HERALD NEWS (Joliet, Illinois) 31 October 06 Missing turtle's slow return

Turtles aren't high on the list of pets that run away from home. And should a turtle (even a fat one) slip away, the odds of finding it are just about nil. Or so you would think.

In a scene reminiscent of the movie "Homeward Bound," Mary Holland of Channahon not only lost her beloved pet turtle, Nick, but experienced the joy of being reunited with the beloved reptile.

Holland has owned Nick for more than 10 years, since he was the "size of a quarter."

The turtle had it made in the shade, with plenty to eat, and opportunities to explore the house and yard.

"He used to be kept in a bowl on the kitchen counter," Holland said of her turtle. "He'd get out and greet me when I would do dishes, and I'd rub him under his chin."

Unbeknownst to Holland, Nick's little, green head was filled with dreams of the wild.

Or maybe the turtle resented sharing its domain with Holland's four Yorkshire terriers, and decided to hit the highway in search of dogless pastures.

One hectic day about six weeks ago, Holland let the terriers out to do their thing. She leaned against the door chatting with a neighbor. Meanwhile, Nick -- who was out and about that evening -- recognized a golden opportunity to bail. Next thing you know, it was "hasta la vista, baby!" Nick had left the building.

"I went outside and looked all around the yard, but this is the week that we had all of the rain and the ditches were full of water," Holland said. "I thought he got in the ditch and the water took him down to the I&M Canal."

Holland covered the neighborhood with "lost turtle" fliers, and placed an ad in The Herald News. Six long weeks passed, and Holland's sense of woe and guilt increased exponentially. But she never lost hope.

One day she got a call at work from her neighbor, who informed her he had found a turtle that he was keeping in a bucket.

She asked him if there was anything weird about the turtle's shell.

"You can tell if it's Nick, because he is so fat for his size that his shell turns up on the end," Holland explained. "He (the neighbor) said when he went to pick it up, it pulled back in its shell, and he couldn't tell if the shell turned up or not."

When Holland returned home -- heart pounding in anticipation -- she hightailed it over to the neighbor's house and peered into the bucket.

An object resembling a green hockey puck sat in forlorn fear.

"As soon as he heard my voice his head came out, I rubbed under his neck and said, 'Yes, that's him,'" Holland said.

These days, Nick the turtle is blissful. He gazes out at the terriers with benign affection and a superior glint in his eye. You see, during his travels Nick learned a thing or two, including the fact that turtles outlive dogs.
Missing turtle's slow return

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• IL Press: Missing turtle's slow return - W von Papineäu, Sat Nov 4 07:20:43 2006