An Interview With @EllieHowls - One of TikTok's Favorite Dogs!

As you know, all of us at Lord Jameson are massive dog lovers... We're constantly watching adorable dog videos, looking at dogs on Instagram, and of course, spending time with our own dogs. One of our all-time favorite doggie influencers is Ellie - (aka @EllieHowls!) Ellie is a beautiful mixed breed who has over 550,000 followers on TikTok and over 12,000 followers on Instagram.  Recently, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ellie's mom, Sage, to hear all about the wonderful Ellie and her new fur sister, Gigi! So, without any further ado, let's dive into their story!

Ellie's Adoption Story

Sage has been with her husband, Austin, for over 9 years! They started dating after they met in Michigan one summer... Sage was working at her parent's ice cream shop and was the one who scooped Austin's ice cream! They got along really well and ended up going on a date a few days later. At this time, Sage lived in Florida and Austin lived in Illinois. They started dating and had to do long distance for 6 years... As of 2020, they're happily married, opened up their own business, and recently, they bought their dream home!

Now, let's talk about how Ellie came into their lives!

Ellie was adopted from Gainesville Pet Rescue in Gainesville, FL. Sage was new to town and knew that she wanted to rescue a dog. She told Austin (who was just her boyfriend at the time) that she wanted to go look at dogs at the shelter... We all know how that goes - you just can't leave empty-handed!

Sage convinced Austin to go with her to the shelter just to have 'a browse'... When she got to the shelter, Ellie was the first beautiful face that she saw staring at her... She was also the only dog in the shelter that was calm which really resonated with Sage. Sage said, "It was almost like she knew just what to do to win my heart!" At this time, Ellie was 6 months old and was living in the shelter for 3 months. Sage just couldn’t believe that she wasn't adopted yet... Ellie was (and is) perfect! Sage didn't even continue her search - she immediately took Ellie out of her crate so she can play with her and get to know her. Funny enough, Sage describes Ellie as having human energy - they clicked so well and Sage just couldn't get over how sweet and smart Ellie was.

Although everything was going perfect, she didn't end up taking Ellie home that day. Sage was nervous and unsure if she should adopt because she was about to start a rigorous school program... She wasn't sure what to do. She went home and cried for an hour because she was just too afraid to lose Ellie. So, the next morning, Sage went back to the shelter and adopted Ellie! (This was a few days before she started dental school!) Ellie ended up being a huge help during this time... Sage said:

"Ellie was an emotional crutch for me and I couldn’t have made it through school without her there to calm me down when I got home from a stressful day."

Dogs just have that power! Now, Ellie is 7 and a half years old and is living her best life. One of Ellie's biggest enjoyments in life is swimming... When she's in the water, she mostly splashes in place like a little kid - it's adorable! Everyone that sees her “swimming” always laughs and takes videos of her having fun. Ellie loves to cuddle in bed on her own pillow between Sage and Austin. She's most happy when she's around her owners and when she's adventuring outdoors.

How Ellie Got Internet Famous

As previously mentioned, Ellie has over 550,000 followers on the social media app, TikTok! Sage started the TikTok account for herself with a different username, but she'd often post videos of Ellie. She noticed that people LOVED Ellie's videos and they were always craving more... So, she decided to dedicate the whole account to Ellie! Now, the username has been changed to @EllieHowls and the account is full of Ellie's adorable videos!

Ellie first went viral when she started howling at Sage... The howl lasted for a long time and honestly, it sounded beautiful! The howl was almost never ending, so jokingly, Sage stuck her finger in Ellie's mouth mid-howl! Ellie looked confused as to why her solo was interrupted! It was hysterical and ended up getting millions upon millions of views. Ellie usually howls when she’s extra excited, or if her owners howl at her first, LOL! Her howling TikToks continue to be her most popular videos and sometimes, Sage puts a funny twist on them by adding a silly voice effect. All of Ellie's TikToks are super cute, and beyond unique! Here's a silly photo of Ellie mid-howl:

What Ellie's Up To Now

Ellie continues to be spoiled with love from her parents, Sage and Austin. They are both huge dog lovers and are known as being dog-obsessed (just like us!) Sage said she's the person at the party who hangs out with the dog the whole time... We feel that on a personal level!

Sage has thought a lot about fostering a dog because she always felt like it would be nice for Ellie to have a canine companion. So, Sage and Austin decided that they were going to foster a dog together! As we all know, the COVID situation has been rough... So, when the COVID shelter-in-place was about to start and Sage's workplace shut down for non-emergency dental treatment, she figured it was the best time to dedicate time to a foster dog. A local animal rescue was looking to put all their dogs into temporary foster homes, as they needed to keep most of their employees and volunteers home. They ended up fostering a gorgeous yellow lab named Gigi who is around 3 years old - (Pictured below with Ellie!)

They fostered Gigi for a couple of months and took incredible care of her. Gigi had to undergo heartworm treatment for a couple months, so they made sure to always make her feel comfortable, loved, and happy. Ellie and Gigi were getting along so well and Gigi started appearing in Ellie's videos. Gigi has been gaining her own fanbase on her own profiles @GigiGrowls because she is just beyond cute and supportive of Ellie's howling career! Sage and Austin completely fell in love with Gigi and after those couple of months of fostering, they just couldn’t think about life without her...

They decided to adopt her so she would never have to worry about being in a shelter again!

We absolutely love hearing about foster fails! Gigi fits into their family so well and loves following Sage around the house. She looks up to her sister Ellie and loves to copy her actions! Sage and Austin joke that Gigi isn't as “intelligent” as Ellie, but they say her sweetness makes up for it all. (Just look at that smile below... What a happy girl!)

Conclusion of An Interview With @EllieHowls - One of TikTok's Favorite Dogs!

That was Ellie and Gigi's wonderful story! We are so happy to have collaborated with these two beauties. They're big fans of our Lord Jameson treats and they continue to put a smile on our faces. We're so impressed with their social media success and we truly wish them the best!

Make sure to check out their TikTok accounts and follow them on Instagram for your daily dose of cuteness... You won't regret it!

Huge thank you to Sage and Austin for sharing their story and for continuing to share hilarious videos of their two fur babies!