Shelly, The Turtle Who Found Refuge In A Home For The Elderly

When the subject of abandoned animals is touched , there is a tendency to think immediately of cats and dogs. But in reality they are not the only animals to be abandoned, when their owners, now bored, decide to get rid of them, without any qualms. Today we want to tell you the story of Shelly, an abandoned turtle who found refuge in a home for the elderly.

Shelly and her happy new life in Florida

Shelly is a male African tortoise who passed from the road (where she was found walking by the side, risking being hit by cars) to a senior residence in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, where she now leads a happy life.

Good Shelly spends her days at the Chautauqua Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, where she serves as a full-time therapy animal.

The vets who visited him and took care of him have calculated that Shelly must be, more or less, twenty years old, which means that she will be able to live in the residence at least another eighty years, keeping company for several generations. of seniors.

Since Shelly has become part of the daily life of the residence, the elderly are happier and enjoy, happily, the company of this animal.

Cheerfulness for the elderly residents

Since Shelly arrived at the residence, things have changed for the better for the residents, who feel less alone and more joyful.

Although dogs and cats are also used in this facility for certain types of therapies, Shelly is the only animal that lives permanently in the residence, which is essential for the well-being of the elderly living there.

The natural slowness of the turtle plays in favor of the elderly, since many of them walk much slower than when they were young, or have some handicap and, for this reason, they prefer to be with Shelly rather than with dogs and cats, which move more. quickly, making it difficult to interact with the guests of the residence.

Shelly, the happy tortoise

Shelly’s life passes happily, between one walk and another, along the corridors of the residence or outside, in the exotic garden. There, the elderly residents cultivate a vegetable garden, which provides the animal with many of its favorite foods.

Furthermore, this specimen of male tortoise is not only the joy of the staff of the residence or of the elderly guests, but also pleases the family members of the latter, who adore it.

It should also be noted that, since Shally entered the Chautauqua Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, the residence has become, without a shadow of a doubt, a more cheerful and welcoming place!

A bridge between generations

Shelly also helped improve the relationship between the elderly and their grandchildren, who many times felt intimidated by this place full of wheelchairs and sick people.

In this sense, Shelly constitutes the link between the older generation and the younger one, which are involved in an activity that leads them to interact with the animal.

Thanks to this example, Shelly’s experience can be useful to open the door of therapy with animals also to turtles, using them in the therapeutic activities of similar institutions.

The abandonment of turtles in Italy

In Italy, unfortunately, the abandonment of turtles is a rapidly increasing phenomenon. These animals are nice and easy to care for at first when they are still small.

The problems apparently start when they grow up, which is why many of them are abandoned in some park or lake, since in most cases they are water turtles. In this way the ecosystem is altered, damaging it.

Although there are some centers specialized in the recovery and care of these animals, not all turtles are lucky enough to live a story with a happy ending like that of Shelly.

Responsible behavior

In this regard, we invite you to think carefully before taking a pet, regardless of the species to which it belongs, and to seriously evaluate all the fundamental aspects relating to responsible adoption.

Never act impulsively: you could regret it and the poor animal, who has no fault of its own, would pay the consequences.

Buying or adopting a pet implies a responsibility and a commitment during the whole span of living with it : turtles are very long-lived and may even live longer than you.

Images courtesy of Leandro Martinez.