In recent decades, social media has seen the incredible rise of PET INFLUENCERS. These are beloved animals whose “humans” merely thought to share their cuteness on the web, only to see them skyrocket in popularity worldwide. Dogs are among the most popular pet influencers today, not only generating thousands of dollars in income for their owners, but also helped raise awareness on animal-related issues.
Here are the Top 10 Popular Dogs on Social Media today:
1) Jiff Pom
Twitter: 98,500
Instagram: 9.8 million
YouTube: 276,000
TikTok: 20.8 million
Facebook: 1.4 million
Jiff Pom is a cute, little Pomeranian who is born to stardom. Upon moving with his owners from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2013, the plucky pup made his film debut in the movie, Adventures of Bailey: A Night In Cowtown. Other movie roles followed in succeeding years, including an appearance in Katy Perry’s music video, “Dark Horse”.
But it was in 2014 that Jiff Pom’s popularity took off when he achieved not one but two Guinness World Records for the fastest 5-meter run on front paws and the fastest 10-meter run on hind legs. As his followers rose from 3 million to 9 million on Instagram, Jiff Pom received awards and nominations that attest to his popularity, including the 2018 Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Instagram Pet, the Shorty Award for Best Animal, and the Radio Disney Music Award for Favorite Social Music Artist. He also achieved his third Guinness World Record as an Animal with the Most Followers on Instagram.
At the time that Jiff Pom had 3 million followers, his estimated earnings per sponsored post was around $17,500. Now at 9 million followers, Jiff Pom reportedly earns $35,000 per sponsored post.
2) Doug the Pug
Instagram: 3.9 million
YouTube: 236,000
TikTok: 1.6 million
Twitter: 2.7 million
Facebook: 6 million
Doug the Pug achieved social media popularity thanks to his faithful recreations of Taylor Swift’s Instagram pics in 2015 and other pop culture references. His most recent viral photos include a pic of him posing with Popeye’s popular Chicken Sandwich and a recreation of Lizzo’s look at the VMAs. He also starred in Fall Out Boy’s music video, “Irresistible”. Last year, Doug the Pug won the People’s Choice Award for Animal Star of 2019.
It is estimated that Doug the Pug earns $476,000 annually.
3) Tucker Budzyn
Instagram: 2.3 million
YouTube: 1.72 million
TikTok: 5.1 million
Facebook: 2.5 million
Tucker Budzyn is a sweet and adorable Golden Retriever whose cute reaction videos to everyday objects like hair clips and hair straighteners have made him a viral sensation. Part of his appeal lies in the hilarious dog lingo captions that his “human” called “Linda” (actually food blogger Courtney Budzyn) adds to the videos. Needless to say, Tucker is a living, floofy meme.
Tucker has collaborated on videos with other popular dogs on social media, including MayaPolarBear who is No. 4 on this list.
The estimated net worth of Tucker Budzyn is $600,000.
4) MayaPolarBear
Instagram: 1.9 million https://www.instagram.com/mayapolarbear/?hl=en
YouTube: 1.56 million
TikTok: 3.2 million
Facebook: 1.17 million https://www.facebook.com/mayapolarbear/
Twitter: 209,200
MayaPolarBear is literally a walking, fluffy cloud from Germany. A Samoyed belonging to his owner, Lingli Ye also known as “Karen”, Maya is especially noted for her positive vlogs, giving encouraging words to her followers. On occasion, Karen demonstrates the many tricks that Maya has learned. Particularly popular are her Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos, wherein Maya does tastes of yummy foods that are safe for dogs.
Recently, Maya collaborated with Tucker Budzyn on a hilarious two-part Facetime Challenge on their respective Facebook pages and Youtube channels. You can view Part One here and Part Two here.
Maya is nominated in the Pet & Animals Brand Category of the 2020 Shorty Awards.
MayaPolarBear has an estimated net worth of $392,000.
5) Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund
Instagram: 792,000
YouTube: 983,000
TikTok: 1.1 million
Facebook: 3.1 million
Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund certainly lived up to his “celebrity” moniker. Famous for his viral videos depicting the lovable weiner dog in a wide variety of fun costumes and locations, Crusoe is the subject of two New York Times bestsellers. He also won Best Animal in the 2017 Shorty Awards and was proclaimed Animal Star at the 2018 People’s Choice Awards.
