The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Catch me if you can
By Elaine Owsley, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: July 10, 2008
If you go wandering around in Australia, it's called taking a "walk-about."
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If you go walking about in South Africa, it's called a "trek."
If you trek slowly in Scio Township, it might be called a "stroll."
But, if you happen to be a 15-pound, 30 year-old pet tortoise named Magoo, and you are missing from your pen for five days, what it's called at first is "gone."
When Steve Altenbernt and Sue Kinny of Scio discovered that Steve's pet of over 20 years was missing, they looked "low," since it's impossible for a tortoise to get or be "high," given their physicallimitations.
After searching their farm-size property, they printed up fliers and put them in mailboxes around the area on the off chance that Magoo had strayed farther than they thought he could.
That turned out to be a very good idea, since, after seeing the flier, a not-too-near neighbor realized that the "turtle" they had seen the day before was, in fact, the missing tortoise and called the number on the flier.
Magoo had been gone five days when he was finally spotted on the patio of the next house, sunning himself like nothing unusual had happened.
It is very hard to find something that is pretty much in camouflage mode, and only about seven or eight inches tall, in the high grass. The main concern for Steve and Sue was that someone would find Magoo,think he was a turtle and put him in water in a pond or the river.
Bad scene. Tortoises are not swimmers.
He might also, on his own, have wandered into some of the marshy ground and the small stream that are part of the natural landscape of his home property and that nearby.
Magoo, besides being kind of cute, is very curious and friendly, which made the possibility that he had stumbled into something he couldn't handle, or been picked up by someone who came upon him, morethan likely.
In the best possible ending to the story, he was recognized, located and is back at home with his family; perhaps not as challenged as he was on his little trip, but a whole lot safer.
In the winter, he lives in the basement and cuddles up to the woodstove when the weather is really cold.
He eats a mostly vegetarian diet with fruit, bread and a little dog food for variety.
While it's hard to tell on something whose body is inside a shell, Magoo doesn't look like he's missed many meals. He shares Steve and Sue's home with a couple of parrots, a guinea pig and a cat and his human housemates would just as soon keep the animal population right there.
They would, however, have missed Magoo a lot, and were glad his little adventure ended happily.
In case you think this was an easy trip, try getting down on your elbows and knees with your torso in a box, close to the ground, and see how far you can get in five days in the wilderness. My guess isyou'll be real happy when someone spots you and gets you home.
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