I was iffy about this story at first because I didn't think it would turn out to be interesting enough or worthy news, but it turned out to be a cute little story. These kids were so cute!
http://www.wednesdayjournalonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=17716
Two tortoises take a walk, one makes it home - so far
Shelly got discovered, returned. Where’s Herman?
By ANGELA ROMANO
Contributing Reporter
Dog may be known as man's best friend, but for one Oak Park family, it is their pet tortoises.
And now, a week after their two 5-year-old tortoises, Shelly and Herman, went missing, only Shelly has been returned.
Shelly, who is actually a male, traveled from the Carlock home at 220 S. Home St. to a spot near the office of Wednesday Journal, which is about six blocks away.
According to Suburban Pet City's Octavio Ortego, a tortoise can walk an average of 1 mph, and run at an average of 1.30 mph.
"For a tortoise that is not raised in the wild, to get that far in a suburban area and not get hurt is pretty remarkable," Ortego said.
When Dawn Ferencak was riding her bike to work she found what she thought was a turtle in the alley behind Wednesday Journal, which is located just west of Oak Park Avenue and south of South Blvd. She was afraid he was going to get hit by a car.
Ferencak brought the turtle into the office and immediately called Animal Care and Suburban Pet City. A staff member at the pet store identified the turtle as a Russian tortoise.
Ferencak and her 7-year-old son Paxton fell in love with the tortoise. They decided to foster him until the rightful owners were found. Meanwhile, the Carlocks were searching. Shelly and Herman were a birthday present for their youngest son Nicholas's fifth birthday.
"They were rescue tortoises and we have only had them since April," Carey Carlock said. "The kids were really happy that they were rescued and that they could make a good home for them."
A week ago Saturday, the Carlocks were playing in the backyard with both tortoises. Herman would often try to cross the driveway to get to the lilies and he would become camouflaged making it difficult to find. While Herman escaped to the front, Shelly got away in the backyard.
The Carlocks 7-year-old daughter cried all day saying, "What about a hawk!"
After a series of odd connections, one of the Carlocks neighbors saw a flyer about a lost turtle in a 7-Eleven in Oak Park. There was also a similar ad in Wednesday Journal classifieds posted by Ferencak.
"Paxton had a tearful ride over to the Carlocks to return Shelly," Ferencak said. "He held him and said how much he was going to miss it. Once we got there, however, and he met the children he was OK and happy to be returning Shelly to his owners."
"It was a big lesson for my son about fostering, but also returning something to its proper home," Ferencak said. "He was so upset after we thought about buying him one, but we think we will wait and see how he feels in a week. They can get pretty expensive."
The irony is that Carey Carlock just saw a Russian tortoise for sale in West Chicago on Craig's List. "I told Dawn to look into it for her son. Wouldn't it be weird if it was Herman?"
The price of a Russian tortoise at local shops is $100 or more.
Seven-year-old Lucy is eager to get Herman home. "I'm happy Shelly is home, but sad because I'm sure Shelly feels sad without Herman. I'm worried when the snow comes because Herman doesn't know how to play in the snow."
Anyone with information on Herman, the missing tortoise, is encouraged to call the Carlocks at 708-948-7169.
