Dog Finds Stranded Sea Turtle On Plymouth Beach

PLYMOUTH (CBS) -- A Newfoundland dog, a breed known for ocean rescues, found a stranded sea turtle while on a walk Monday morning in Plymouth.

Veda, a two-year-old, 120-pound dog, was walking ahead of her owners, Leah and Brad Bares, on Ellisville Beach when she moved toward the water and laid down by a loggerhead turtle.

New England Aquarium officials say a storm the day before brought seaweed and other debris onto the beach where the barely noticeable light brown-shelled turtle was spotted. They feared the turtle wouldn't have survived in the cold temperatures for more than a few hours.

William Gray, a volunteer with Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay, helped the Bares by carrying the 40-pound turtle off the beach before taking it to the New England Aquarium's sea turtle hospital in Quincy, according to a statement.

After four days, the turtle's body temperature increased from the mid-40s to the low 70s and appears to be on track for a healthy recovery.

Officials say the turtle's stranding is the latest to strand alive in the winter, adding that it's unusual to find one on the South Shore as opposed to Cape Cod.

Coincidentally, Leah Bares is an artist and one of her best-selling prints is of a loggerhead, according to the statement.

The aquarium staff have decided to name the turtle "Newfie" in honor of Veda.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports