'Lucky' the turtle goes big time

Petaluma caregiver Sally Pyne and her box turtle Lucky flew to New York on Wednesday for an appearance on NBC's “Today” show — part of a whirlwind of media coverage she's received since her pet first ventured out on newfangled legs last month.

Lucky, his front extremities chewed off by what Pyne believes was a raccoon, has been featured far and wide in newspapers and on the Internet since a Rohnert Park veterinarian outfitted his shell with furniture coasters that allow him to scoot around as if he's still a four-legged critter.

More than 66,000 people have viewed a YouTube video showing him with female partner, Lovey, in their Petaluma home.The Los Angeles Times, Fox News, the British Broadcasting Corporation and several British newspapers are among the many more traditional media outlets in which Lucky and his owner have made news.

A British reporter told Pyne, “They're mad for animal stories in England,” she said by phone Wednesday while en route to the airport.

The pair is slated for “Today” on Thursday morning, and will be joined by Al Wolf of Sonoma County Reptile Rescue in Sebastopol, Pyne said.

It was Wolf who gave Lucky to Pyne in the first place when the box turtle's former owners could no longer keep him, so “this is perfect,” she said Wednesday.

Lucky, housed in a small cat crate with food and a warm blanket, will ride with them in the aircraft cabin, she said. They're staying at the famed Essex hotel before their return flight Thursday afternoon.

Pyne wasn't sure who will interview her, but figures this news story is too “soft” for the likes of Matt Lauer or even Meredith Vieira.

“It's really crazy,” Pyne said. “I never ever thought it would grow into this. I'm fine with it. It's just a little silly.”

Pyne said her dream is not to go on television, but to somehow turn her five minutes of fame into something positive for animals - say a non-profit fund to help pet owners pay for emergency medical care when they can't afford it.

Her idea is still unformed, but in the meantime she's trying to raise donations to defray her own $900 bill for Lucky's care — a daunting amount for someone on a home caregiver's pay.

She's set up a “Lucky Fund” at the Bank of Marin on Baywood Drive in Petaluma.