Doug the Pug (born May 20, 2012) is a celebrity pug living in Nashville, Tennessee, who has gained a large internet and social media following.[1]
Forbes named Doug the Pug the second most influential pet in 2018,[2] and he won two People's Choice Awards[3] for Animal Star in 2019 and 2020.
In 2022, Doug the Pug Foundation, a charity that helps children fighting cancer, was started in his name.[4] He is the most followed pug on the internet with over 18 million collective followers. Doug's Facebook page has over 6 million likes and 10 billion Facebook video views; his Instagram account has 3.9 million followers, and his Twitter account has over 2.6 million followers as of 2021.
Career
Doug became famous on social media in 2014, when his owner Leslie Mosier created the Instagram account Doug the Pug. In 2016, a book named Doug the Pug: The King of Pop was published, which was accompanied by an international promotion campaign.
Doug has a line of merchandise at the retailer Claire's, with a range of Gund stuffed animals, backpacks, and apparel.[7] Doug also has a line of greeting cards with American Greetings, sold at Target and Wal-Mart,[8] and a pair of shoes with Skechers.[9]
Books
Doug's owner, Leslie Mosier, is The New York Times best-seller author of Doug the Pug: The King of Pop Culture, released in November 2016. Following the release of her book, Mosier took Doug on an international book tour with stops in England, Paris, and the United States.[10] To accompany her book, Mosier has released a line of calendars and a line of Doug the Pug apparel. Doug's first children's book was released with Scholastic in September 2019.[11]
Doug has appeared in national commercials for various products.[14] In 2016 he appeared in Katy Perry's music video for "Swish Swish", and in 2017 he appeared in Fall Out Boy's music video for "Irresistible", and in DNCE's lyric video for "Kissing Strangers".[6] In 2021 Doug voice acted for the role of Monchi in the Sony Pictures-Netflix animated feature The Mitchells vs. the Machines.[15]