The Italian Greyhound, who grew popular on social media for being one of social media’s most unusual fashion influencers, died on Monday
Tika the Iggy, a beloved Italian Greyhound who grew popular online for posing in a slew of adorably fashionable doggy outfits, has died at age 14.
Tika’s owners announced on Monday that she had died in a statement posted jointly to the dog’s official Instagram account and one of the owners’ personal Instagrams.
According to Tika’s Instagram bio, the dog had been called “a new fashion It girl” by Vogue and “The Anna Wintour of Dogs” by popular TikTok creator, The Dogist.
Thomas Shapiro, one of Tika’s owners, alongside his husband Louis, announced the death of the internet-famous hound in his Nov. 4 post, beginning the statement with, “Tika, I really thought you were going to live forever. I thought we had more time, but there are things we cannot control. Our hearts are shattered.”
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The dog, whose viral Instagram looks earned her a whopping following of 1.6 million on the platform and 3.1 million on TikTok, had two tumors in her liver, Shapiro revealed in the post.
“It was hard to believe, because you were still so full of life, still jumping up, running, doing everything as usual,” he said, sharing that Tika’s veterinarians advised that the dog have surgery to remove the growths.
According to Shapiro, the surgery went well and Tika was discharged from the clinic “without any complications,” even adding that Tika was able to enjoy her favorite food when she got home.
“But after your second day home,” Shapiro wrote, “something had changed. You looked so tired, not quite yourself, yet peaceful.”
First believing that the change in the pup’s demeanor was the effect of painkillers, Shapiro wrote that he and his family soon found out that it was Tika’s “body slowly giving up” and that there was nothing that they could have done to help her.
“It is sadly a risk that comes with surgery on senior dogs,” he wrote.
“You spent your last moments at home, held by your favourite dads,” he continued. “You were supposed to prance through your golden years. We just hope you know how deeply you were loved, Tika. By us, but also by so many others who came to know you. You truly loved meeting new friends, and you were larger than life.”
Louis, Shapiro’s husband, also took to Instagram, reading a statement he had written in a video posted to his and Tika’s account.
Followers and fans of Tika online expressed their sadness in the comment section.
Many members of the dog community, including the viral account We Rate Dogs, shared their reaction to the news, writing in the comment section, “Our team is devastated over here. thank you for sharing her with the world ❤️ rest easy Tika.”
The Instagram account for viral internet pug, Doug the Pug, also wrote in, saying that they were “beyond sorry” and that they were “crying tears with [you].”
