MTL Blog got the chance to interview the owner of one of Montreal's local celebrity pups, Tika the Iggy. Tika is an Insta-famous dog that has some of the best fashion sense and most relatable photos I've ever come across... Find out all about the life and times of Tika the Iggy below! Visit MTLBlog for more headlines. Tika the Iggy is one of Montreal's rising stars, and she's a dog. Not just any dog though, an Italian Greyhound with more Instagram followers than you and I will ever have, combined. And I got the chance to interview her owner, Thomas Shapiro, about Tika's fame, fashion sense, strange DMs, and pivotal life moments. This pup has numerous claims to fame, including having one of her photos posted on the official Cosmopolitian Instagram page, and being invited to be on Good Morning America. She also has her own merchandise, which you can find on her website. When asked to describe Tika in three words, her owner responded: "fashion, derpy, queen" — just to give you a little idea of her personality. Throughout this article, I share some of my fav photos of Tika in the midst of quotes from my interview with her owner. And I can say with 99% certainty that even the non-dog lovers reading this article will be hitting her with a follow directly after. Whether it's for a little animal therapy, some fashion inspo, or just to read her clever captions, it's hard not to get lost scrolling through Tika's Instagram. How did you decide to make an Instagram account for your dog? What started it all? "I decided to make Tika her own account for two reasons. First, because whenever I posted a photo of her on my personal account, I’d get a lot of random people liking and commenting on it, which made me realize there was an interest in those kinds of photos outside of my personal following. View this post on Instagram Only been in NYC two hours and already picked up my custom @linguafrancanyc sweater! “Smol but mighty” is how I’m feeling going into this weekend! 😎💪🏼 Thanks @staypineapple for the lovely room and treating me like the Kween I am. Now, time to get a 12 hour sleep in before my American national tv debut tomorrow morning on @goodmorningamerica! 🤩 A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Dec 13, 2019 at 4:06pm PST "And secondly, my friends would tell me I post too many photos of my dog. "So, I decided to make a safe space for all my photos of Tika. Basically, it started out for fun, and then her page started to gradually grow." How quickly did the page become a hit? "I started the account in February 2016 and it didn’t become a hit too quickly. From the page's beginning to December 2018, she went from 0 followers to 20k. The growth was gradual, about 10k a year. At that point, it was a super niche thing. View this post on Instagram Double pompoms on my noggin, Dressed to ride in a toboggan. If you want a good new year, Give me chickunz and have no fear. #tikapoems Outfit by @dogs_wardrobe_com A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Dec 31, 2019 at 1:23pm PST "She’s almost at 150k now. 2019 was an explosive year for her. In January, I posted two photos of her in snowsuits and other pictures of her in the turtlenecks that go all the way up, and those got picked up by bigger accounts like BuzzFeed and Paper Magazine. "Cosmopolitan even reposted some of her photos on their Instagram." Does the page have any celebrity followers? "Her biggest follower is Anitta, a singer from Brazil with over 44 million followers on Instagram. She’s basically the Beyoncé of Brazil. There are also a few drag queens that follow her, and a few influencers. Chloë Grace Moretz follows her too." View this post on Instagram I don’t usually do private meet and greets, but I made an exception yesterday for super-fan and NHL @penguins player @reesensteen. He scored the first goal of the game last night in Montreal, so clearly I’m a good luck charm. 🐧🏒 Custom @penguins onesie by @snootscanada A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Jan 5, 2020 at 7:50am PST Here's her with Zach Aston-Reese from the Pittsburgh Penguins... The question is: who's a fan of who? Where does Tika get her clothing? Does she like wearing clothes? "She gets a lot of free clothing from greyhound clothing companies that make clothing specifically for Italian greyhounds or other dogs. It’s a win-win because the companies get to promote their brand and I get the chance to grow Tika’s page. View this post on Instagram If you aren’t getting a new @houndaround_co coat every month, do you even fashion? ❄️💅🏼💙 A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Jan 14, 2020 at 1:50pm PST "It’s great when they send anything that has faux fur or really sleek turtle necks because it makes Tika look like the most fashionista dog with an endless wardrobe. "When Cosmo posted the photo of her on their account, a lot of people in the comments were saying things like 'dogs shouldn’t wear clothes.' View this post on Instagram Holiday party circuit ‘fit 🔥 #rg @tikatheiggy A post shared by Cosmopolitan (@cosmopolitan) on Dec 14, 2019 at 3:38pm PST "So, I had to jump in and defend her by letting people know that for this breed, it’s a necessity. We have fun with it, of course. But, since, as you can tell, she’s quite skinny, she needs a jacket and boots in the winter. "Once we’re outside, she realizes that she needs the clothes on, so she’s happy to wear them." How would you describe Tika’s personality? "A lot of her Insta captions and photos have a specific tone that is actually based on her real personality. She’s super friendly with humans and is such a great dog, but she definitely is quite the diva. View this post on Instagram Snow in the forecast makes me think, Why do I live so north? This stinks. Wish I was down in Florida, Wearing tracksuits like your nana, duh. #tikapoems Outfit by @iggyclothing ❤️ A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Nov 11, 2019 at 9:16am PST "She is extremely picky in every aspect of her life, from her food to the weather, to where she’s being walked, to the type of clothes she’s wearing. She’s very much an only child." How is it having a dog with more Instagram followers than you? Does Tika ever get recognized on the street? "It’s super fun. I think she, me, we, are lucky. You can post hundreds of pictures of a dog and no one gets bored of it. Whereas for a human/influencer, it’s hard to do that without looking conceited. "I get to overwhelm people with my dog and people are just like 'yes!' View this post on Instagram Feeling like a real NYC girl! Arriving at @petconofficial in style 😎🚕 A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Dec 14, 2019 at 7:03am PST "Someone recognized her once at the Atwater market. And it happened even more often when we were at PETCON in New York City — people were even running up to meet her. So, that was super cool. PETCON gave her a credible moment, like okay, she’s a real celebrity dog." Do you have any future plans for the page? "Right now, I’m kind of just trying to keep it as it is. Any brand deals we get really need to fit with Tika's message. I noticed a lot of people really trust what she puts out there, which is a cool way to create community. View this post on Instagram But do you recall, the most chickunz obsessed reindeer of all? 🦌🎄✨🍗 A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Dec 22, 2019 at 9:40am PST "I want to keep it very fun and light. I get a lot of people messaging saying whenever they have a bad day, they go to Tika’s page and it makes them feel better. "Messages like that make me aware that people are having as much fun with it as I am." What is one of the weirdest DMs the page has ever received? "Well, I can think of the fact that the page has received over a dozen DMs with people saying something along the lines of 'Tika, I would die for you.' Every time I get these, I’m like oh no… Please don’t do that..." View this post on Instagram I’m a very clean lady, but the four boys I live with can be quite messy (looking at you @jugotheiggy)! #ad That's why I asked my dads to get us a ruggable rug for our living room: the ruggable rugs are spill and stain resistant which is great for those pet accidents (not that I ever would, because I'm perfect), the rugs are machine washable, and they have interchangeable designs. Which pattern would you get for your space? You can use the code FUNTIKA15 for 15% off your entire order! #ruggable #ruggablepartner A post shared by tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy) on Dec 10, 2019 at 10:07am PST If this article has turned you into a Tika fan, you can stay up to date with her by following her Instagram page!
