International Dog Day, August 26, tends to produce a fresh crop of “cutest dogs online right now” lists, which is lovely and also forgets its own history. Every dog with a ring light and a devoted comment section owes something to a small group of animals who got there first, back when the idea of a dog having millions of followers still sounded absurd. These are the pioneers, the ones who turned a scruffy face and a good angle into a genuine cultural footprint. Less a popularity contest, more a hall of fame.
We narrowed it to eight. Argue with us.
Maru, the blueprint (Japan)
If pet influencers have a founding father, it is Maru, the plush Shiba Inu behind the account @marutaro. He went international around 2011, back in the internet’s actual stone age, and built an audience in the millions on essentially one asset: a smile that seemed to physically lower your blood pressure. At roughly 40 pounds he ran husky for a Shiba, one of Japan’s smallest native breeds, and every extra ounce read as pure snuggle. His human has said the appeal was simple, that the smile carried a kind of peace to the people who saw it. Maru passed away in January 2024 at 16 years old, and the outpouring made something clear: he hadn’t just been famous, he’d been loved. Everything that came after started with him.
Tika the Iggy, the fashion house (Canada)
The Italian Greyhound known as Tika did for dog fashion what few humans manage for their own: she made it genuinely funny and genuinely chic. Her breakout was a deadpan runway of high-concept outfits, and the format was so instantly legible that it spawned a wave of homages and copycats. Striking that balance, hysterical and haute at the same time, is deceptively hard, and she made it look like nothing.
TurboRoo, the one who changed the conversation (USA)
TurboRoo, a Chihuahua born without front legs, could have been framed as a sad story. Instead, powered by a 3D-printed cart and a vet-tech mom who adored him exactly as he was, he became a running argument that “differently built” and “thriving” are not opposites. He mattered because he shifted how a huge audience thought about disabled animals, from pity to plain admiration.
Doug the Pug, the pop-culture machine (USA)
Doug, the Nashville pug born in 2012, turned dog content into a full crossover act, celebrity cameos, merch, charity events, meetups, the works, and built one of the largest followings any dog has ever held. He proved a pet account could be a genuine media brand, and he’s still at it, which in internet-dog years makes him practically an institution.
Tuna, the underdog face (USA)
Tuna, a Chiweenie with a spectacular overbite, became famous for the exact feature a breeder might have fretted over. Rescued and then adored by millions, he flipped the script on what a “photogenic” dog is supposed to look like. His whole appeal was that he looked like nobody else, and that turned out to be the point.
Marcel le Corgi, the aristocrat (UK)
Corgis carry a certain royal association, but Marcel earned his own crown with an unusually long coat and a pair of absurdly expressive eyebrows that gave him a rakish, slightly professorial air. He’s proof that within even a wildly popular breed, one dog’s specific quirks can make them unmistakable.
Pikelet, the advocate (Australia)
Pikelet was pulled from a kill shelter and then spent his fame paying it forward, helping foster other dogs and reminding an enormous audience that every dog is worth saving and that adoption beats shopping. Some internet dogs are famous for being cute. This one used the platform to get other dogs out alive.
Tori, the pure floof (South Korea)
We’ll end on cotton candy. Tori, a bichon whose fluff seems to defy physics, exists to demonstrate that sometimes the internet just wants to look at something impossibly soft and feel briefly okay about the world. There is floof, and then there is this, and there is no shame in loving it.
Why the originals still matter
The pet internet moves fast, and today’s feed is stuffed with talented, adorable, wildly popular animals. But the format they’re working in, the voice, the recurring bits, the idea that a dog could be a source of daily comfort to strangers across the planet, was invented by a small pack of good boys and girls who got there first. On International Dog Day, they’re the ones worth toasting. Then go hug your own unfamous, perfect dog.
