This Sheffield dog has hundreds of fans, and uses his Facebook page to raise thousands for charity
The four-year-old springer spaniel has a host of merchandise bearing his furry face – from oven gloves and magnets, to aprons and notebooks – and has just released his first book. Apparently there’s nothing the Sheffield dog can’t turn his paw to.
And if Teddy find the attention - not to mention the pressure of being a first-time author - overwhelming, he hides it well, loving nothing more than to kick back for a snooze on the family sofa during his down-time.
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Hide Ad“I sometimes look at him and think, ‘if only he knew’,” laughs his owner Tracy Burgess.
Teddy came to live with Tracy and her family in 2016 when he was just nine months old.
“He was a rescue,” Tracy, aged 47, explains.
“And to be honest, he chose us as much as we chose him. He jumped up and started kissing me as soon as we walked in the room, it was a real love connection. When we took him outside to take him home, and he hopped right into my husband’s arms. He completes our family.”
And being a proud owner of such a glam pup, with a truly awesome hairstyle, it didn't long for Tracy to start posting pictures of the family’s new addition on social media.
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Hide Ad“There was one day I didn't post a picture, and I started getting messages from people I didn’t know, saying they were missing their daily ‘Teddy fix’ and could I put a picture up. It was all a bit mad.”
Not long after that, Teddy - with the help of Tracy - launched his own Facebook page, which he posts on around five times a day, with his daily updates followed by over 800 fans from across the globe.
And the handsome dog has even become an ambassador for the Yorkshire accent.
“He has fans as far away as Australia and America,” says Tracy, a mum-of-two from Littledale.
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Hide Ad“All of his photos and posts are narrated by Teddy in a thick Yorkshire accent, and people just adore him. Best of all, so many people leave comments for him in the same Yorkshire accent, which is hilarious when you see they’re from the other side of the world.”
Shortly after that, a few people began asking Tracy about the possibility of a Teddy calendar, and she obliged. This was followed by merchandise of every kind, which Tracy has sold and shipped all over the globe. To date, Teddy has raised over £16,000 which Tracy donates to animal rescue charities all over the world, as well as local charities including South Yorkshire English Springer Spaniel Rescue - the same place the family adopted Teddy from.
"Last year he saved 24 dogs in a kill shelter in Turkey, who had just 48 hours before they were to be put down. Teddy’s £400 donation got them all into foster care.”
And after more prompting, Tracy decided to pen a book, which went on sale this month, entitled: ‘Ey Up It's Ted: Tales ov a Yorkshire Sausage.’
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Hide Ad“My husband laughs at me when I get into ‘Teddy mode’ as he calls it; when he comes home from work and I start telling him that ‘Teddy wrote this today’ or ‘Teddy said this online’,” Tracy says.
“We’re blown away by how everything’s taken off, but we’re all Team Teddy in our house, and only too happy to help him make the most of the opportunity to raise money for such important causes, whilst also brightening people’s day.”
Visit Teddy Burgess on Facebook for details.