Ruby Rose & Emma Grace
Emma Grace, left, and her sister, Ruby Rose, celebrate their summer birthdays in style with a delicious pupcake from Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream!
With over 26,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, Ruby Rose and Emerald “Emma” Grace are now full-fledged local pet celebrities who are way more famous than you (don’t hate the player, hate the game). Their humans are Jennifer and Jeff Myers, long-time Apex residents whose human children flew the nest and left room for two very adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
“I initially created the Instagram account for Ruby Rose when she was an only-child dog, but Emma Grace equally takes part on the page,” said Jennifer. “I started it just for fun, then it grew to lengths we did not expect.”
A typical “second child,” Emma Grace hams it up for the camera in her fancy birthday duds.
Ruby Rose celebrates her 5th birthday this month, while Emma Grace turned 3 in June. Both are the product of AKC Championship parents and enjoy being paraded about town and going on fancy, dog-friendly vacations, their most current trip being to Napa Valley, California. Oh, how the other (furry) half live!
Ruby and Emma’s favorite haunts include Bottle Theory, Vicious Fishes, Goodberry’s (because who doesn’t like froyo?), Fortnight Brewing, and Bond Brothers Beer Company in Cary. That said, if it’s dog-friendly and has a patio, they will probably make an appearance. Don’t expect an autograph — that would require opposable thumbs.
“I get to meet a lot of dogs at Bottle Theory, but I’m always happy to see Ruby Rose and her sister, Emma,” said Kelly Chtcheprov, co-owner of Bottle Theory in Apex. “They are so sweet and well behaved. Ruby’s social media posts and dog meetups inspired our own hashtag, #bottletheorypuppers!”
Ruby Rose’s alter ego is BEYONCÉ, thanks to her diva queen ways.
Emma Grace’s alter ego is SPORTY SPICE, and she is often described as the “class clown.”
Ruby Rose and Emma Grace partnered with GOOBY, a small dog wearables company based out of California.
Emma Grace is famous for her HEAD TILTS on Instagram and TikTok.
Ruby Rose was once RECOGNIZED on a camping trip in Virginia.
Cavaliers are known to be fun-sized bundles of love who can act as either lap dogs or active companions, depending on your lifestyle. Ruby Rose is rocking a couple of titles in agility, but she is also a certified therapy dog who volunteers at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill. Like her sister, Emma Grace received her AKC Canine Good Citizen certification, but stopped short of receiving her therapy certification. Ah, the typical second child!
“To get the therapy certification, it’s much more intense,” said Jennifer. “They are tested on things that you can’t really train them for, and Emma Grace didn’t pass. She’s definitely our higher energy one. She’s such a character and keeps you laughing all the time. But they’re both very loving dogs.”
Follow this dynamic duo at @rubyrose_the_cavalier on Instagram and TikTok.
Special thanks to Andia’s Homemade Ice Cream for the birthday pupcake!
Jaqweenie
“15 lbs of fun with an overbite.”
Yes, this is how Raleigh resident Jaqweenie is described by his human on social media, where he’s rocking 34,000 followers on Instagram and almost 30,000 on TikTok. This local pet celebrity celebrates his birthday on DOGust 1, the official birthday of all rescues who don’t have known birthdays (although his pet parents celebrate his “gotcha day” on Dec. 6). Guesstimated to be about four years old, Jaqweenie was a stray for the first year of his life until being discovered by Jean Mosher and Kirby Culbertson through a local rescue (but he’s still from the streets, so watch yourself).
Jaqweenie’s signature short jaw, jaunty bowties, and lovable expressions keep followers coming back for more!
“We were fostering two puppies, and I was taking them to get their vaccinations and saw Jaqweenie and fell in love with him,” said Mosher. “He never made it to the website because I was like, ‘uh, I’ll be taking that dog.”
When she first set eyes on him and his glorious overbite, Mosher thought she was looking at a Jack Russell/weenie combo and started referring to him as Jaqweenie. As it turns out, Embark paid Jaqweenie to take a DNA test — because that’s what happens when you’re famous — and he’s actually 35.7% Chihuahua, 19.1% Russell-type terrier, 7.1% Shih Tzu, 13% poodle, 10% beagle, 3.8% cocker spaniel, 2.3% Tibetan spaniel, and 9% supermutt (yes, that’s actually what it’s called). FUN FACT: On top of being the Heinz 57 of dogs, Jaqweenie also is more inbred than the most inbred character in Game of Thrones.
