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Turtle comes full circle

How one tiny turtle went from pet to dog treat and then back to pet again.

By BEN MONTGOMERY
Published February 16, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Chris Zuppa] Pepper the turtle is on the mend after sometime friend Bella decided to find out what turtles taste like. More pet tales Readers' photos: View gallery; submit your pet pictures Video: Teach your dog new tricks

LITHIA - There once was a turtle named Pepper who lived in a small pond in a neighborhood called FishHawk Trails.

Pepper lived with a 12-year-old girl named Shelby Terihay. Shelby bought Pepper from the pet store for $6.95 when Pepper was little.

Shelby loved Pepper. Shelby loved lots of animals. She wanted to be a veterinarian.

Shelby's mom called her Doctor Doolittle. Shelby's dad called her Elly May Clampett.

Besides Pepper, Shelby had birds and cats and more turtles and even a Cuban tree frog that liked to sit on her head.

"A regular menagerie," said Shelby's dad.

Shelby also had dogs. One of the dogs was named Bella. Bella was a frisky golden retriever that loved to chase tennis balls and chew on rawhide. She also loved to swim. Sometimes Bella went swimming with Pepper and the other turtles.

One day, it grew very cold. Shelby didn't want her turtles to freeze, so she moved them inside to the bathtub.

That night, the temperature dropped to 37 degrees. But Pepper fell asleep in the warm bathtub between two towels and stayed there all night.

The next morning, Shelby's dad was getting ready for work when he walked by the bathroom where Pepper was sleeping. He looked inside and saw Bella in the tub.

She seemed to be smacking her lips.

"Oh, no!" he said.

(He forgot to close the door!)

He called for Shelby and her mom. They ran toward the bathroom in their pajamas.

Shelby counted the turtles.

Hurricane. Ginger. Tsunami. Squirt. But where was Pepper?

"Bella!" Shelby said.

Bella looked suspicious.

"Like a kid in a candy store," said Shelby's mom.

"Like the cat that ate the canary," said Shelby's dad.

Everyone panicked. Shelby began to cry. But she knew what to do. She barked orders.

Dad and mom filled a turkey baster with hydrogen peroxide. They opened Bella's mouth and put the liquid in.

A few minutes later, Bella began to heave. Dad took her into the back yard.

"I basically wrote the turtle off," he said. "I was thinking, 'There's no way.' "

It had, after all, been more than 10 minutes since he had caught Bella in the tub.

But just then, Bella heaved with great force. Plop!

Out onto the grass came a tiny, green, gunk-covered ... Pepper!

Pepper seemed dazed. But she stood up and put her legs out and walked away.

Dad took Pepper to the veterinarian, who mended a crack in her shell. When Pepper came home, she had to take medicine, but she was soon feeling much better.

Bella vomited for several more hours, and then wanted to play with her tennis ball.

She doesn't seem interested in turtles anymore.

Ben Montgomery can be reached at bmontgomery@sptimes.com or (813) 661-2443.

[Last modified February 16, 2007, 07:40:52]