Cutie and the Beast: a girl and her Doberman warm hearts around the world

All it takes is the click of a mouse, and the cuteness-factor will brighten even the darkest of days.

With 300 million people on Instagram and more joining every day, the site offers pretty much any type of account to follow. Users can view photo galleries of their favorite topics and people, and sometimes regular people become Ista-stars. So far, 187,000 people have found and follow an account featuring a 4-year-old Seattle girl and her 2-year-old Doberman Pinscher. And oh my, it will melt your heart.

Siena and Buddha are dubbed @cutieandthebeast, and while she is a beauty, he is by no means a beast. Their account name comes from the movie “Beauty and the Beast,” where a sweet girl sees behind the scary facade and gets to know a gentle-hearted beast, just as Siena has done with Buddha. The pair ooze the definition of best friends, and adore each other so completely that it’s a surprise the sounds of thousands of people can’t be heard saying “awwwww” each time a new photo is uploaded. 

If you are looking for a feel-good Instagram account to follow, these two are it. They have followers in countries all over the world, and have caught the eye of celebrity followers such as Britney Spears and Kevin Hart. The Doberman Pinscher Club of America even made them their honorary mascot last year. 

Tara Prucha, Siena’s mom, started @cutieandthebeast with the intention of showing off pictures she took to family and friends wanting to watch them grow up together. She didn’t want to overload her personal followers, so she thought an account just for them would give people the option of following. Boy did she underestimate the response they would get.

Prucha talked to the Lebanon Daily Post about her experience watching Siena and Buddha’s friendship blossom into a full-fledge love fest.

Question: How long did it take you to realize that Siena was Buddha's "chosen" human?

Answer: About a year into it I realized that it wasn't just "puppy love."

Question: Have you trained him specifically to interact with Siena the way he does?

Answer: I don't think you can train a dog to love you the way he loves her. He very rarely cuddles me or my husband the way he does with her. When he listens to her commands, they're just regular ones I've taught him for obedience.

Question: What kind of training went into Buddha and his mannerisms?

Answer: We got him from an excellent breeder, the absolute best we could find, who was known for the temperament of her Dobermans. Genetics play fair part in his demeanor, but I also spent hours every day for the first 18 months of his life training him with positive reinforcement and firm consistency.

Question: Do you think he would attack to defend her?

Answer: I definitely think he would defend her. We did not train him to do this but I think any breed of dog would jump to defend a family member. There have been three incidents, twice with the same man, when Buddha got a bad vibe and put himself between the person and Siena. He didn't need to growl or bark, you could just tell from his stance and focus that he was on guard.

Question: Do they often sleep together?

Answer: In the beginning, I would let them fall asleep together and then pull Buddha out of the room once Siena was completely passed out. I like to supervise both of them like a hawk. After two years, I trust both of them and let them sleep alone, as long as I have a video monitor on them. I'm never worried about either of them hurting each other on purpose but I am aware that accidents can happen. Both the kiddos are pretty darn mellow and calm, but a kid or dog can accidentally trip or get bonked—things that can happen even between same species siblings.

Question: He seems to mold his body to hers, does he choose to be so close to her? Does she like him close to her?

Answer: Dobermans are known as ‘velcro dogs.’ He still tries to crawl into her lap sometimes! Siena, like most four-year-olds, loves it most of the time but there are moments when he accidentally knocks her blocks over or nearly pushes her over when he leans against her and she gets exasperated. He is like little brother who is twice her weight and constantly needing attention.

Question: Does Siena read out loud to him?

Answer: Siena does read out loud to him and it's cute because she usually makes up her own version.

Question: Do you think Siena knows how lucky she is having such a devoted partner in life?

Answer: Siena has no clue what a devoted partner in life she has. I don't think Buddha knows that either. They just know they like to be around each other and live in the present. They're also very similar in personality; mellow, gentle and respectful. I really think that Buddha being a dog and Siena being a young child they don't have a complicated relationship. It’s a very simple and honest type of love.