LIBERTY Friendly wild turkey's story has a sad ending

The wild turkey did not survive an attack by dogs, and has been donated to a needy family.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LIBERTY -- While millions of turkeys have given their lives to serve as centerpieces on Thanksgiving tables, Lady is one who will be long remembered by a Liberty family.
For about a month, Douglas E. Nasci and his family -- wife, Laurie, and 31/2-year-old daughter, Makenzie -- cared for the 40-pound wild bird.
"It had a little personality. It's was neat," said Douglas Nasci, of Mansell Drive.
Nasci explained Wednesday that he spotted the turkey about a month ago when she was about to run into Logan Avenue traffic on Youngstown's North Side.
Nasci, 39, said he tried to shoo the bird into some woods, but the animal wasn't interested. Because a large dog in the Youngstown neighborhood had the turkey in sight, Nasci decided to take her home and simply picked her up.
Her tail and wing feathers were already damaged when Nasci found her.
Formed a bond
When he got the bird home, his wife and daughter bonded with her. His daughter named her Lady.
Nasci said he tried to lure Lady with turkey food into a wooded area behind his home, but she came back.
The turkey had became sort of a pet to the Nascis and their two dogs. She would stay in the back yard or on the porch.
"It would gobble when it wanted food," Nasci said.
He recalled taking Lady to the Church Hill Preschool, where his daughter goes. The bird would look out the window while being driven to school and waddled down the hallway to meet the children.
"The kids got a thrill out of it, especially before Thanksgiving," Nasci recalled.
Thanksgiving joke
Nasci said he never thought seriously of eating Lady for Thanksgiving, although he joked about it.
But on Monday, the friendly bird was on the porch when she was attacked by two Irish setters that Nasci reported to police as being unleashed frequently. The dogs tore some flesh from the bird's back and breast.
Nasci took her to the Town & amp; Country Veterinary Hospital in Howland. The turkey was to be released on the veterinarian's farm, if she had survived the attack.
Lady died Tuesday.
Nasci had been trying to find a home for Lady before the dogs attacked her. To keep her, he would have had to get a state permit because the bird is wild.
Now, Lady will adorn the table of a needy family this Thanksgiving.
"It's God's creature," Nasci lamented. "We tried."