Lucky the box turtle has had a rough time of it. He recently endured an attack by a crazy raccoon who gnawed off his two front legs. Fortunately, the medical miracle known as double-sided tape and furniture sliders made Lucky slowly mobile once again.
Unfortunately, now Lucky bears a strange resemblance to this guy:
Thanks for the submission, Brooke B. I guess his owner will never need to hire movers again.
{ 69 comments }
they both look a wee bit bewildered….
awww. Resqte…….or however that is spelled!
He’s so….Lucky
oh, and can we have an action shot of the turtle?
[...aaaaand I'm LOL'ing again. Y'all are killin' me today. "action shot of the turtle" - Ed.]
Does he slide around on the front ones?
Lucky indeed. I confess I thought he was a tortoise when I first saw this in the Metro.
Whoa, hold on a sec. Did I read that hovertext right?
CO, you are losing some serious geek cred here- HANS Solo?
His name is Han Solo, people. This grievous error must be rectified!
[OK, sorted.
- Ed.]
This blog has taken on a very dark sense of humor lately. First the kitten in the blender, now jokes about a maimed turtle?! Seriously?!?!?
[I prefer to think of this as a process-of-healing thing. - Ed.]
“Hans Solo” and that is “Dark Vader” right?
[Helmet. Dark HELMET.
- Ed.]
Though I do think the turtle is smiling. And that he seems to be wearing his predicament well warms my heart.
Awwwww. This gets me right in my Star Wars heart. I want to turn this pooch loose in drug rehab and teach some insubordinate kids a lesson.
Did someone just right that this site has dark humor recently? Have they been reading the same blog as I have??
Just when you thought otters were evil, beware the rise of the rabid raccoons. *pets little turtle*
omg, omg, there is an action video! click on the link that says submission!
Awh, this really needs the Cute or Sad tag. I love the turtle owner’s ingenuity, though. I don’t suppose there are all that many prosthetic limbs made for turtles.
Yeah, I can see “Cute or Sad” here too. OK.
@Theo: Hank Solo? Hank? What is this: “Star Wars” meets “Hee Haw”?
“Yay-yup, hokey ree-ligions and ancient weapons are no match for a good 12-gauge full of buckshot at your side, kid. And a hound dawg.”
[Works for me! - Ed.]
Another sad tidbit is the fact that he apparently can’t chase the ladies (uh, lady, singular) like he used to.
His color though is not good which worries me. Is it possible for a turtle to be pasty?
Well, I can tell everyone has had a nutritious breakfast of something or other and is in fine fettle! Poor little turkle/tortoise!
I think people who get pugs get them so they can dress them up, or, they too dress up and wish to have company. Are thee no naked pugs out there? Sheesh.
Poor turtle! That was a very creative fix for him though!!
@ Mellie – that’s not Dark Vader…it’s Bark Vader.
Without my Friday Haiku I’m likely to run amok with bad puns. *hint*hint*
bionic turtle
doin’ the electric slide
Plastron Scoot Boogie
Poor Lucky. Darth Pugger is a real cutie!
Awww, this story just warms my heart. And Lucky looks great! He really doesn’t seem too phased by his accident.
I’ve worked with plenty of turtles and torts, and sick/unhappy/unheathy turtles don’t cruise around like that like nothing is bothering them (watch the video on the link, its great! =)) . A sick and unhappy turtle/tort literally just sit there, unmoving, sometimes for days. I always joke that when I die and go to hell, my punishment will be to tube-feed tortoises for all eternity because that is one of the most difficult things to do! You spend an hour just trying to get the darn heads out of the shells without hurting them, find a way to keep said head out of the shell, THEN you gotta get its mouth open… and they LEARN so what might have worked one day will probably not work the next…. but I digress, lol.
Lucky looks great, happy, and kudos to the owner for loving her turtle so much that she was willing to do whatever it took to get him going again!
Wouldn’t casters have been better? Or even better-ers: an air cushion thingy like on a hoovercraft…….
Gentlepeeps, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world’s first bionic turtle. Lucky will be that turtle. We can make him better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster…..
I dunno…I think poor Mr. Lucky bears a stronger resemblance to a certain gunship.
