Tiki already had a big internet following before he found a home in Massachusetts. Now his new owners are using that attention to help other rescue dogs.
The rescue dog, now living in Paxton, has joined adoptive owners Aubrie and Vince D’Angelo and their two other dogs, Meyer and Gaia. The couple said Tiki has been settling in since arriving in June, with his confidence growing over time.
“He was cautious, but he was curious,” Aubrie said. “That curiosity, I think, unlocked his progress.”
Tiki, a chihuahua mix, was surrendered to the ASPCA in New York before his story spread across social media. His audience on TikTok and Instagram grew rapidly after Brooklyn foster carer Isabel Klee shared videos of him under the handle @simonsits.
Klee documented Tiki’s shift from fear, linked to years of trauma, to trust through patience and kindness.
“I think I cried (at) almost every video,” Aubrie said. “I think it’s just so beautiful to watch what dogs are capable of and humans are capable of.”
When Tiki became available for adoption, hundreds of people applied. The D’Angelos said they were set on being the right home for him.
“He had come up to us, he let us pet him,” Vince said. “These things that he hadn’t really done with strangers.”
They said Tiki’s move came with some expected regression. At first, he stayed in a safe space under their bed.
The couple kept sharing updates on their own social media accounts, @tikiplustwo, and said support from followers helped.
“Within probably 24 hours, we had almost 400,000 followers,” Aubrie said. “It was so crazy, but so incredible too, just having that reassurance that so many people wanted the best for him made me feel good.”
The D’Angelos said Tiki later began coming out from under the bed and into the yard, and is now thriving.
They said they are now using his popularity to support rescue groups and hard-to-place dogs.
“We didn’t adopt a dog and intend for him to have, you know, over half a million followers, but because he does, it’s given us the opportunity to shine the light on other dogs who need it,” Aubrie said.
Each month, the couple features a rescue organisation on @tikiplustwo and posts the organisations’ wishlists and hard-to-place pets.
“It’s been just the most rewarding thing we’ve ever done,” Aubrie said. “Now I feel like we’re on a mission to do the most good, to help the most dogs that we can because I feel like that’s what Tiki would want.”
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