Our Red Footed Tortoise knows His Name

Shelly Helmet, our red footed tortoise

Shelly Helmet is our Red Footed tortoise from the Amazon rain forest. He lives primarily in our large backyard in the southern part of the United States. Shelly is a reptile, thus he can't generate his own body heat . It can get quite cold where we live during the winter and we have to bring him indoors on those rare days when the weather is too cold for him to be outside. Though his head is not dissimilar to that of a snake, he does have a personality that shows, though he cannot form a smile. 

Shelly is a funny animal. His walk makes me laugh. He knows his name and he will come to me when I call. When I am working in the garden he will follow me around as I prune the roses and water the grapes. And funniest of all, Shelly seems to be besotted with our dog, Sophia. 

Sophia is one of three dogs in our family and she is a mixed breed rescued from the local animal shelter. All our dogs are pound puppies. Sophia is the smallest of the three and a favorite of Shelly's.. Shelly will follow Sophia around and try to stay close. However, the feelings are not mutual. Sophia seems displeased to be around Shelly and shifts anxiously trying to avoid him. It's amusing.

Little Shelly Helmet lives a comfortable life for a tortoise. He is not in want of food, a clean and spacious place to live, or neglected. He is a member of our family. When I see him lumbering  along in the grass it reminds me to slow down and smell the roses. - Chelse (a Lae Lae team member)

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