Tiptoe's keeper has opened a GoFundMe to help her family.
Tiptoe, a 175 lb sulcata tortoise has lost his home in the Pacific Palisades fire north of Los Angeles. Tiptoe and his keeper, Caitlin Doran, first fled to her aunt’s house and then to Marina del Rey. “I’m not going to lie, I’m freaking out a little bit. Everything’s fine and it’s amazing, but… that’s not great,” Doran said on social media as she directed the camera to the smoke near where she fled to.
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“We waited as long as we could but it is time to go,” she said in the video. “We’re working on evacuating my grandparents and all of the animals. We are way in line with the line of fire so we got to get out of here.” The video then shows Tiptoe being placed into a pet carrier. When Tiptoe was safe, Doran returned to help her family home. But the fire got to it and the home burned down. The family is safe in Marina del Rey where a new, insulated enclosure is being built for Tiptoe.
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Doran has organized a fundraiser on GoFund Me to help defray some of the immediate costs as a result of this devastating fire. You can donate at the link here.
“Our family has faced an unimaginable tragedy. A devastating fire destroyed not just our home, but also my grandparents’ and my aunt and uncle’s homes. In an instant, three generations of memories and everything we worked so hard to build were gone,” Doran wrote on GoFundme.
“This has and will continue to deeply impact all of us, including our baby boy Tiptoe, and our three dogs. Tiptoe, who has been a source of joy for so many, now needs a safe space to live, along with all of us who are navigating this heartbreaking loss together.
We are currently all staying in my house in Marina Del Rey (Grandparents, Parents, Aunt/Uncle, Cousins, Brother, Dogs, Cat, Tortoise and boyfriend) Now that’s a house full of love!
The funds raised will go toward temporary housing, essential supplies, rebuilding efforts, and getting a secure place for Tiptoe and the rest of our family. We are one strong family but boy oh boy watching my families hard work go up in flames, horrible.
Every donation, share, and kind word makes a difference. Thank you for being part of our story and for helping us move forward in this incredibly difficult time.”
With gratitude and love,
Caitlin and Tiptoe
