Tuna Melts My Heart

Tuna made a case that the perfectly groomed show dogs never could: the “imperfect” rescue is the more compelling character. His exaggerated overbite, recessed jawline, and wrinkled neck — the features a breeder would call faults — are exactly why millions of people follow him.

Who Tuna is

Tuna is a Chiweenie, the informal name for a Chihuahua-dachshund cross. Owner Courtney Dasher adopted him in December 2010 at a Los Angeles farmers market when he was roughly four months old, abandoned and available. She started his Instagram account, @tunameltsmyheart, about a year later, and by the end of 2012 the account had taken off.

The face that built the account

Tuna’s appeal is the opposite of Jiffpom’s engineered cuteness. His overbite gives every photo a built-in punchline, and the account leans into it with affection rather than mockery. It resonated because it flipped the script — here was a dog who would never win a conformation ribbon becoming beloved by nearly two million people precisely for his differences.

By the numbers

Tuna’s Instagram following sits above 1.9 million, with more than two million across all his channels at last public reporting. The account has produced a book and a nationwide meet-and-greet tour, but the through-line has always been rescue advocacy — Dasher uses the platform to push shelter adoption, on the logic that Tuna himself was a farmers-market castoff who happened to have a marketable face.

The honest take

Tuna’s story gets told as “ugly dog makes good,” which undersells it. The real lesson for anyone building a pet account is that a distinctive feature beats a conventionally perfect one every time — the algorithm and the audience both reward the face you remember. Tuna is memorable in one glance, and that is worth more than symmetry.

Tuna is profiled in our famous Instagram dogs guide and appears in the internet’s most famous dogs.

Frequently asked questions

What breed is Tuna Melts My Heart?

Tuna is a Chiweenie, a mix of Chihuahua and dachshund. His pronounced overbite and recessed jaw are his signature features.

How was Tuna rescued?

Owner Courtney Dasher adopted Tuna at a Los Angeles farmers market in December 2010, when he was about four months old and had been abandoned.

How many followers does Tuna have?

Tuna has more than 1.9 million Instagram followers and over two million across all his social channels at last public count.