The beloved tiny turtle and unofficial mascot of Hook & Press Donuts sent the Santa Barbara community into an online frenzy after someone took him from his fountain home.  

Leonardough, affectionately nicknamed Leo, went missing from the shop’s fountain in La Arcada Plaza on Sept. 28, according to Hook & Press Donuts owner John Burnett.

Leo, a yellow-bellied slider turtle, joined Hook & Press Donuts six months ago as a baby and quickly became everyone’s reptilian friend. 

“He immediately captured not only our hearts but those of our staff, customers and fellow neighbors in the plaza. He was fed, well looked after by many, and thriving in his little fountain home,” a Hook & Press Donuts social media post read.

Burnett said he is a friendly turtle, often swimming up to people.

“That’s what makes him so vulnerable,” he said. 

After feeding Leo that Sunday afternoon, the closing manager of the doughnut shop couldn’t find him just an hour and a half later. 

All that was left was a puddle of water on the stonework surrounding the fountain. Burnett said he wasn’t too alarmed because of a turtle’s tendency to brumate — similar to hibernation. Burnett thought maybe he wedged himself under a rock to take a nap and would resurface later. 

However, Leo never did.

Burnett asked the maintenance department of the plaza to review security camera footage, but they did not flag anything suspicious. 

So, Burnett scoured the shop’s property, looking into bushes and the nearby fountain surrounded by Waterhouse Gallery and Courthouse Distillery & Events that hosts bigger turtles.

By last Thursday, Leo had not returned, and Burnett asked to review the security camera footage himself. 

As he sat there watching the footage back, he saw a woman come close to the fountain and reach into the water. He said he felt frustrated but mostly disappointed. The video showed three other people with her at the time. 

“I was relieved a little bit because at least I knew he wasn’t roaming the streets of Santa Barbara, or if someone let him out and he fell onto a curb and into a sewer, ate some ooze and turned into a mutant,” he said.

Denisse Salinas, co-owner of Hook & Press and Burnett’s wife, was especially upset and took to the shop’s social media to put out a video on Thursday night, including the security camera footage, hoping their 23,000 followers might be able to help. 

The post quickly went viral on Instagram, amassing more than 7,000 likes, more than 2,000 shares and more than 700 comments. 

The next day, Hook & Press Donuts received a call from someone in the group wanting to return Leo. 

A woman from the video biked to the shop with Leo in tow in a small Tupperware container. 

The caller told Burnett that Leo’s disappearance was a misunderstanding. The woman who took Leo also sent Burnett an apologetic email a day later, taking accountability for her actions. Burnett said he filed a police report but dropped the charges once Leo was returned. 

“She is not trying to get arrested over a turtle. I am sure nobody is,” he said. 

Burnett said the woman handed Leo over alongside some things she purchased for him. However, the items were discarded. 

Customers visiting Leo since his homecoming got a show from the tiny turtle.

“He was showing off,” Burnett said. “He would swim up, climb up onto his rock and slide off.”

Burnett is looking into adding barriers to make it harder for people to reach into the water and adding signage to make it clear the turtle belongs to the doughnut shop. They want to do that while preserving the meditative space of the fountain. 

He also said people can look forward to a turtle-inspired doughnut coming in the future.