Dogs
By Julia Williams
Nowadays, it’s not unusual to learn about cats and dogs that blog, tweet, write books and entertain their Facebook fans with funny status updates. As intelligent humans, we know the animals aren’t really the ones doing such things, but we play along because it’s harmless fun. In the past few years I’ve become “friends” with quite a few cats and dogs on Facebook. Until recently I thought Giant George, with 65,000 fans, and CANIDAE Pet Foods sponsored Surf Dog Ricochet, with 23,000 fans, really had it going on.
Ha ha! Those numbers pale in comparison to “Boo,” the impossibly cute Pomeranian who, as of this writing, has amassed a staggering 1,109,355 fans! What’s more, Boo gains fans at the rate of about 4,000 every day! When Boo posts a photo or video of himself doing what he does best – looking incredibly adorable – as many as 17,000 people click the “like” button, and 700 to 1,000+ people leave a comment.
With such impressive stats, I think it’s safe to say that Boo is the most popular dog on the planet. I’m pretty sure that if beloved dogs like the legendary Lassie or Rin Tin Tin were to have a Facebook page, even they wouldn’t be able to compete on Boo’s level. What I find particularly fascinating is that aside from a witty photo caption here and there, Boo doesn’t really do anything – other than look cute of course. His “Info” section says it all: “My name is Boo. I am a dog. People love me!”
Indeed they do. People adore Boo even though he never answers any of the seventy squillion questions they ask him (“Boo, what breed of dog are you?” “Boo, how old are you?”) They worship Boo even though he never responds to their squeals of adoration (“Boo, you are truly God's gift to Earth!” “Oh. My. Gosh!! I’m going to faint from the cute!” “Boo, you're the most delightful dog on the Internet!” “Boo, I could just eat you up!”
If you think I made any of that up, you’d be wrong. Like I said, Boo has fans. And I must confess, I love Boo too – I think he’s just precious, and if I could clone him I’d have a dog just like him. Never mind that until I saw the videos of Boo, I was convinced it was a stuffed dog and this was all a hoax. I imagined Boo’s “creators” laughing at the stupidity of people who thought Boo was real. The videos changed my mind – it would be pretty hard to make a stuffed toy dance around the room like Boo does, or eat his dog food so charmingly that your heart almost explodes.
I am, however, just a little peeved at Boo. I wanted to do an interview with him for this blog, and I sent him several polite emails which he ignored. Harrumph!! I take comfort in knowing that it’s not just me Boo snubs, but every single one of his million-plus fans! I have to wonder if Boo’s meteoric rise to fame has given him a superiority complex. More likely, his family probably had no idea what they were getting into when they set up his Facebook page. After all, who could predict that a few photos of an adorable dog would create such a stir? It would be a full-time job answering even a fraction of all the “fan mail” Boo gets.
So I decided to forgive Boo for ignoring my interview request. Besides, he’s so freakin’ cute that it’s impossible to stay mad at him for very long. Boo, I just adore you. Now call me!
Read more articles by Julia Williams
- Luna The Fashion Kitty Struts The Online Catwalk
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By Julia Williams The advent of the internet has given dogs and cats a voice like never before. True, talking animals have been around for a very long time in literature. However, it was oft said that no good writer would ever stoop to such low levels....
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By Julia Williams The story of Joey the Garden Cat is a “feline rags to riches” tale that just warms my heart. No one knows how or why the young tabby cat found himself living on the street in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. But the plucky kitten...
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Dogs
Meet Boo, the Most Popular Pup on the Planet!
Nowadays, it’s not unusual to learn about cats and dogs that blog, tweet, write books and entertain their Facebook fans with funny status updates. As intelligent humans, we know the animals aren’t really the ones doing such things, but we play along because it’s harmless fun. In the past few years I’ve become “friends” with quite a few cats and dogs on Facebook. Until recently I thought Giant George, with 65,000 fans, and CANIDAE Pet Foods sponsored Surf Dog Ricochet, with 23,000 fans, really had it going on.
