He’s got a prominent overbite and wrinkly skin but there’s just something about Tuna the dog that makes you fall in love with him. The Instagram-famous pooch made an appearance at PetCon in New York City on Saturday, November 18, where his owner spoke to Us Weekly about her celebrity pet.
Tuna’s owner, Courtney Dasher, told Us that her beloved Chiweenie pup has some big-name celebrity fans.
“Lady Gaga follows him and she follows like 32 people so, I think that’s so fun,” Dasher said. “Her and Sia and Reese Witherspoon, who did a shout out on Vogue years ago about who everybody else should follow — Tuna Melts My Heart!” Unfortunately for those A-list stars, Dasher admitted they haven’t met Tuna in person — yet.
Dasher rescued Tuna when he was 4 months old at a Farmer’s Market in Los Angeles. She created an Instagram account — called Tuna Melts My Heart — in 2011 so she could share adorable and funny photos of him. He instantly became an internet paw-sonality, with more than 1.9 million followers on Instagram, while his Twitter account has almost 10,000 followers.
Nowadays, Tuna leads a spoiled life. Dasher admits that the pooch “loves human food — popcorn and cheese.” She even threw a Harry Potter-themed birthday party in London for her pet, since Tuna and author J.K. Rowling share the same birthday.
“I went down to St. Pancras and did a Harry Potter spoof – him at the platform nine and three quarters – I had a great photo opportunity,” she told Us of the photo shoot. “I ordered his Potter glasses and I made a scarf and a cape and put him in the cart and took a photo.”