Minnow and Blossom
The story of an adorable, unlikely friendship.
In 2015, Minnow’s fate changed dramatically. The shy little pup who was destined to become someone’s meal was saved and instead ended up with a forever family.
Minnow was one of 770 dogs who was rescued from the Korean dog meat trade. When she arrived in the US, her frail body was emaciated and her leg was broken. The deputy director of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, Abbie Hubbard, couldn’t resist adopting her.
A few years later, Abbie was asked to care for Blossom, a factory-farmed turkey who was also destined for slaughter. At 5-weeks-old, Blossom was one of the thousands of turkeys being transported to a “grow house” where she would be fattened up to her slaughter weight. This is the moment her fate changed. A farm-worker found Blossom hiding and decided to spare her life, surrendering her to the Animal Welfare League, where Abbie was still working.
Blossom was nervous in the unfamiliar environment, so Abbie decided to take her home. When they arrived something amazing happened…
“Minnow led her over to her dog bed and Blossom hopped on the bed and just started getting comfortable and she just seemed perfectly happy. It was like she knew she was home.”
Abbie Hubbard told the Animal Channel
The unlikely friends shared an immediate connection and Abbie describes them as “two peas in a pod“.
Abbie thought that Blossom may prefer to live on a sanctuary with other turkeys. After just three days apart, she could see how depressed Minnow was without her best friend and was told how sad Blossom was and that she would just stand in one place.
“ I wound up bringing her back here and then she jumped up on the couch and settled down and started watching TV with Minnow and I and shared some pumpkin pie with us. It was like ‘Thank you, I’m home that’s all I need.’”
Abbie Hubbard told the Animal Channel
The best friends spent their days playing, going on walks, sharing food, and cuddling.
In June 2021, after years of friendship and love, Blossom passed away, leaving Minnow and Abbie heartbroken.
The Dog Meat Industry
Humane Society International has estimated that a heartbreaking 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption every year. Like most animals raised for food, they are kept in filthy and confined conditions, where they are denied the ability to practice their natural behaviours. The horrid smell of faeces and urine fills the air as the waste is left to build up under the cages. They are unable to run, play, or explore, and the only time they will leave is when they are taken to be killed.
The Turkey Meat Industry
The annual number of turkeys killed for human consumption is roughly 300 million; 90% of these victims are “raised” in intensive factory farms.
Turkeys will spend 3 months living in a crowded shed with around 14,000 others. Due to genetic alterations, artificial lighting, and antibiotics, a turkeys body grows at an abnormal rate to a size roughly 4 times that of their traditional ancestors. This causes a range of health issues, skeletal disorders and means that they must be artificially inseminated. The sheds are never cleaned, so they spend 12 weeks living in their own waste. This leads to painful burns on their skin, feather loss, and infected sores on their feet. Many die in the sheds due to the horrid conditions.
Be the Change
Most people living in a westernised society would frown upon the consumption of dogs; many of those same people would not thinking twice about the 70 billion land animals and 3 trillion sea creatures that are killed every year for human consumption.
Abbie hopes the happiness that Minnow and Blossom radiate will “make people stop and think about all life”. She added that “farmed animals have feelings, just as our companion animals do. They can nourish our souls far more than any meal ever would”. She says that “if nothing else, I hope that they see that kindness exists in all souls and that their encounter with Minnow and Blossom inspires them to extend kindness to others.”
All animals deserve the same life that Minnow and Blossom have, will you choose to live cruelty-free for them?