NORTHAMPTON — Fearful of the experience of losing a pet, Reba Goldin chose to adopt a tortoise as a teenager because the animals are known to live to be over 100 years old.

She says this made it all the more devastating when her tortoise, Lula, went missing from his outdoor enclosure on Sept. 2.

“It was incredibly upsetting,” Goldin said. “I’ve had him for 12½ years since he was a little baby tortoise ... He’s gone to boarding school with me, he’s gone to college with me, he’s been with me for all that time, and it was just heartbreaking that he was suddenly gone.”

Goldin was in the process of moving into her Northampton apartment and put the animal in his outdoor enclosure so he could relax in the sun. She explained that it’s essential for tortoises to get plenty of time outdoors to get the sunlight they need for their shell health.

This was in part why she chose her Northampton apartment — she thought Lula could enjoy the large, foliage-filled outdoor space, a contrast to their life in New York City, where Goldin could only take Lula for walks.

However, when the old twist ties keeping the enclosure shut broke and Lula escaped, the overgrowth proved problematic, Goldin explained. Tortoises’ ability to camouflage to their environments is an evolutionary advantage, but it made it impossible for Goldin, her family, and neighbors to find the animal, even after hours of searching.

Goldin put up posters and called “basically any number that I thought would help,” Goldin said, including animal control, local veterinarians and animal shelters.

However, two weeks later, it was just outside of his enclosure that Goldin found Lula, sunning himself in her backyard.

“I couldn’t believe it at first, because I had been dreaming over and over that I found him and then waking up and being really sad. And so, for a moment, I was like, ‘Is this a dream?’ And it was just so surreal because he was right there.”

Goldin took Lula inside and gave him a warm bath. She shared that Lula is in good health and that she’s grateful Lula is a marginated tortoise, a breed able to endure cooler temperatures.

Through her process of searching, Goldin connected with another local tortoise owner, who agreed to make Lula a new enclosure. Until then, Goldin will only take Lula out when she can watch him.

“I’m so glad to have him back. It was such a relief,” Goldin said. “Words cannot describe how much better I feel having him back.”