Ha ha! Those numbers pale in comparison to “Boo,” the impossibly cute Pomeranian who, as of this writing, has amassed a staggering 1,109,355 fans! What’s more, Boo gains fans at the rate of about 4,000 every day! When Boo posts a photo or video of himself doing what he does best – looking incredibly adorable – as many as 17,000 people click the “like” button, and 700 to 1,000+ people leave a comment.
With such impressive stats, I think it’s safe to say that Boo is the most popular dog on the planet. I’m pretty sure that if beloved dogs like the legendary Lassie or Rin Tin Tin were to have a Facebook page, even they wouldn’t be able to compete on Boo’s level. What I find particularly fascinating is that aside from a witty photo caption here and there, Boo doesn’t really do anything – other than look cute of course. His “Info” section says it all: “My name is Boo. I am a dog. People love me!”Indeed they do. People adore Boo even though he never answers any of the seventy squillion questions they ask him (“Boo, what breed of dog are you?” “Boo, how old are you?”) They worship Boo even though he never responds to their squeals of adoration (“Boo, you are truly God's gift to Earth!” “Oh. My. Gosh!! I’m going to faint from the cute!” “Boo, you're the most delightful dog on the Internet!” “Boo, I could just eat you up!”
If you think I made any of that up, you’d be wrong. Like I said, Boo has fans. And I must confess, I love Boo too – I think he’s just precious, and if I could clone him I’d have a dog just like him. Never mind that until I saw the videos of Boo, I was convinced it was a stuffed dog and this was all a hoax. I imagined Boo’s “creators” laughing at the stupidity of people who thought Boo was real. The videos changed my mind – it would be pretty hard to make a stuffed toy dance around the room like Boo does, or eat his dog food so charmingly that your heart almost explodes.
I am, however, just a little peeved at Boo. I wanted to do an interview with him for this blog, and I sent him several polite emails which he ignored. Harrumph!! I take comfort in knowing that it’s not just me Boo snubs, but every single one of his million-plus fans! I have to wonder if Boo’s meteoric rise to fame has given him a superiority complex. More likely, his family probably had no idea what they were getting into when they set up his Facebook page. After all, who could predict that a few photos of an adorable dog would create such a stir? It would be a full-time job answering even a fraction of all the “fan mail” Boo gets.
So I decided to forgive Boo for ignoring my interview request. Besides, he’s so freakin’ cute that it’s impossible to stay mad at him for very long. Boo, I just adore you. Now call me!
Read more articles by Julia Williams
- Luna The Fashion Kitty Struts The Online Catwalk
By Julia Williams Cats wearing clothes is not something you see every day, even on the internet where you can see just about anything you can imagine. Photos of doggies dressed to the nines, sure… but not cats. That’s because most cats are just not...
- Venus The Chimera Cat Meows About Fame, Photoshop & Family
By Julia Williams The first time most people see a photo of Venus, they usually think it’s a photoshop fake or that her owners dyed her face. It’s hard not to, since this kitty seemingly has two very different faces, perfectly split down the middle...
- Funny Sayings From Comedic Pets
By Julia Williams The advent of the internet has given dogs and cats a voice like never before. True, talking animals have been around for a very long time in literature. However, it was oft said that no good writer would ever stoop to such low levels....
- Tv Newscatster Joey The Garden Cat Charms All
By Julia Williams The story of Joey the Garden Cat is a “feline rags to riches” tale that just warms my heart. No one knows how or why the young tabby cat found himself living on the street in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. But the plucky kitten...
- Social Media Has Gone To The Dogs... And The Cats Too!
By Julia Williams Not so long ago, it used to be frowned upon for people to give human characteristics to animals, which is known as anthropomorphism (how’s that for an unwieldy word!). Those who were against it said things like “animals shouldn’t...