Pew-pew.
(Seriously though, poor fella.
But as sad as it looks, at least he’s mobile again. Hope he’s doing okay these days.)
Racoons can be such jerks! This situation reminds me of that parrot who got her legs bit off by another bird and now has prosthetic legs and feets!
http://www.petplace.com/birds/artificial-legs-help-maimed-bird-walk-again/page1.aspx
I’m very moved (no pun intended) by Lucky’s owner’s desire to preserve his quality of life. It pretty much just makes my day.
For every rat bastard evil piece of crap in the world, there are many more like Lucky’s mom who refused to give up.
(eddy kendricks style)” Keep on slidi’n baby”
Sliding along the hardwood floor with the idea of doublestick tape & furniture feet, I offer the following allegedly humorous webpages ….of …(drumroll here)
DUCT TAPE !!!!
(The phrase “Duck Tape” is a derivative of the original phrase. Also please Note: & be forgiving, if one of the sites misses or isn’t written accurately; I admit I haven’t gone over to each to verify/ spellcheck, etc.)
Okay I’m done with the disclaimers, now: on w/ the humor …)
dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/humor/duct_tape
ducts.1bl.gov/humor.html
duct-tape-page-a-day-calendar
; just thought it sounded silly enough to add to the mix.)
(sorry Meg
@Melissa: Professional opinion much appreciated! And I enjoy Luckys owners tenacity to make him well again. Gotta speed him up though so he can catch up to his girlfriend!
Oh wow. When I first looked at the picture and read the caption I absolutely thought it was a joke, that somebody was just goofing around putting those things on the turtle’s feet and pretending he’d lost his legs. But reading the comments I started to get confused. So I read the story and watched the video and it’s real! How cool is that? I mean, it’s terrible that his legs got ripped off, but what a great solution, and the old Luckster seems to be totally fine with it! Rock on, Lucky!!!
p.s. That picture of the raccoon with the kitten is hysterically funny and I fleetingly thought of making it the background on my monitor. But as a children’s librarian that might be, well, not so cool….
LOL @ Gentlepeeps .. hehe…
I’m glad that Lucky’s person and vet figured out this nifty solution to help him get around. There is a turtle that sees my vet (I have a bunny which is considered “exotic” so I have to see a special vet) who is missing his back legs and he has an adapted rollerskate wheel and harness that straps on with velcro and he’s cruising!
That is the most amazing photo and story of a turtle I have ever seen / heard.
The pug looks really pissed.
@wendyz, that is amazing. What ingenuity and a little velcro can do just awes me!
@NTMTOM, don’t forget the jug of corn likker.
Aww Lucky warms the cockles of my heart..
Tee hee at the pug and if you haven’t yet clicked thru to the action Video you should it has the complete story of Lucky who is a really awesome little turtle guy.
He looks SO cute sliding around on those things! I just love him so much. Kudos to mom and the vet for hooking it up.
Costumed Pug Vader,
Tap shoed turtle, he’s just “Lucky”
But where are haikus?
(had to take matters into my own hands.)
O mary the first
how funny you are today
what a nice Haiku.
I suppose it should involve the turtle and the pug but Meh!!
Wheels would be way cooler.
[Well sure, and hoverplates would be cooler yet.
There's something to be said for bombproof simplicity, tho. - Ed.]
Eek, you mean it’s a TRUE STORY??? I thought it was just the owners having fun putting [whatever they are] on the turtle’s feet. Sadness! But cuteness too!
Yay for Lucky, for the people who love him, and for creative vets! It’s amazing how the little guy gets around, though it’s kind of sad that the new method of movement put a damper on his love life. Oh well…
Pug Vader is also quite cute. He’s certainly captured the menacing stare.
Love the raccoon link. Keep ‘em coming, folks; your audience loves it.
And yes, I’ll buy a calendar.
Teehee, saw this fella on F U Penguin a few days back. Too funny.
CO has jumped the shark with all the sad animal pics. I’m out.
[ORU? - Ed.]
Don’t let the screen door and all that, zoomzoom.
