Tatum looking dapper in a tie next to a copy of the book “Tatum Comes Home.” Photo courtesy of Charles and Nicole Lever
Have you ever met a dog who dispenses sassy quips and comical, unfiltered truths about everything he experiences and sees?
You have now.
Meet Tatum.
Bangor-based Tatum is a medium-sized rescue dog whose breed is unknown by his human parents, Charles and Nicole Lever.
Tatum is also a huge internet star with more than 600,000 followers on Instagram and 3.7 million on TikTok.
His running commentary about daily activities, both at home and out in the world, are hysterical because his sense of sarcasm is strong, but he’s also a playful pup.
Tatum was rescued from Macon, Georgia, and was fostered in Portland. The Levers adopted him in 2016, and Tatum celebrated his 10th birthday in April.
The Levers said that soon after Tatum’s arrival in their lives, they wondered what he would sound like if he could say, “Hi.” It was at this moment that Tatum’s voice came into existence, and the Levers started sending Snapchat videos to family members. One of them immediately suggested that the clips should be shared with a wider audience.
“I hesitated for a couple of years because it’s hard to put yourself out there not knowing beforehand how you will be received,” said Charles Lever.
The first viral video of Tatum showed him jumping up and down while walking and didn’t feature his “voice.”
After that clip took off, Tatum was featured on the sites LADbible and The Dodo. “From there, the pandemic hit, and people found a safe place to get their smiles and could always count on a family-friendly place to find laughter and relatable dog content away from the scaries of the rest of the internet,” Lever said.
A recent clip features Tatum on vacation doing things like claiming the rental home’s largest bed, complaining that his father is taking too long to furnish him water and defending his reactive nature when he and his humans have to leave a restaurant deck before eating because another dog arrived. Tatum’s “voice” is sweetly childish but also snarky.
Tatum tells it like it is and is generally optimistic with his remarks. He’s goofy and playful and dispenses wisdom freely.
The entertainment value on Tatum’s social accounts (he’s also on YouTube and Facebook) is huge, and every post is 14-karat canine gold.
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