TaraBell

Pet's Age
4

Entrant's First Name
Fred

Pet's Story or Bio
TaraBell, or T-Bell, was rescued at the Atlanta South Regional Airport (formerly Tara Field), Hampton, GA, February 23, 2017, where I was employed.
Her name, TaraBell, is a blending of Tara Field and Bell Helicopter, which is the manufacturer of the aircraft housed at our hangar.
She had been seen for days running around the airport. I tried earlier that day to capture her, but she would run away - totally afraid of people. That evening I received a call that she was back in the hangar. My wife and I went to rescue her.
She was very hesitant at first, but we were finally able to coax her to us with food and a lot of patience. We immediately noticed that she was terribly emaciated, covered in ticks, with open wounds all over her, scared to death, and definitely starving. We brought her home, had her treated at the vet the next day and she soon became a member of our family!
For the next two years she accompanied me to the hangar every day, befriending all the employees and volunteers of the organization and routinely greeting the hundreds of visitors and tour groups. Many of our guests would focus on her more than the historic aircraft they came to see! She's recognized as the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation's "unofficial" mascot.
When she's not playing with her favorite toy - a tennis ball, she can be found snuggling in my arms at the end of a long, active day.