And why is it SAD to celebrate pet owners who came up with a truly creative way to allow their pet to continue having a wonderful and pampered life? Hmm???
Poor baby! That’s so adorable!
Aaaaa! it’s the Cute OverLORD!
hey, blue ridge is where i live,l woo….
i think this lil guy is to be admired. he actually makes walking motions with those arms, probably had some ligaments and muscles torn up, may take a while before he is buzzing around. he does look a little pale. but how should i know? i’ve never had a chance to examine one undressed…
brave little guy, wonderful mommy…tickled by chasing his girlfriend around, too…
@ wendyz – I hear you! My bunny also went to an exotics vet, and there was a framed newspaper article on the wall about a tortoise this vet helped. The tortoise had deteriorated front legs, so the vet glued casters to the front of her shell, and she was able to scoot around just fine with her hind legs. The article began with the line, “Madame Whirlygig, you popped your wheels again!”
ARG!
too cute.. need air… too cute…. must have water!
anyway, sorry ’bout the dramatic “need air” excuse…. XD!
cute pups! ha ha! last one is definitely a “cute over-lord!”
it’s funny… i have no idea why i call myself “Big Bad Kitty” ’cause i’m more a
dog lover than cat lover. i thought about “Big Bad Puppy” but i tend to like the name “Big Bad Kitty” more.
(Why did I just say that?)
I thought the Turtle was wearing Nike trainers, I have a blue pair, the heels are like springs very similar to those casters.
As for the Pug I always thought it was DAFT ADA.
this story has given me a big case of the sads. poor little paws…
I am your father… **wicked**
This reminds me of Elvis the robo-kitty! ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxL4TgLPTCg ) I think that Lucky needs a similar setup so that he and Elvis can go on roadtrips.
I was wondering about static electricity and turtles recently, now more than ever.
Birdcage- I hear that in the “Scrubs” quartet version! Very nice. Underturtle.
I didn’t realize box turtles were wiggly and active! I thought they were kinda la dee dah, not moving much. You can see him moving his little stumps, and I bet he does think he’s actually walking.
Of course he’s trying to make babies with Lovey! What does Lovey expect, with a name like that? Lovey Lovey, kissy kissy poo!
Casting that pug as Darth Vader is the only good decision George Lucas has made in the last twenty five years.
omgoodness darthvadog…. and his new apprentice whose legs likewise were lost in a horrendous accident…. oh the drama~
hehe!!
i don’t see this as sad. well, except sad that this critter got et.
i see it as immensely hopeful and wonderful.
yall, don’t turn away from me because i had polio and most of yall never heard of it and now i have to ride around in a motor chair. some of my friends actually did turn away from me, couldn’t stand to see the lithe dancer all cripped.
but this means i can ‘get around’ and besides it’s fun when i am not running into people/things and even that is fun for ME….
it’s not the little guy’s valient attempt/success to perservere that’s sad, just the chewing.
don’t turn your heart away from a crippled thing…
I’m trying to remember the vet med blog where I read the following axiom that I intend to take to heart: Never name a pet “Lucky”. Nonetheless, I’m happy that Lucky is doing so well and well taken care of.
That poor thing! I hope that raccoon got creamed on the road somewhere!
Awww come on Kate, the raccoon was just being a raccoon. Everything has to eat you know! Even Lucky’s owner said she can’t blame the raccoon in the video. But, I’m glad Lucky got away alive, and I hope Mr. Raccoon found another suitable meal elsewhere that *hopefully* wasn’t someone’s pet
just realized why they outfitted him with rather slow prostheses. if they got him casters or wheels, he would be sliding around and lose control of his movements before he has fully healed…
one day at a time…
(‘hi, carole!)
Awwww. Cute but sad. Does he get different prosthetics depending on whether it’s carpet or hardwood flooring?
Hi Wannadance! I’m incredibly glad to know that somebody some years back, got enough right medically, that you survived Polio? I’ve seen coverage of the years when the only survival involved Iron Lungs, etc etc (WAY back machine, there; I think either the 30s/40s or such). Hopefully your recovery was not nearly so difficult to endure. We love ya!! Yay for those who Value Cuteness & Resilience!!
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