She ran away from home, changed her name and was looking forward to a life in show business.
Whidbey the turtle’s brief shot at the spotlight has come to an end, however.
Whidbey — real name, “Snappy” — is an alligator snapping turtle that was discovered in a South Whidbey ditch near Sunlight Shores by a passer-by in late September.
Weighing in at almost 20 pounds, the turtle was taken to veterinarian David Parent’s office in Freeland by the family who found her, and later given to Scott Petersen of “Reptile Man” fame.
Petersen, who runs the “Washington Serpentarium” near Monroe and visits hundreds of classrooms every year with his collection of snakes, lizards, turtles and other reptiles, gladly took possession of the turtle. He announced plans to take the turtle, named “Whidbey” by the folks who found her, on his traveling show.
Enter the unblinking limelight of celebrity.
A front-page story in the Record recounted the discovery of the exotic animal, usually found in the southern states and nowhere near Washington’s more chilly clime. And then, J.T. Hadnot’s phone started ringing.
“Every single one of my friends knew it was my turtle,” he said.
Hadnot said Snappy was actually a family pet belonging to his daughter, Dominique Cartier. They grew up together, he said.
Dominique, a sixth-grader at Langley Middle School, was thrilled to learn her missing turtle had been found.
“She was ecstatic,” he said.
The turtle, purchased for $500 back in 2000, is put outside in a cage when her aquarium is cleaned. Somehow, Snappy slipped away, leading to a frantic search in the neighborhood by Dominique and anyone she else could muster to lend a hand.
“She totally spent the whole rest of the day searching in the yard, up and down the street, to no end,” Hadnot said. “We had four or five people looking everywhere, but no luck.”
Hadnot said the family wanted to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped Snappy come home.
“It was very much appreciated, and it took a whole community to make it happen,” he said. “That was pretty cool.”
