Nori, a cute and extraordinary dog is getting a lot of attention over the Internet these days. Why not? This dog has a human-like face and his genuine smile will surely leave anyone mesmerized.
Nori is a one-year-old Australian shepherd-poodle mix owned by Kevin Hurless and Tiffany Ngo. What make Nori exceptional from other dogs are his human-like features. His large, almond-shaped eyes are as expressive as humans’ and his pink lips are curved into a very human smile.
“I think Nori’s coloring is what makes him look human, especially his eyes,” Nori’s Mom, Tiffany Ngo said. “People like to say that his eyes make him seem very wise or soulful. He has a very expressive face – he even makes a disgusted face when I’m painting my nails and he smells the nail polish.”
The couple lives in Seattle and strangers often stopped by to make remarks on Nori’s human-like face. “When he was a puppy, we couldn’t go more than a block without someone stopping us to ask questions about him,” Hurless said. “It has become less frequent as he’s gotten older, but we still often hear about how human his face and eyes look.”
One day, the couple posted a photo of Nori on Twitter and the adorable dog quickly went viral with over 9000 likes.
This was the start of Nori’s life as an Internet star and a social media influencer. The couple said that Nori has an Instragram account where they often post his pictures.
“That’s where we get all the comments about his human features, with some people saying he looks like a giant person or they’re marveling at his eyes,” Ngo said.
While some are not convinced, saying they only used face-swap technology to achieve Nori’s look, more people find Nori very cute and amazing.
“Nori is incredibly sweet and friendly and very energetic and playful. He loves all people and dogs that he meets, and just wants to be friends with everyone,” Ngo stated.
At first, the couple was surprised and overwhelmed by all the attention Nori was getting. “We knew he had a very unique and interesting look, but didn’t expect quite the reaction we got,” Hurless said. He added that they try to be friendly as much as possible and let people meet Nori.
Because of Nori’s playful nature, the couple decided to get him a friend. Last year, they got a new dog, Boba, a one-year old Shorkie (a mix of Yorkie and Shih-tzu).
“They get along great and play together all the time, though Nori sometimes has too much energy for Boba and Boba gets annoyed,” Hurless said.
The couple explained that “doodles” are a very popular breed right now but because Nori is a toy mix, he is very light and is only about 13 pounds. They also revealed that he looks completely during a bath.
Today, the couple is happy with their pets and proud that the two dogs are able to cheer people up. “I love reading comments about how Nori and Boba have brightened a person’s day or lightening their mood,” Ngo said. “It’s nice knowing that their little selves may be making a positive difference in someone else’s life, no matter how small.”
Did you also find Nori cute and endearing? Follow him on Instagram. Share this story with your family and friends to let them know about this extraordinary doggo.