--- title: Tonkey the Bear Coat Teddy Bear-Dog Is About To Take Over The Internet description: This adorable puppy already has a loyal following on the Instagram account @bearcoat_tonkey canonical: https://time.com/3978280/tonkey-teddy-bear-dog-internet/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-30T11:34:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:17.742Z og:title: Tonkey the Bear Coat Teddy Bear-Dog Is About To Take Over The Internet og:description: This adorable puppy already has a loyal following on the Instagram account @bearcoat_tonkey og:url: https://time.com/3978280/tonkey-teddy-bear-dog-internet/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tonkey the Bear Coat Teddy Bear-Dog Is About To Take Over The Internet twitter:description: This adorable puppy already has a loyal following on the Instagram account @bearcoat_tonkey twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # This Adorable Teddy Bear Dog Is About to Take Over the Internet > Sponsored content. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d16e0b01-c1ab-41e5-a661-482fbffaae45&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: ANSWERS: DESIGNER DOGS [Watch (HLS stream): ANSWERS: DESIGNER DOGS](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HlrH8Ag1.m3u8) (1:07)  _Published 2014-08-28. ANSWERS: DESIGNER DOGS_ by [People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## People Contributor Jul 30, 2015 11:34 AM UTC by [People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## People Contributor Jul 30, 2015 11:34 AM UTC When it comes to top cuddle buddies, teddy bears and cute dogs are pretty much neck-and-neck for first place. But what if you didn’t have to choose? Enter Tonkey, the Insta-famous pup who seems to be part plush toy and part canine. She has recently soared to Instagram fame with her Instagram account, @bearcoat\_tonkey. Really, she’s 100% Shar Pei, but followers are convinced she’s got some sort of bear DNA in there. What she really has is a plush coat, which is rare for the breed – both of a dog’s parents must possess a recessive gene for the pups to inherit Tonkey’s signature fuzz. She’s just four months old, but has already amassed quite the following on Instagram with nearly 119,000 followers. Keep in mind, this account has only been active for eight weeks. Tonkey’s owner, Christine Park, told BoredPanda that she started the account as a way to make friends, but fears that she’s quickly been surpassed by her too-cute pooch. It’s easy to see why Park is nervous about her dog’s growing popularity. Tonkey has the adorable pet thing down pat. Whether she’s walking down the stairs – (or at least, attempting to). Or running errands with a pal… Or even just taking a leisurely dip in the tub… Tonkey’s clearly got the making of super-dog-dom. This fluff ball may be captivating the internet, but at home, she shares the spotlight with sister Maxi. Four months old, and already an internet sensation. Don’t be surprised if you see Tonkey taking the path of the pioneer Instafamous pup, Boo. We’re talking stuffed animals, books, phone cases – c’mon, you’d buy it too. [_This article originally appeared on People.com_](http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/article/0,,20941386,00.html?xid=IFT-Trending) ## Transcript Time answers where do designer dogs come from? Designer dogs are the offspring of two purebreds. For instance, mate a basset hound and a beagle, and get a bagle. That beagle and a pug makes a puggle. Want a chug? Mix a chihuahua with a pug. A dachshund and chihuahua make a chiweenie. A chihuahua and a Maltese create a malchi. A morkie is Yorkshire terrier bred with a Maltese. Switch that Maltese for a bulldog and get a borkie. Want a silky cocker? Mix a cocker spaniel with a Maltese. A bullpei is a bulldog and a shar- pei. A shar- pei plus a cocker spaniel makes a cockerpei. A poodle and a german shepherd make a shepadoodle. Mix a collie and get a cadoodle. A cocker spaniel makes cockapoo. A shar- pei and a dalmatian make a sharmation. Plus a bulldog, a bullmation. 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