Meet Ember.
She’s a toy-sized Australian Shepherd with ocean eyes and a tri-color coat.
Ember is a talented pup with a penchant for a cute head tilt – or two. When she’s not titling her head, Ember’s infectious smile brightens the feeds of all her followers.
This Aussie has amassed quite a fanbase on social media, with over 190,000 Instagram followers and 1.1 million TikTok fans.
In this interview, we spoke to Rebecca to learn more about Ember, the Australian Shepherd breed and their success on social media.
You can follow Ember on Instagram (@embertoyaussie), TikTok (@yourdogsbestfriend) and YouTube (@Your Dog’s Best Friend).
1) How did you first hear about the Australian Shepherd breed?
Ember the Australian Shepherd (Photo: embertoyaussie / Instagram)
I was a full-time dog walker before I was a dog mom. One of the first dogs I ever walked was a little Aussie named Leia. I fell in love with Leia and everything about the breed. I knew I had to have a little Aussie of my own one day.
2) How did you end up with Ember?
I didn’t walk many dogs during the beginning of the pandemic, and I didn’t see Leia at all either. I felt like a part of me was missing. After several months of hearing me talk about missing Leia, my boyfriend surprised me with Ember. Ember and Leia are actually best friends now. It’s adorable.
3) How would you describe Ember’s personality?
Ember may be small, but she’s got such a big personality. She’s spunky, sassy, sweet, and incredibly smart. There’s never a dull moment with her.
4) What does an average day look like for Ember and you?
Ember the Australian Shepherd (Photo: embertoyaussie / Instagram)
Every day, Ember wakes us up with the biggest smile. After eating breakfast and seeing her daddy off to work, we usually have some playtime or go on a walk. She relaxes while I get some work done, and I’m usually able to give her 2-3 walks throughout the day. When daddy comes home, Ember gets to play frisbee or ball. Somedays, we film content or practice tricks. At dinnertime, we give her a food puzzle, and then she’s usually ready to relax with us for the rest of the night.
5) What advice would you give to someone thinking about getting an Aussie?
Australian Shepherds are such a fun and loving breed, but they tend to be very high energy. They require plenty of exercise and mental stimulation through daily walks, games of fetch, and training sessions. If you live a lifestyle that can keep up with the energy of an Australian Shepherd, then that’s the dog for you, and you will feel so rewarded.
6) Have you thought about getting a second Aussie (or dog)?
Absolutely. Ember would love to have a sibling one day. I think we are waiting until we are done traveling for Ember’s daddy’s job. We move almost every three months, so I think we will wait until we settle down somewhere more long-term.
7) What is your funniest Ember story?
The funniest story to me was when someone was admiring Ember in the elevator, and she smiled at them. The person made a comment about how vicious she was and decided not to pet her, even though I assured them that she was smiling out of happiness. Ember was smiling, squealing, and wiggling so hard at this person, not understanding why they wouldn’t pet her. She has such a weird way of making friends.
8) What reactions does Ember get when you’re out and about?
Ember the Australian Shepherd (Photo: embertoyaussie / Instagram)
She gets quite a bit of attention, and she loves it too. We can’t go anywhere without someone pointing or staring at her, and she gets so excited when people “awe” at her. I think the happiest I’ve ever seen her was when she was greeted by a group of sorority girls. She’s such a little social butterfly.
9) Are Aussies easy to train and smart dogs? Does this help with filming social media content?
Aussies are exceptionally smart, which makes them highly trainable. Ember is always so eager to learn, and her favorite part of the day is when we practice tricks. That definitely helps when I have an idea for a new video, and I’m like “hey, I bet I could teach Ember to do that.”
10) What made you start a social media account for Ember?
I actually created my TikTok account before Ember came into the picture. As a dog walker, my phone was filled with an abundance of cute and funny dog videos and I thought it would be cute to share them with the world. One day, I just started uploading dog videos and putting them with sounds and people loved them. Later on, I introduced Ember on TikTok, and she became a fan favorite with my followers. I mostly feature Ember now since I don’t do a lot of dog walking anymore, but occasionally another dog friend will make an appearance.
11) Do you prefer Instagram or TikTok for your style of content?
Ember the Australian Shepherd (Photo: embertoyaussie / Instagram)
I got my start on TikTok, so I feel super comfortable creating content there. I had made an Instagram account for Ember when we first got her but didn’t post much until Reels became a thing. Now, I’d say I have an appreciation for both platforms and use them pretty equally. I’ve even been posting on YouTube now too.
12) What advice would you have for someone starting an account for the pet?
Just start posting! The world deserves to see your fur babies. If you create content that you think is cute or funny, chances are it’ll make someone else’s day too. Have some fun with it, and post as little or as much as you’d like.
13) How much time goes into brainstorming and creating content for Ember?
I put a lot of thought into what I post on social media. I strive to create content that is cute and lighthearted, and I want viewers to smile whenever they see Ember. When I’m not creating content, I’m scrolling through my phone and gathering inspiration for my next video. I spend a lot of time watching other videos and discovering new sounds or trends to use. Once I have an idea, the rest of the creation process goes pretty smoothly. With a few treats, I can usually get Ember to do whatever I want her to do for a video, and she’s such a natural in front of the camera. Editing does take some time, because I have to piece together clips, sync audio, and add text on top of a video to get the finished product. Sometimes I will listen to an audio over 50 times trying to get the timing right before posting.
14) Do you have a favourite or funniest social media post?
My favorite post of ours is the one titled “Watch Me Head Tilt Through Puppyhood.” For that video, I made a compilation of Ember’s head tilts to the song “She Looks So Perfect” by 5 Seconds of Summer. I worked really hard on edits for this video, and I think it turned out really well. I get a lot of duets on it too, and it’s hilarious to watch people tilting their heads back and forth with Ember.
15) What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to when you first got Ember?
Ember the Australian Shepherd (Photo: embertoyaussie / Instagram)
I would tell myself to take more videos and photos. Ember was the silliest and cutest little puppy, and even though I have tons of videos already, I’m always wishing I had taken more. I love scrolling through my phone and reliving all of the precious memories.
