'I walk tortoise around streets of Blackpool to cope with the death of my wife'
A man has spoken out after being spotted by locals regularly out walking his pet tortoise around Blackpool.
John Haworth is often seen walking Donny around, and even has a dedicated TikTok page for his tortoise. Multiple videos on the page show the pair out for walks, or the pet roaming around while he's doing daily tasks like cleaning his motorcycle.
And John says Donny has helped him with his mental wellbeing in recent years. He says his reptile pal is very approachable and welcomes people getting pictures of him. After suffering heartbreak when he lost his wife, John credits Donny with giving him the ability to keep going.
Recently posting on social media, John said: "Hi everybody, I am typing this without prejudice. Have you ever seen a fella walking a tortoise in the FY4 area? Well I'm that fella! I Very rarely do I post anything on here. When I bought Donny he could fit in the palm of my hand, I didn't think I would ever be walking down the road with him."
"The post, whoever posted it got lost of beautiful comments however 1 comment stuck out, it was something on the line of 'he's only doing it for attention!' This status is directed at that person and the three people who liked it."
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Donny is cool as a cucumber and enjoys his regular outings (John Haworth/TikTok)LancsLive reported that John's wife Maria Haworth, from Marton, collapsed at home in 2019. Despite treatment by paramedics on the way to hospital and further support in the hospital, Maria was pronounced brain dead and her family made the heart-breaking decision to switch off her life support.
Maria’s funeral was held on her 51st birthday. John said: “Maria was hugely loved and it remains very difficult to accept that she is no longer here. The fact that we are facing Christmas without her is devastating. She was an incredible woman who was taken unnecessarily far too soon. She would have done anything for anyone, and she had a heart of gold. I am completely broken and lost without her. My life will never be the same again."
Writing on social media, John added: "Please everybody think about what you type, mental health is important to everybody... walking Donny has certainly helped me... If anybody wants a picture of Donny, I am approachable, get as many as you like."
Fans of John and Donny were quick to comment on the post. One person said: "Aww you made my little ones day when we saw you and to be honest you made me smile." Another added: "Congratulations on your success John, walk Donny for you and Donny don’t listen to anyone sneering, imagine you have duck feathers and those sneers are raindrops, they’ll slide right off without you even moving. You’re doing a brilliant job."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
