With his unique features and adorable presence, a dog originally from Red Deer, Alberta, has just moved to BC, with his owner announcing the news on Instagram this week.
So, who is this dog with over 600,000 Instagram followers, you ask? Brodie is a five-year-old German Shepherd Border Collie mix who received facial injuries when he was just 13 days old.
“His mother bit him on the head. She crushed his skull, they thought he would be fine, and as he got older, everything started to twist and fuse together,” said Amanda Richter, who adopted Brodie when he was seven months old.
“They don’t really know why she did that; they just heard the yelp. They think it could have been food aggression and also stress,” said Richter. Brodie’s mom was a young stray who gave birth at Old MacDonald Kennels just outside of Ponoka, Alberta.
Richter welcomed Brodie to her home in the fall of 2019 and started posting him on Instagram to show his progress in adjusting to a new life.
“I posted some pics, didn’t think it was going to go anywhere,” said Richter. “His pictures from the start were gaining thousands of likes. Right around Christmas and January 2020, it really exploded.”
The pooch has been featured in news articles from as far away as Argentina and China. Brodie has since landed some high-profile brand deals with businesses like PetSmart, Pet Valu, and Sketchers, and he has even been made into a plushie by one company.
Typically garnering tens of thousands of likes per post, Richter says Brodie is simply a smart, loveable dog that resonates with people.
“He looks different and has some challenges, but that doesn’t let it stop him. In his mind, he’s a regular dog, and I think that translates to people just cause they look a certain way, it doesn’t mean they are unworthy,” said Richter.
“It just gives people hope, and he’s really cute, so that helps too.”
As of December 2024, Brodie has amassed over 1.6 million total followers across his TikTok and Instagram accounts.
Earlier this week, it was shared that Brodie had moved from Alberta and now resides on Vancouver Island.
“We honestly love it here SO much and don’t think we will ever be moving back to Alberta lol,” the account added.
This article was originally published in August 2021 and has since been updated.