She's got long dark locks, dignified poise and a withering look - all the ingredients for a social media superstar. But Tea is not an Instagram bikini model, she's a five-year-old black Afghan hound whose photogenic silky coat made her an overnight sensation.
The 'supermodel' pup is a highly decorated Sydney show dog but struck true fame after her recent retirement when a photo of her was shared more than a million times. It captured her sitting on a bench with her extraordinarily long hair splayed out wide completely obscuring the wood while she stared into the distance.
Owner Luke Kavanagh didn't expect her to light up social media, but wasn't surprised that she struck a chord as she was 'far too pretty to keep at home'. 'Even our weekend walks draw a crowd. She pretends she doesn’t need the attention, but she definitely loves it, just like any supermodel,' he told NewsLocal. 'I guess people were mostly drawn to [the photo] because of her silky coat coupled with that dignified look that Tea has, but that’s just her being her.'
Tea's successful career and new-found online fame has earned her a 'spokesdog' gig for luxury dog food brand Royal Canine and an ad campaign for Harriot and Hounds dog perfume. The 'supermodel' pup is a highly decorated Sydney show dog who, while now retired, has a photogenic silky coat that made her an overnight sensation The father-of-two said she turned out to be a 'natural' as an animal actor and numerous companies had approached him to use the now-famous image.
But other than a few extra dollars on the side, he said Tea was enjoying retirement since the preparation time became too much to keep up with. 'Her retirement is due to no other reason than I reached a point where showing (grooming and show day) was taking me away from spending time with my family and I want to prioritise them over campaigning my dog,' he said recently. 'On show day she exemplifies Afghan hound, she is dignified, aloof and most certainly displays a keen fierceness. At home she is such a character and really loving her retirement.
