Pet-fluencer: Arizona turtle that acts like a dog goes viral on social media
TEMPE, Ariz. - A red-eared slider turtle from Tempe is going viral for his 'dog like' personality.
The five-year-old turtle's owner, Andrew Michael Boulton, has posted dozens of video on TikTok, with some of them getting millions of views. The videos show the turtle, Mr. Mostly Mittens, following Boulton around the house, nibbling on bones, and even wagging his tail, The turtle has literally captured the hearts of millions.
Mr. Mostly Mittens can be seen following people around the house, coming when called, and wagging his tail.
"It's a regular thing," said Boulton. "If he sees me he comes running, if I put my hand out flat and do this, he'll come to me."
Mr. Mostly Mittens may act like a dog, but he is very much a turtle. The Boulton Family had the turtle for years, but the dog-like behavior only started recently.
"So, I would play with him on the floor on a regular basis, and most of the time, it'd be me following him," said Boulton. "One day, I crawled away from him, and he came right after me. He became obsessed with mem, especially my eyes. He'll follow me all around the room, everywhere I go. It's just the coolest thing to see. He's like a dog. He acts like a dog."
The family decided to film the cute duo, and post videos on social media, where they blew up. One TikTok video even reached 12 million views.
"People ask all the time, like, 'how did you do that?'" said Boulton. "I'm like, ‘it was his idea, not mine.’"
Mr. Mostly Mittens now has quite a few sponsors, but for now, being a "pet-fluencer" is still a part-time job.
"He's not contributing to the college fund yet," said Boulton.
Mr. Mostly Mittens on TikTok