It was love at first sight when owner Jean Mosher first laid eyes on Jaqweenie, her 15 lbs of ChiJackShihPoo fun.
Unfortunately, this “fun fact” is not so fun — due to generations of inbreeding, Jaqweenie was born with an incredibly short jaw that was also rotated at an angle, causing one of his canines to poke a hole through the roof of his mouth.
Jaqweenie is a contract model for BARKBOX.
He was recently RECOGNIZED in public by someone who had seen him on Reddit.
Jaqweenie recently got a new brother, ORSON, who will be joining him on his accounts!
His FAVORITE FOODS are crunchy vegetables, dried mango, and duck hearts.
“I took him to see Dr. Hoover in Durham, and he did an MRI, and that tooth was going to pierce into his sinus cavity,” said Mosher. “So we had to get that tooth removed, as well as a few others, and now his tongue hangs out on that side sometimes.”
In addition to being stupidly cute, Jaqweenie also uses his fame for good. He loves attending events for Freedom Ride Rescue in Raleigh, and recently used his BarkBox connections to score a free month’s worth of food for all the animals.
“Jean and Kirby are huge supporters of the rescue world and started fostering with our group, Freedom Ride Rescue, earlier this year,” said Mollie Doll, chaos coordinator for Freedom Ride Rescue. “Jaqweenie’s social media presence has been a HUGE help! Jean did an Instagram ‘swap’ to promote us when we were at a huge festival, and it was one of our largest followed days in our short 2.5-year existence!”
Be sure to follow Jaqweenie (and new brother Orson) at @sharkybobarky on both Instagram and TikTok!
Ryder
He may have no eyelids, but don’t let Ryder fool you — thanks to medical treatment, he can still catch flies (sky raisins) with the best of them!
As you can tell from his eyes (and his general joie de vivre), Ryder is no run-of-the-mill black kitty! Boasting over 51,000 followers on Instagram, this local pet celebrity is famous for one thing in particular — his lack of eyelids.
Allen and Laura Mason, parents to two humans and three cats, first discovered Ryder (and his condition) back in 2015.
“One night we were sitting in bed, and we heard little kitten meows outside,” said Allen. “So I went back there with a flashlight and there were eight cats, but they all scattered. Then I heard another meow in an old rental truck. I rolled up the door and he was inside.”
Originally thought to be a girl, Ryder was named after Honey Ryder from the James Bond novel Dr. No. As a boy, the name still works — he was trying to hitch a ride in a truck, after all. Ryder assimilated to his new surroundings immediately, but both Allen and Laura knew something wasn’t quite right from the start.
“We took him to the vet the very next day after we got him, and he was diagnosed with eyelid agenesis,” said Laura. “It was explained to me that it was a genetic condition where cats don’t develop their eyelids, and they usually have other eyelid abnormalities as well. For instance, Ryder also had a membrane that prevented him from moving his eyes side to side.”
After taking him to a specialist in Cary, Ryder underwent surgery and had moisture-producing tissue grafted around his eyes so they wouldn’t dry out. He also had his eyes adjusted so he could move them independently, as well as laser hair removal and cryotherapy.
Ryder and his siblings, Vesper and Q, were all named after JAMES BOND characters.
Ryder turns 7 YEARS OLD on Aug. 8 — International Cat Day!
Ryder SLEEPS WITH HIS EYES OPEN, and when he’s dreaming you can see his eyes moving around!
He is NOT in any PAIN.
The only human food he’s ever been interested in is PEANUT BUTTER (but the doctor said that was a no-no).
“When some of that hair that he had lasered came in, it was white, which is why he’s got these little white eyelashes,” said Laura. “Since the surgery, his vision is really strong. He will actually catch flies and eat them. We call them sky raisins.”
When he’s not catching sky raisins, Ryder uses his Instagram page to educate cat owners about his condition and spread the word that eyelid agenesis is not a death sentence.
“The internet loves weird cats,” said Laura with a laugh. “We do get free toys every now and then. CatLadyBox sends us a box every month.”
Although some celebrities let the fame go to their head, Ryder is just as chill and friendly as ever. By all accounts, he’s very social with people, loves snuggles, and has the personality of a dog.
“I’ve known Ryder as long as I’ve known Laura, so about six years,” said Meredith Owens, Ryder’s long-term pet sitter. “I love pet sitting him because he makes you feel like you’re so special! He greets you at the door with a bunch of big meows, follows you around, and if you’re lucky he’ll bring you a toy and play fetch with you. There’s never a dull moment.”
Follow Ryder at @rydernoeyelids on Instagram!
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