1 year ago
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HOA says tortoises aren't allowed
Ross Bridge family fights to save beloved pet from eviction
HOA says tortoises aren't allowed
MINUTE. THE YOUNG MAN IN ROSS BRIDGE IS FIGHTING TO SAVE HIS BELOVED PET TORTOISE. THE HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION SAYS HIS REPTILE BUDDY IS NOT ALLOWED. OUR WVTM 13 LISA CRANE IS LIVE FOR US IN HOOVER TONIGHT. LISA, TELL US ABOUT THIS PET THAT’S CAUSED SUCH A PROBLEM HERE. WELL, HE’S RIGHT HERE WITH ME. HIS NAME IS FRED. HE LIVES HERE IN THIS ENCLOSED BACKYARD IN ROCKBRIDGE. HE WEIGHS ABOUT 130 POUNDS. AND HE’S KIND OF A CROSS BETWEEN A PET AND A LANDSCAPER. THIS IS FRED. HE’S A SOUL TORTOISE WHO’S CALLED THIS BACKYARD HOME FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. HIS ROUTINE IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME DAY AFTER DAY HE GOES AROUND THE YARD AND EATS THE GRASS. THAT’S ABOUT IT. AND HE HAVEN’T MOVED THIS YARD IN ABOUT THREE YEARS. 17 YEAR OLD JADEN IS FRED’S OWNER, AND IT’S CLEAR FRED RECOGNIZES HIS FRIEND. BUT IT SEEMS LIKE FRED ISN’T ALLOWED IN ROSS BRIDGE. ACCORDING TO THE HOA, YOU CANNOT HAVE ANYTHING OTHER THAN A CAT AND A DOG, WHICH WE HAVE PEOPLE HERE WHO HAVE FERRETS, GUINEA PIGS, SNAKES. BUT FRED HAS THE SUPPORT OF HIS NEIGHBORS. THEY’VE STARTED A SAVE FRED MOVEMENT. HE DOESN’T BARK. HE DOESN’T POOP IN OTHER PEOPLE’S YARDS. HE DOESN’T GET OUT AND NEED TO BE RESCUED. HE’S A GENTLE, QUIET GIANT. ANGELA AND HER KIDS ARE PRO FRED AND THEY AREN’T ALONE. WE HAVE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ARE MAKING T SHIRTS SAYING SAVE FRED, LITTLE CAR STICKERS SAYING SAVE FRED’S. SO IF HE DOES HAVE TO GO, IT’LL BE HARD. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU. NOW WE HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE HOA. WE REACHED OUT TO THEM TODAY TO ASK THEM ABOUT FRED, THE NEIGHBORS AROUND HERE, THOUGH, ARE HOPING THAT THEY’LL MAKE AN EXCEPTION TO LET THIS VERY WELL MANNERED TORTOISE STAY HERE IN ROCKBRIDGE.
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Ross Bridge family fights to save beloved pet from eviction
HOA says tortoises aren't allowed
A young man in Ross Bridge is fighting to save his beloved pet after he says the homeowner's association told him it was not allowed. “Fred” lives in an enclosed backyard in the neighborhood. He weighs about 130 pounds and is kind of a cross between a pet and a landscaper. He’s a Sulcata tortoise and has been 17-year-old Jayden Cannon’s pet for the last eight years. His routine is pretty much the same day after day. Cannon says, “He goes around the yard and eats the grass. That's about it. And I haven't mowed this yard in about three years.” Cannon says they were recently notified by the homeowners association that having a tortoise was against the rules. He says, “According to the HOA, you cannot have anything other than a cat and a dog, which we have people here who have ferrets, guinea pigs, snakes.” But Fred has the support of his neighbors. They've started a "save Fred" movement. Neighbor Angela Priola says, “He doesn't bark, he doesn't poop in other people's yards, he doesn't get out and need to be rescued. He's a gentle, quiet giant.” The Priolas are “pro-Fred” — and they aren’t alone.Cannon says, “We have people in the neighborhood that are making T-shirts saying, 'Save Fred' and like little car stickers saying 'Save Fred.' So, if he does have to go, it'll be hard.” WVTM has reached out to the HOA but hasn't heard back.
HOOVER, Ala. —
A young man in Ross Bridge is fighting to save his beloved pet after he says the homeowner's association told him it was not allowed. “Fred” lives in an enclosed backyard in the neighborhood. He weighs about 130 pounds and is kind of a cross between a pet and a landscaper. He’s a Sulcata tortoise and has been 17-year-old Jayden Cannon’s pet for the last eight years. His routine is pretty much the same day after day. Cannon says, “He goes around the yard and eats the grass. That's about it. And I haven't mowed this yard in about three years.”
Cannon says they were recently notified by the homeowners association that having a tortoise was against the rules. He says, “According to the HOA, you cannot have anything other than a cat and a dog, which we have people here who have ferrets, guinea pigs, snakes.”
But Fred has the support of his neighbors. They've started a "save Fred" movement. Neighbor Angela Priola says, “He doesn't bark, he doesn't poop in other people's yards, he doesn't get out and need to be rescued. He's a gentle, quiet giant.” The Priolas are “pro-Fred” — and they aren’t alone.
Cannon says, “We have people in the neighborhood that are making T-shirts saying, 'Save Fred' and like little car stickers saying 'Save Fred.' So, if he does have to go, it'll be hard.”
WVTM has reached out to the HOA but hasn't heard back.
English (US)