We at InStyle.com are self-professed animal lovers (have you see our recent kitten video?), so when we first learned about an adorable and very fashionable rescue dog named Tinkerbelle, we knew we had to meet the pint-size pup in real life.
Our wish came true when Tinkerbelle stopped by our offices today with her owner Sam Carrell and YouTube co-star Gina Naomi Baez. Arriving in a pink tutu and matching shades (natch), we were greeted with kisses and a cute puppy grin. She then got down to business and helped us film our monthly cover reveal video.
Once her work in front of the camera was done, we sat down with Carrell to learn all about how she transformed from a traumatized shelter dog into a fashion sensation. Here’s an excerpt from our chat:
When did you adopt Tinkerbelle?
I got Tinkerbelle from a shelter when she was just about 13 weeks old. She wasn’t even a pound and she would not eat. After hearing that whole story from the shelter, I knew I had to take her. There was some connection between us. I took her right to the vet and they told me she had been traumatized and she just needed love. With that being said, I decided to start socializing her after a couple weeks. I brought her everywhere I went. Everybody would stop me, and after awhile she was happy to meet people.
How did you get selected to be a part of Ralph Lauren’s campaign?
Someone who worked at Ralph Lauren stopped me on the street and said that [the brand] was doing a campaign withe shelter dogs and asked if they could take Tinkerbelle’s picture and submit it.
She got the job! That was her first job and once that happened they decided to pick her as the face of the campaign. So she was on buses, posters, and billboards. She’s been happily adjusted ever since!What’s her favorite piece of clothing to wear?
Her favorite thing to wear is a tutu. I have dresses with all different tutus attached, so she’s got a lot of little outfits. She loves tutus, and her favorite color is pink. She’s a real little girl.
Who’s her favorite musician?
Tinkerbelle loves Taylor Swift! She likes her new song, “Shake It Off” a lot. When I leave Tinkerbelle alone, I usually put on her music and she loves it. I come home and she’s so happy. It’s funny!
How do you keep Tinkerbelle’s fur so shiny?
She uses a hypoallergenic shampoo from Burt’s Bees, and gets a bath once a week.
What’s next for her?
She was the fashionista of fashion week this year! Tinkerbelle does a lot of music videos also. She has viral videos. Her co-star is Gina and they have a lot of viral videos, so she’s constantly shooting videos with Gina for YouTube, and I don’t know what’s next for her but we’re hoping for bigger and better things!
October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog month. If you’re interested in welcoming an animal into your home, we encourage you to visit aspca.org/adopt/shelter to find a local shelter near you.
Be sure to pick up the September issue of InStyle, on newsstands and available for digital download now.