Crusoe is also a famous endorser, having appeared in ads for GoPro, the Recreational Boat & Fishing Foundation, and the 2016 Heinz Weiner Stampede Super Bowl ad campaign.
The estimated earnings of Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund is between $113,000 and $676,000.
6) Swaggy Wolfdog
Instagram: 1.3 million
TikTok: 3.2 million
When TikTok was introduced on the Internet, Swaggy Wolfdog was the very first dog to achieve stardom on this popular social media platform.
Epitomizing the hip hop culture, this adorable Husky is a sight to behold in his hip outfits, sunglasses, and his trademark dyed pink ears. Owned by Musical.ly star Swagrman, Swaggy is often featured with popular hip hop celebrities, such as Little Tay, Soulja Boy, and Little Pump.
It is reported that Swaggy Wolfdog earns $15,000 a month.
7) Marutaro the Shiba Inu
Instagram: 2.5 million
YouTube: 26,100
Marutaro the Shiba Inu – or simply Maru – is an adorable Shiba Inu owned by Shinjiro Ono in Tokyo, Japan. Following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, Ono wanted to come up with something lighthearted to lift the spirits of his countrymen. Needless to say, he found the perfect subject in his dog, Maru.
What made Maru very popular among Netizens is the adorable way he sleeps with his teddy bear. Whatever position his bear is in, Maru is sure to sleep in the same way. Many have also come to be charmed by this sweet dog’s squinty-eyed smile. Because he is such a photogenic dog, Maru has become the subject of bestselling photobooks in Japan.
Maru’s estimated earnings is at $8,517 per sponsored post.
8) Manny the Frenchie
Instagram: 1.1 million
Facebook: 1.7 million
Cute and cuddly Manny the Frenchie was named after Filipino boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao. The plucky French Bulldog is also a known heavyweight in various media, starring in ads for Converse, State Farm, American Apparel, and Turtle Wax. He also served as the main endorser of Martha Stewart’s PetSmart.
Manny has raised thousands of dollars for various charitable causes, including the ASPCA and hurricane relief efforts in 2017.
Manny the Frenchie’s estimated net worth is above $100,000. His Instagram earnings are $1,700 to $2,800 per post while each sponsored post earns $10,000 to $15,000.
9) Tuna the Chiweenie
Instagram: 2.1 million
Facebook: 308,000
Tuna the Chiweenie is a heartwarming rescue story. Because of his distinctive overbite, recessed jawline, and wrinkled neck skin, Tuna was abandoned along a roadside in San Diego. Such as his trauma from his abandonment that the poor dog would crawl on his belly like a worm. Thankfully, he was fostered by Courtney Dasher who ultimately became his “mommy”.
When he was first introduced on Instagram in 2011, haters called him “the ugliest dog” they have ever seen. However, more people fell in love with Tuna’s unusual looks, so that he soon became an Internet sensation. Because of his background, Tuna became the ambassador for animal rescue groups, including the Animal Rescue League of Boston and PAWS Chicago.
Tuna earns between $3,000 and $5,000 per Instagram post. His earnings from each sponsored post is $7,078.75.
10) Loki the Wolfdog
Instagram: 3 million
YouTube: 11,600
Facebook: 187,331
At first glance, you might think that Loki the Wolfdog is an actual wolf, but he’s not. Well…maybe he has a little bit of an Arctic Wolf in him. Loki is a mixed Malamute and Husky, making him a challenging dog to own because of his wild, adventurous nature. However, Kelly Lund was up to the challenge, being quite an adventurer and nature lover himself.
Like most dog owners, Lund – an outdoor recreation coordinator in Denver – only thought of sharing phone photos of Loki on his Instagram to friends when he first got the dog in 2012.
Loki and Lund’s popularity skyrocketed in 2015, however, after sharing a sweet photo of the two of them sleeping in a hammock with Loki’s head laid on Lund’s chest. From there, their Instagram followers increased to nearly 1 million. Because of Loki’s popularity, Lund quit his job to become social media manager for his dog as well as to hone his skills as a nature photographer.
The duo were the official endorsers for Mercedes Benz, GoPro’s Hero 5 Camera, Android Wear Watch, and the Wisconsin Tourism Board.
According to Lund, they earned $10 per one thousand followers per post. Now, at 2 million followers, that’s estimated at $20,000 per post. During the first year of the Instagram account, Loki and Lund have earned “almost six figures”.
