Boo’s Bio
Everything about the little dog behind the big phenomenon, from one of the longest-running Boo fan sites on the internet.
The basics
- Full name: Boo
- Breed: Pomeranian (often called a teacup Pomeranian for his small size)
- Born: March 16, 2006, San Francisco Bay Area
- Died: January 18, 2019, age 12
- Famous for: The fluffiest teddy bear face the internet has ever seen
- Peak following: More than 16 million Facebook fans
- Family: Older brother Buddy, younger brother Blue, and his owner
What breed was Boo?
Boo was a Pomeranian. “Teacup” is not an official breed or size class, just an affectionate label for especially small Poms, and Boo was small even by Pomeranian standards.
What made him look so different from other Pomeranians was not his breed at all. It was his haircut. Most Poms carry a huge double coat of long fur. Boo’s coat was kept clipped short, which rounded his face into the teddy bear look that made him famous. The full story behind that cut is more practical than you might guess, and we tell it on our page about the Boo haircut.
Who owned Boo?
Boo’s owner is Irene Ahn, who worked at Facebook and kept herself out of the spotlight for years, publishing Boo’s books under the pen name J.H. Lee. She created Boo’s Facebook page in 2009 simply to share photos of her dog.
Because she worked at Facebook, some reporters wondered aloud in the early days whether Boo’s page had gotten an inside boost. The honest answer is that nobody ever found evidence of that, and the moment that actually launched Boo was public and traceable: in October 2010, the singer Kesha tweeted a link to his page, and his following exploded from there. Cuteness did the rest.
The fame years
At his peak, Boo was less an internet meme than a full celebrity, and the resume reads like one. Television appearances, including the American morning-show circuit. Four photo books, beginning with “Boo: The Life of the World’s Cutest Dog” in 2011, eventually printed in 10 languages, meaning a dog from San Francisco had a publishing footprint most human authors never reach. An actual corporate title: Virgin America’s Official Pet Liaison, starting in 2012, complete with in-flight appearances. Gund produced more than 30 official plush versions of him (the classic 9-inch Boo is still in production), several of which are now collector’s items, and an annual calendar marked the years.
What is easy to forget now is how new all of this was. In 2010 there was no pet-influencer industry, no brand playbook, no manager who specialized in dogs. Every deal Boo did was the first of its kind, negotiated by an owner with a day job, and the entire modern pet-fame economy runs on the template his career accidentally wrote.
He also shared the fame. Birthday fundraisers on his page raised tens of thousands of dollars for charities including Charity: Water (over $30,000 against a $10,000 goal), Operation Smile, San Francisco Animal Care and Control, and the pet therapy program at a children’s hospital. The pattern was consistent for a decade: every milestone became a fundraiser, and his fans always delivered.
The quieter years
As Boo aged, the pace gently slowed. The daily outfit era gave way to a comfortable seniority: fewer events, more naps, the gray coming into the famous face. His people never chased the algorithm with him, never manufactured drama, never overworked an old dog for content. By the standards of what pet fame later became, Boo’s career ended the way it ran: gently, and on the dog’s terms.
Boo’s family
Boo grew up alongside Buddy, an older Pomeranian born in 2003 who was his constant companion and the calm one of the pair. In 2015 the family added Blue, a Golden Retriever formally known as Sir Blueberry Pie, the youngest and by far the largest of the trio. Fans knew the three of them by the hashtag #b3misfits. You can read about both of them on our Buddy and Blue page.
Buddy passed away in 2018, and Boo, whose health failed quickly after losing him, followed in January 2019. The full story is on our memorial page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What breed was Boo the dog?
Boo was a Pomeranian, often described as a teacup Pomeranian because of his small size. His famous teddy bear look came from a short haircut, not his breed.
Was Boo the dog a boy or a girl?
Boo was a boy. His companions were his older brother Buddy, also male, and Blue, a male Golden Retriever.
How much money did Boo the dog make?
Exact figures were never publicly disclosed, but Boo ran a genuine business: four books including an international bestseller printed in 10 languages, an official Gund plush line of more than 30 designs, an annual calendar, and a corporate partnership with Virgin America. Media coverage at his peak commonly described the franchise as worth millions across his career.
Who was Boo the dog's owner?
Boo was owned by Irene Ahn, a Facebook employee who published Boo’s books under the pen name J.H. Lee and stayed largely out of the public eye.
How did Boo the dog become famous?
His owner started a Facebook page for him in 2009. In October 2010 the singer Kesha tweeted a link to it, and Boo’s following grew into the millions almost overnight.
How many books did Boo the dog have?
Boo was the subject of four photo books, beginning with “Boo: The Life of the World’s Cutest Dog” in 2011, which was published in 10 languages.