Zelda the tortoise crawled into our home and our hearts…
It was a scorcher, and I was pottering around in the garden when I came across an uncommon sight.
‘Hey, Tom,’ I called to my husband.
‘Look at this!’
A tortoise had crawled into our plot and was chomping away at some grass.
Four years earlier, Tom’s job had seen us relocate to Dubai, where tortoises are a common pet.
I reasoned this slow coach must have escaped from a neighbour’s house.
But after posting on social media and asking around, it seemed the tortoise had been abandoned.
A trip to the vet revealed that our unannounced guest was a healthy female, around nine years old.
‘She’s got no microchip, so we’ll have to find a home for her,’ the vet said. ‘Unless you’d like to take her?’
I jumped at the chance. I was already a devoted pet parent to two cats and Milo the pug, and had always wanted a tortoise. After purchasing everything our new shell mate needed, I settled her in at ours. ‘What shall we call her?’ I asked Tom and our son William, six.
They settled on Zelda, after their favourite computer game.
When we went out, she was happy as Larry to explore her spacious enclosure. And when we were in, she investigated the house and garden.
At first, Milo was a bit unsure of Zelda. But he soon warmed to her.
A few months later, we decided it was time to return to Nottingham.
However, it was easier said than done getting Zelda all the relevant permits.
By now, she was part of the family, and there was no way we were leaving her behind!
Eventually, after mountains of paperwork and jumping through hoops, she was ready to fly.
Shortly after arriving, I was unpacking when I looked outside and spotted Zelda and Milo sunbathing in the garden. That’s odd, I thought.
They’d always got on, but never like that. Weeks went by, and the pair grew closer. Whenever Zelda was roaming freely, they would be together.
One time, I even clocked Zelda crawl into Milo’s dog bed with him!
Amused by their adorable antics, I se
