Technology

Have you seen Boo, the so-called Cutest Dog in the World? Boo is a Pomeranian who has over 5 million (MILLION!) Facebook fans, thanks to his startlingly adorable appearance. Boo is so downright irresistible, he has a bunch of big-name celebrity fans, a couple of book deals, and he's the 'official pet liaison' for Virgin America.

Good for Boo, right? (Good dog!) But what's really interesting about this teddy-bear-faced social media star is that his human owner has never tried to share his spotlight. In fact, now that she's been identified, Boo's owner has refused all requests for interviews, preferring to keep the focus on her dog.

Kind of an anomaly in the PAY ATTENTION TO ME ME MEEEEE world of social media, wouldn't you say?

In a revelation that's either a random coincidence or evidence of a massive cute-dog-driving-social-media-traffic conspiracy, AllThingsD claims they've learned that Boo's owner works at Facebook. Her name is Irene Ahn, and she first launched a Facebook page for her dog in 2009. Boo's brain-meltingly cute photos didn't truly take off until 2010, though, when Khloe Kardashian linked to his page from her own blog, squealing,

OMG, I just discovered this dog named Boo on facebook and I am seriously in LOVE. I obviously had to share the amazingness with all of you LOL. If you’re on facebook, go like this page because it’s beyond cute! I want this dog!!!

LOL indeed, Khloe. So well said.

Ahn has consistently kept her identity under wraps during Boo's meteoric rise to online fame, remaining off-camera when Boo appeared on Good Morning America last year, and even publishing Boo's book under a pseudonym, J.H. Lee.

According to AllThingsD, Ahn isn't returning requests for interviews -- and, of course, now that she's been identified as a Facebook employee, people are wondering if Boo's popularity wasn't ... you know, engineered from within. As Jessica Roy writes on Betabeat,

Curious, isn’t it, that Mr. Dog boasts close to 5 million fans on Facebook, where his owner’s boss is banking on that kind of user engagement? And with a powerful parent like that, he surely didn’t earn those fans through sheer cuteness alone.

So, did Boo come by his meme status honestly, or is he a classic case of DOG NEPOTISM? The world will probably never know. As for me, I'd get worked up over this potential Facebook treachery, but -- awwww, who's got a fuzzy widdle head? YOU do!  

Have you ever heard of Boo before? Are you surprised to hear his owner works at Facebook?

Image via Facebook