How Doug the Pug became the reigning king of pup culture

USA TODAY's Pet Guide (Photo: Leslie Mosier and Rob Chianelli)

With more than 12 million followers across his social media channels and more than a billion video views, Doug the Pug is one of the most well-known dogs on the planet. The 6-year-old pooch is the star of a Fall Out Boy music video and is a New York Times best-selling author — along with his owner, Leslie Mosier, that is — and that only scratches the surface of his impressive resume.

However, Mosier is quick to point out that Doug is also just a happy little pug. And, for her, that fact alone is a dream come true.

Mosier, who lives in Tennessee, brought Doug home as a puppy in the summer of 2012. But in a way, he’d been a part of her life since she was 13 and taping pictures of pugs to her mother’s bathroom mirror, hoping that she’d be allowed to get a pug she could name Doug. The hints didn’t work, but the name stuck with Mosier — and soon the internet would be stuck on Doug, too.

First, however, Doug needed an Instagram account — and at the time, Mosier, didn’t even have one for herself. In her job at a record label and artist management company, she was already in charge of managing the social media pages of several clients. While this taught her skills that would eventually help make Doug a star, it also left her with little interest in spending her free time on social media — at first, anyway.

By July 2013, though, she gave in to the lure of Instagram and created a personal account. Two things were abundantly clear: Doug was a natural in front of the camera, and his pictures were the most popular ones on her account. So, in October of the following year, she created the @itsdougthepug Instagram account and began putting the public relations skills she’d polished in her day job to work.

“I would have these photo shoots of Doug and email the big Instagram accounts that I thought he could be featured on, like Pugs of Instagram. On my account at the time, it might get 500 to 1,000 likes. But on their account, it would get 40,000 to 50,000 likes,” Mosier recalls.

Seeing people react so strongly to Doug’s pictures gave Mosier a rush. “It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just did all of that from start to finish!’” she says. “It was just Doug and I in my old, crappy apartment. I was picking out outfits for him to wear — he’s always liked wearing clothes — and driving around Nashville to find a place to take a picture. I’d take it, edit it and suddenly it has 50,000 people liking it and sharing it.”

She quickly fell in love with the whole process — and, more importantly, Doug did, too — so she started taking more pictures and emailing media outlets. In the fall of 2014, one of her emails found its way into the inbox of Brian Koerber, a reporter for the digital content outlet Mashable. “The first thing that struck me about Doug’s account … was the quality of the photos, witty captions and creative scenarios,” says Koerber. “Leslie has a really great eye when it comes to selecting the right photos, and I think it’s one of the main reasons Doug grew from this account with just a few thousand followers into one of the biggest pets on social media.”

Doug the Pug with owner Leslie Mosier (Photo: Provided by Leslie Mosier and Rob Chianelli)

Koerber featured Doug in the first of what would lead to many articles about him on Mashable, capturing the attention of TIME, Cosmopolitan, Good Morning America and others. Mosier was inspired to keep building Doug’s online presence, not only because she and Doug loved it, but because of what she knew Doug could do for others.

“We truly want to brighten someone’s day,” says Mosier. One look at her inbox makes it clear that their mission is being accomplished. Fans regularly email her about what they’re going through — grief over losing a parent or a pet is a common theme — and how a photo or video of Doug helped them.

Susan Segrest of New York City has one such story. “For a long time after my 15-year-old pug, Milo, died, I was too sad to consider getting another dog,” she says. “But visiting Doug’s feed gave me that little dose of pug-ness every day, which I think helped me heal and be ready to bring (my current pug) Lulu home three years ago.” As you might have guessed, Doug also inspired her to create an Instagram account for Lulu (@itspuglulu).

Building Doug’s following became a true team effort in February 2015, when Mosier’s then-boyfriend (now husband), Rob Chianelli, moved to Nashville and took over video editing and filming, as well as helping with photo shoots. When Doug’s Instagram account reached 100,000 followers, Chianelli threw Mosier and Doug a party to celebrate, complete with a pug balloon. They shot a short video of Doug with the balloon, and, to their surprise, that simple footage took the internet by storm — it now has 21 million views on Facebook.

“It was zero to a hundred once the Doug video went viral,” says Mosier. “A few weeks after that, Rob and I went to New York with Doug for the first time and had three days of back-to-back meetings at all the big publications.”

Then came their first book deal for Doug the Pug: King of Pop Culture, and, in April 2015, Mosier made the decision to quit her job and start her own business. Doug was her first client, of course, and, Mosier says, “Things haven’t slowed down at all since then. We’re constantly thinking of new ways to innovate, or brands to partner with or products that we want to get out there. It’s been a whirlwind.”

