROUGH A BAD PATCH.

- use a lot of sth
e.g. I used to GO THROUGH two packets of fags a day.

- do sth in order to practise
e.g. Let's GO THROUGH the homework. There were some tough questions. https://t.co/vLRfuVSvze pic.twitter.com/NQpmAWz3x0

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) February 9, 2021

comfort (n) -

to grieve -

invaluable (adj) -

to realize -

Didn't REALIZE that the Concordia tragedy happened on Friday 13th... And the bottle of champagne used to LAUNCH it, didn't break...

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) January 23, 2012

to cuddle sb -

unlike (prep) -

I don't train like Rocky.

I just feel like running (but unlike this guy, I do have a break) pic.twitter.com/91jdK5qLHg

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) June 12, 2018

to board -

to look askance -

to trot around -

skeptical (adj) sceptical (UK) -

fake (adj) -

@ScorpRmc People have FAKE TANS but FALSE TEETH.

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) September 27, 2013

all-too-common -

side effects -

on top of that, -

appealing (adj) -

engaging (adj)

to chirp -

a parrot -

#running #SalvemosALasCotorras #NoaLaMatanzaDeCotorras@AlmeidaPP_ @bcarabante
Delighted to see some parrots - beautiful, harmless birds. Why are they being shot in @MADRID when there are cheaper, ethical ways to control the population? #ShameOnMadrid https://t.co/jYV6V3dSek

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) December 8, 2021

to overcome sth -

#WOTD overcome
(defeat or succeed in dealing with stg)
- I overcame my fear of flying so I was able to visit my friends in Canada. (superar)
- She overcame her shyness to give a speech at the conference. (vencer)
- He can overcome most problems. He's the right man for the job.

— English in Madrid (@madteacher72) March 3, 2019

to stick your head out of the window -

a kennel -

a diaper (US) a nappy (UK) -

a ray of sunshine -

mischievous (adj) -

a toddler -

Thanksgiving: What's the history of the holiday and why does the United States celebrate 'turkey day'? 

What is the history of Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving Day can be traced back to the 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation, where the religious refugees from England known popularly as the Pilgrims invited the local Native Americans to a harvest feast after a particularly successful growing season.

The previous year's harvests had failed and in the winter of 1620, half of the pilgrims had starved to death.

Luckily for the rest, members of the local Wampanoag tribe taught the Pilgrims how to grow corn, beans and squash (the Three Sisters); catch fish, and collect seafood.

There are only two contemporary accounts of the 1621 Thanksgiving, but it's clear that turkey was not on the menu. The three-day feast included goose, lobster, cod and deer.

So why do Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day? 

Pilgrim Edward Winslow wrote a letter about that now-famous meal in 1621 which mentioned a turkey hunt before the dinner.

Another theory says the choice of turkey was inspired by Queen Elizabeth I who was eating dinner when she heard that Spanish ships had sunk on their way to attack England.

She was so thrilled with the news she ordered another goose be served. Some claim early US settlers roasted turkeys as they were inspired by her actions.

Others say that as wild turkeys are native to North America, they were a natural choice for early settlers.

Source: Telegraph