Edmonton-area residents may have heard strange reports in recent years about a man strolling about in public with a large tortoise.
The tortoise is Franklin, a 19-year-old African spurred tortoise, and the man is Jeff Billyard, an Edmonton truck driver and Franklin's owner.
The two of them visited the Enjoy Centre Sunday to the delight of customers, many of whom reached out to rub Franklin's hard shell and touch his squishy, spiky legs.
"He's alive! He's real!" gasps one woman upon spotting the titanic tortoise trundle past.
Billyard said he's been taking Franklin out for walks throughout the Edmonton region for years. When they visit St. Albert, they frequent the Enjoy Centre, the farmers' market and the path behind St. Albert Place.
"He's one of those animals that brings happiness to everybody," he said, which is why he takes him out so people can see him.
"I've had people tell me I've just made their whole weekend," he said.
"To me, that's gratifying."
Seeing-eye dogs, parrots and even snakes aren't unheard of at the Enjoy Centre, but Franklin is the first tortoise to visit the place, said co-owner Jim Hole.
"It's such an unusual animal coming through," he said, and the kids love him.
Meet Franklin
Franklin spent several hours browsing the plants and garden equipment as Jeff answered questions about their relationship and occasionally steered his bulky buddy away from walls.
Billyard said he bought Franklin about 19 years ago soon after his 30th birthday. He had done an inventory of his life and realized he didn't have a best friend. Having always been a fan of turtles, he decided a tortoise would do the trick – much to the shock of his common-law partner, Joanne Gustafson.
"They are a commitment," Gustafson said of tortoises, and she was concerned about the cost of raising such an animal. Now, however, Franklin has become part of their family.
"He's just like a kid."
Franklin was initially about the size of an apple and could fit in your hand, Billyard said. Now, he's about the size of a banker's box and weighs close to 100 pounds. With proper care, he could live for a century.
Billyard said he named his tortoise Franklin because it was an uncommon name. He didn't learn of the famous Franklin the Turtle book series until years later.
Franklin ambles along at a geriatric pace, but can hit 10 blocks an hour when it's hot out, said Billyard. He's very sociable, and doesn't bite, but is known to ram people when hungry. He also flopped to the ground with a clunk when Billyard teased him with an apple, clearly miffed.
Billyard said that Franklin appears to enjoy 1980s music, as he will sit with rapt attention for hours whenever it's on the radio. He enjoys chasing his ball and videos of chirping birds, and has a small but growing wardrobe that includes a red cowboy hat, a pink tie and a garland for his shell made by Enjoy Centre staff.
Caring for him is a major challenge. Billyard is always on the watch for threatening animals or people who try to touch Franklin without disinfecting their hands. He has to give him a specialized diet and plenty of exercise, and has to steer him away from plants that could have been sprayed with pesticides. He's also had to armour much of his home with plastic boards to protect it from Franklin's hard shell.
Billyard estimated that he's probably spent about $70,000 on Franklin so far, or about $250 a month. He recommends against getting African spurred tortoises as pets as a result.
"You need to have an open life. You need to be able to handle this animal."
Billyard said he planned to keep taking Franklin out in public for as long as the two of them are able. He won't do paid appearances though, as that would work against Frank's health.
"There's nothing more I love in the whole world than my tortoise. He's No. 1 in my life."