That whirlwind led to numerous opportunities: a collaboration with fashion accessory retailer Claire’s, appearances in music videos and meet and greets with hundreds of fans. When pressed to name a career highlight, Mosier and Chianelli agree: Shakira. “She had Doug come to Barcelona to do a photo shoot with her,” recalls Mosier. “That was definitely one of the moments where I was just like, ‘What is happening?’ ”

Doug the Pug and singer Shakira (Photo: Provided by Leslie Mosier and Ron Chianelli)

Doug has countless famous admirers, and when celebrities pass through Nashville, Doug’s team which in addition to Mosier and Chianelli consists of an assistant, a digital manager and agents, is happy to set up a play date. “At the end of the day, these musicians and artists and celebrities are on tour — they’re go, go, go,” says Mosier. “And they just miss their dog. When we bring Doug to meet them, it’s a chance for them to decompress, sit on the floor and pet a dog.”

Each interaction is different, but it’s always fun, says Mosier. “He feeds off of people’s energy, so if someone’s really excited to meet Doug, Doug is really excited to meet them,” she says, then laughs. “He, like, loved Ed Sheeran.”

Doug is no snob, though — he also loves public meet and greets, like on the Doug the Pug book tour. “He’ll just lay there, wagging his tail for two hours. He’s happiest when people are loving on him,” says Mosier. But his team always places his well-being first. “We’re very in tune with Doug,” says Mosier. “If he’s at all overwhelmed or unhappy, we take action immediately.”

Of course, Doug’s life isn’t all book tours and music videos. He’s an Instagram star, after all — and while Mosier still loves the whole photo- and video-publishing process, she admits it’s not always easy. Hitting creative roadblocks is her biggest challenge. “It takes a lot of mental energy to come up with each post,” she says.

Doug’s status as the King of Pop Culture means that Mosier and Chianelli often tie their daily post to what’s trending. And that means acting quickly, like in January, when a photo of an egg broke the world record for the most Instagram likes, previously held by Kylie Jenner. “I had to go to the grocery store for a brown egg, like, immediately,” says Mosier. “Now, it might be Doug’s most liked photo.” (Currently, it has more than 324,000 likes — most of his Instagram pictures have closer to 90,000 to 150,000 likes.)

Doug the Pug (Photo: Provide by Leslie Mosier and Rob Chianelli)

They also spend time assuring Doug’s fans that he’s not being overworked. Mosier and Chianelli set up every shot (using a plush pug toy in his place for lighting when needed) before bringing in Doug, which keeps his part quick and fun. “Doug’s health and happiness is our No. 1 priority, but I think a lot of people don’t really understand what we do — and their first thought is to attack or condemn it,” says Mosier. “Every post should essentially have a disclaimer that says, ‘This took 30 seconds, and Doug really enjoyed it because he got a ton of treats.’”

As Doug approaches his seventh birthday, his career is in full swing.  Scholastic will release a Doug the Pug children’s book in September — something that delights Patty Mosier, Leslie’s mom and a first-grade teacher who often incorporates Doug into her lessons. “Dougie makes learning fun,” Patty says, who shares some of those lessons on her own Instagram handle, @dougsgrandma.

This year will also see the launch of The Doug the Pug Foundation, benefiting children with cancer. “When we’ve brought Doug to the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and he meets a little girl or boy with cancer, it’s just a whole new level,” says Mosier.

They’re also launching a line of dog toys and products with Outward Hound, and are working on an animated series featuring Doug and his little kitty sister, Fiona, too. (Yes, she has her own Instagram account — @duhitsfiona — although it hasn’t exploded quite the way Doug’s has.) “Fiona is very sassy,” says Mosier. “If she’s in the mood, she’ll (pose) — but if not, good luck. So, we just let her live her best cat life.”

Doug the Pug at the wedding of his owners Leslie Mosier and Rob Chianelli (Photo: Provided by Leslie Mosier and Rob Chianelli)

Even with so many projects in the works, Mosier and Chianelli also make a point to simply enjoy being together with their furry family — and being newlyweds. Naturally, Doug was a part of the wedding in November (which landed in the pages of People magazine), and a couple of his celebrity friends lent a hand — Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness officiated and acclaimed singer-songwriter Mat Kearney performed the music for the couple’s first dance.

And, yes — much of it was captured and shared on Instagram. 

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