Quarantined bulldog 'Big Poppa' goes viral after dejected isolation photo

Big Poppa was photographed by his owner sadly watching children play outside
Rashida Ellis
Emily Lawford23 April 2020

An English bulldog nicknamed “Big Poppa” has found internet fame after his owner posted a picture of him looking forlorn during the coronavirus lockdown.

Rashida Ellis, a costume designer, lives in an apartment in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, with a 3-and-a-half-year-old English bulldog named Pop – who also goes by Big Poppa, Biggie and Popsicle.

When Ms Ellis, 38, noticed Pop sitting on the balcony looking glum while watching the kids below, she posted a photo of him on social media which has gone viral.

Writing on Twitter, she said: "Big Poppa has been so sad today, I think he miss playing with the kids in the building. He just watches them from the patio."

Rashida Ellis lives in Atlanta with Pop the bulldog
Rashida Ellis

She also uploaded the picture to Instagram, captioning the photo from Pop’s perspective: "All I want to do is play with the kids in my building but due to Covid-19... I can't. I just watch them from the patio. Flatten The Curve please."

Ms Ellis told the Standard that Pop has been playing with the children in her building for about a year. “The younger kids know his name, the older kids just know him from trying to take their skateboards,” she said.

While Ms Ellis was mourning a friend who had passed away, she noticed that Pop also seemed sad. “Me and Poppa laid around the house,” she told the Standard. “As I kind of got back into the swing of things, I noticed he did not. Then I noticed him trying to get the kids’ attention from the balcony and dropping his head in defeat.”

Pop has lived with Rashida Ellis for more than three years
Rashida Ellis

She added: “I think [the kids] definitely miss him. He saw one on a walk yesterday and they both were excited.”

Ms Ellis said Pop has “always been friendly”, and added that the bulldog is very comfortable accompanying her to film sets for her job and meeting people. “It’s like he works there.”

She is now working on ways to lift Pop’s spirits. “I cheer him up by singing songs and treating him to doggy ice cream and his favorite chicken paw pie,” she said. “I also play with him on his skateboard.”

Pop’s photo has received more than 700,000 likes on Twitter. Thousands of people have declared their love and sympathy for the dog, including Ellen DeGeneres and Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams.

Ms Ellis was surprised by the reaction to her photo, but understands why people relate to her pet’s dejectedness amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

“We all want to see our friends and family and not just from far away,” she said. “Also seeing a sad dog missing his friends is very emotional.”

Ms Ellis noticed Pop trying to get kids' attention from the balcony
Rashida Ellis

When the lockdown is over, Ms Ellis plans to take Pop to a park or her friend’s house to play with her children – one of whom is Ms Ellis’s godson, and adores her dog. “My godson refers to Poppa as his brother,” she said.

Although Ms Ellis is unable to make outifts for TV films while production is halted in Georgia due to coronavirus, she has been working from home making clothes to sell from her online shop.

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