A family in England are having second thoughts about their decision to adopt a pet turtle after the creature seemingly claimed their backyard as its territory has taken to violently defending its turf.
The trouble began when John French spotted the rambunctious reptile ramming its head against a glass aquarium at a garden center.
Clearly taken with the turtle, the dad decided to bring the creature, now dubbed 'Timmy,' home to join the French family.
The newly-adopted pet seemed to be adjusting well to a domesticated life at first, but the John and his wife soon noticed something odd about the animal.
It would appear that, after frequently being set free to roam in the family's backyard, Timmy has taken over the area and refuses to let anyone venture into his space.
A rather amazing video of his antics shows the turtle aggressively attacking objects placed in the yard and scurrying after John's foot when he gets 'too close' to the shelled menace.
Lest one think that Timmy is merely being playful, when the creature catches his gobsmacked owner, the turtle can be seen attempting to take a bite out of his foot!
Although suddenly having a turtle that serves as a proverbial guard dog sounds like it might be pretty cool, for the French family, the problem is twofold.
Due to Timmy's refusal to allow anyone to enter the backyard, they can no longer host their children's birthday parties at the home for fear of guests running afoul of the angry turtle.
Additionally, since turtles boast a considerably long lifespan, the family have conceded that they could be stuck with Timmy for nearly a century and, by then, who knows how much more territory the creature will have claimed.
Source: The Sun