It’s quickly becoming the case that it’s Boo’s world and we’re just living in it.
The 9-pound, weirdly chopped Pomeranian pooch—known as the Internet’s favorite dog— is out with his second book, and he received the Good Morning America, er, fluff piece treatment Monday.
ABC News correspondent Becky Worley toured San Francisco with Boo as the pair mingled with fans, indulged in the spotlight, and further proved that any human with a heart will crinkle in their knees upon seeing him.
In the three minute segment, we learned that Boo is six years old, fans are obsessed (a crazed woman admitted to checking his Facebook page every morning), and when Boo isn’t smiling, he looks really bored. Amusingly, the best part was at :45 seconds when a tourist told Worley that Boo most resembles a panda, and the pair shot over the most startled look.
Worley explained that Boo’s appeal is that he’s simple, boasts mass appeal (who doesn’t love a dog?), and is social media savvy. On Facebook, Boo has racked up more than five million adoring fans. A video of a constantly panting Boo tromping around some office and doing nothing of importance has nearly one million views on YouTube.
But some are coughing up some hair balls and questioning Boo’s rise to fame. It was revealed last week that Boo’s owner, who is not publicly known, works at Facebook. (All Things D reports that Boo’s human mom is Irene Ahn, who works in Facebook’s finance department and was noticeably absent from Worley’s hard-hitting report).
That revelation led New York Observer writer Jessica Roy to wonder if the owner is somehow profiting off Boo’s rapidly growing Facebook fan page. “Curious, isn’t it, that Mr. Dog boasts close to 5 million fans on Facebook, where his owner’s boss is banking on that kind of user engagement?” wrote Roy.
Perhaps, but there is no concrete evidence to support that. If anything, Boo’s owner is obviously profiting off the burgeoning empire we’re calling Boo, Inc: a multi-faceted brand extension that puts the doggy’s face on everything. There are the stuffed animals (one version is sold at Nordstrom for $20), books, calendars, and product endorsements. If anything, Ahn’s habit of pimping the dog out is helping ease the pain of watching Facebook’s stock tank.
Despite the haters (like me!), Boo still has Anderson Cooper’s, and five million other fans’ hearts on lock. Watch the Good Morning America report below and help us confirm our belief that Boo hates being touched.
Photo via ABC News
