A Tibetan spaniel named Tilly, who has the same spinal disorder as Seattle’s internet-famous mutant raccoon “Jimothy,” has now gone viral for the same reasons: she is wildly unique and adorable.
Jimothy is a raccoon with a deformed spine currently living in the Seattle suburb of Ballard. Thanks to an Instagram video that went viral, gaining hundreds of thousands of likes and numerous reposts, showing the odd-looking raccoon dashing across a yard, Jimothy gained significant notoriety.
His newfound fame triggered interest in a 7-year-old Tibetan spaniel that also suffers from short spine syndrome.
“…[T]hey told me one of the puppies was deformed and they could not find her a home, which could lead to euthanization,” Tilly’s owner Anna Marie Gianni told Dodo in 2021. “I had already fallen in love with her and planned out our next year together in my head before he was even done saying that awful statement.”
Naturally, being such a unique and adorable creature, Tilly has generated a bit of a following on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
“She was born with a syndrome, and just like humans born with a syndrome, her body has learned to adapt and she is thriving,” Giannini said.
Thanks to Jimothy, Tilly has gained a whole new set of fans online
“I am feeling all the feels you all feel when you see Tilly for the first time with these Jimmothy [sic] videos,” Giannini wrote in an Instagram story.
According to a 2025 PetHelpful article, “Tilly continues to shock veterinarians during every check-up, because her original life expectancy was only a few months! Despite all odds, her organs developed normally within their compacted space, and she’s been a healthy and happy dog for the last 6 years.”
Now, thanks to Jimothy’s viral fame, Tilly “The Friendly Loaf” is continuing to shock the internet with her adorable exploits.