Meet the famous French bulldog with personality plus and fans around the world.
It’s clear that Amber Chavez is smitten with her French bulldog, Manny. Little did she know that hundreds of thousands of others would come to feel the same way! As the world’s most followed Frenchie, Manny has friends all over the globe. So how did this precocious little guy – the runt of the litter – work his way into the hearts of so many?
“I think what makes him special is how sweet and personable he is,” explains Amber. “We’ve never met a dog with such personality! He is so funny, all on his own, so we try to capture all his hilarious moments to share with the world.”
When Amber and her husband, Jon, brought Manny home to Chicago, they were so entertained by his antics they wanted to share them with friends and family. They started an Instagram page so anyone could check in to see what Manny was up to. It turned out he was up to a lot! While rambunctious much of the time, it was his sleeping habits that gained the French bulldog his notoriety.
“He honestly likes to sleep in the sink,” laughs Amber. “He actually asks for help to get on the counter every time someone goes into the bathroom.”
Amber posted one of Manny’s sink photos and it landed on the “popular page” of Instagram. From there, Manny’s fame spread at record speed, and now his schedule is starting to reflect his popularity.
“We were recently invited to do meet and greets for four of the Chicago Bulls biggest games this season,” says Amber. “Manny has a blast at those kinds of events because he loves to make new friends.”
With fame comes responsibility, however, and Amber and Manny do what they can to “give back”.
“Manny hosts quarterly dog parties or ‘pawties’ at a great facility – Paradise4Paws,” explains Amber. “We partner with different sponsors and a portion of the proceeds go to different charities.”
Manny is also the canine face of American Apparel, a clothing company that contacted Amber about collaborating on a charity fundraiser. They used Manny’s mug on both human and dog clothes, which got a huge response from Manny’s fan base. With such a hectic schedule, Amber is very conscientious about keeping Manny in tiptop form. After all, she and Jon named him after the famous Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao.
“Manny lives the good life,” says Amber. “He goes on lots of walks and loves to run. He also stays fit playing with our other two dogs, Leila, a half boxer/half bulldog rescue, and Frank, an eight-month-old blue French bulldog. They run around the house together all day! We feed Manny Evanger’s, which has done wonders for his weight, and I make them all homemade organic dog treats whenever possible. All three of the dogs also take daily supplements pertaining to their age.”
When he’s not appearing at various charity events, Manny’s happy getting as close to his “parents” as possible. “He is so attached to us; you can usually find him next to Jon or I at all times.”
Of course, there’s always time for another photo. “He’s such a ham,” laughs Amber. “I swear he poses. He just loves to have his picture taken; it’s adorable!”
That’s good news for Manny’s many fans, who look forward to more entertaining shots for years to come.
For more information about Manny and Friends, visit his website, mannythefrenchie.com or follow him on Instagram – manny_the_frenchie or manny_and_friends.
