I have enjoyed reading this thread but the best part for me is the Title "Annoyed by Non-Tortoise Owner."
I was reading through quite anxiously, trying to discover exactly what a "Non-Tortoise" looked like...LOL!!! And it seems the guy who was trying to get you to put in the chain link fence, probably was the lucky owner of a non-tortoise.
He is very much the lucky owner of the sacred 'non-tortoise.' Haha. Happy birthday!