Charleston, what a nose he has, what a sense of sight and smell. Standing still in the green grass, way out on the yard, this mother turtle was considering where, exactly, to dig the hole to lay her eggs. Charleston and I were indoors, and when I opened the door to go to an appointment this afternoon he pushed right past me and ran straight out across the yard to the turtle. Amazingly, he knew the brown hump in the grass was an intruder. He sniffed, but avoided getting too close. She stood her ground. He has learned his lesson, it seems. In a moment, he grabbed the toy he'd left in the yard and acted as if the toy was the reason he'd come running.

I called Charlie in and soon the turtle walked away to find a more peaceful spot to lay her eggs.