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Video: Meet Shadwell's own sat-nav tortoise
Meet Dobbie, Shadwell's own sat-nav tortoise who miraculously survived after spending 12 days on the run – or should that be crawl?
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The Russian Horsefield, who needs an ultraviolet lamp to keep warm, is lucky to be alive after disappearing from his home in Shadwell.
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The seven-year-old wandered off through a hole in the fence after owner Sharon Forrest let him out into the garden for his daily exercise.
Sharon and her daughters Laura, 17, and Hannah, 14, searched high and low for Dobbie, handing out flyers and even contacting the YEP for help.
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They had almost lost hope when the lucky tortoise – who needs to spend 12 hours a day in a special tank – turned up in a nearby garden.
Camouflage
Sharon said: "Looking for him was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He camouflages well and he might have been hiding under his shell.
"But he just walked under a neighbour's fence and started wandering her feet while she was outside having a cup of tea.
"Laura sent me a picture message with Dobbie's face and the words "look who's back from his holiday". I was amazed.
"He's quite a character, he just loves being outside and wandering around. We always say it's like he's fitted with his own little sat nav.
"Now it looks like we're going to have to fit him with our own sat nav, so we can find him if he decides to wander off again."
The Forrest family, who also have four cats, have had Dobbie – named after the elf from the Harry Potter books – for almost three years.
The tortoise, who could live for more than 50 years, has a low body temperature, which means he has to spend several hours each day in a warm tank.
Dobbie's usual daily diet includes vegetables like Romanian lettuce, spinach and broccoli, but he survived on whatever he could find.
Hannah, a pupil at Cardinal Heenan High School in Meanwood, said: "He looks bigger now than he did when he went missing.
"He can dig quite deep so we think he must have burrowed to keep warm. We were really happy when he turned up."
Sharon and her daughters are now keeping a close eye on Dobbie in case he wanders off in search of another adventure.
Sharon added: "He can walk quite fast when he gets going and once his mind is set on something, he walks off in that direction.
"He's lucky to be alive and we're delighted that he made it home safe and sound."
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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