Other name(s) Stinky
Greta Known for Internet celebrity Owner Shirley Braha | Sex Female Named after Marnie Stern Breed Shih Tzu | |
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Nominations Shorty Award for Best Animal | ||
Marnie is a 15-year-old female Shih Tzu senior rescue dog adopted and owned by Shirley Braha. Photos of Marnie have been popular on Instagram and Twitter; as a result, Marnie's Instagram account has over one million Instagram followers and each of the photos have received hundreds of thousands of Instagram likes; Marnie's Twitter account has received over 75,000 followers. Braha also posts short videos of Marnie on Vine, which have also garnered significant attention.
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In August 2012 Marnie was moved to an animal shelter by animal control as an abandoned street dog living in Connecticut. Four months later, she was adopted by Braha via Petfinder. Marnie's popularity originated from her photos on Instagram, under the handle @marniethedog, which Braha added to since 2014, and has since became popular. Marnie is especially famous for her permanent head tilt to the left, a result of a brief case of vestibular disease.
History
Marnie was a street dog living in Connecticut. In August 2012, Marnie was moved to an animal shelter by animal control and was nicknamed Stinky due to her pungent smell from living on the street. She had health problems, such as decaying teeth, partial visual impairment in her left eye, and partial hearing impairment before Marnie's adoption. Although Marnie's decaying teeth were removed and her vision was gradually restored, her hearing impairment still remains.
Four months later, Braha found Marnie via Petfinder, an adoption website. She then adopted and transferred her to New York City. Braha was told about Marnie's various health problems; Braha, in light of her health problems, did not expect Marnie to survive for more than a couple of weeks. Braha said that while transferring her by rail, she "stunk up the whole train".
After Marnie's decaying teeth were removed, her pungency was greatly reduced. Braha then named her Marnie after musician Marnie Stern.
Internet celebrity career
In 2014, Braha decided to post photos of Marnie under the Instagram handle @marniethedog. The photos quickly became popular, gaining many Instagram likes per photo. Her account accumulated Instagram followers quickly; as a result, Marnie now has over a million followers on Instagram. As a response to the quick popularity, Braha said: "I was just excited that anyone cared; I never imagined she would be at the level she is now".
Braha also posts photos on Twitter and short videos on Vine, which has also garnered significant attention.
Marnie's head is permanently tilted to the left (a feature that she is distinctive for) possibly as a result of a brief case of vestibular disease. Her hearing impairment is also a probable effect of the disease.
Braha routinely makes appearances with celebrities, some setting up meetings with Braha to meet Marnie. Braha also makes paid visits to events, and sells merchandise featuring Marnie.
In 2016, Avvo featured a video of Marnie in one of its television commercials and some of its online advertisements.