HOLLYWOOF · THE DEBUT ISSUE · COVER STORY
LOVE, TRAVEL, TOFU
A Little Dog. A Very Big Life.
Travel, family, fashion—and the little Maltese at the heart of it all.
Featuring Tiffany, Can and Tofu: a fairytale wedding in Cappadocia, the most important four-legged guest, and a dog's-eye view of adventure.
Photography: @junewed
EDITOR'S LETTER: WHY TOFU HAD TO BE OUR FIRST COVER
Editor's Letter
Before I even start asking Tiffany questions, I have to explain why this particular cover means so much to me.
The first photo I ever saw of Tiffany and Tofu was in front of Northeastern University, my own college. Then, almost immediately after, I saw them in Istanbul. I remember thinking, Wait... Northeastern, Istanbul, and this incredibly adorable dog? I have to meet them.
Then I learned Tiffany was with Can, who is Turkish, and somehow I felt even closer to them before we had even met. We started talking through DMs and comments, and eventually our paths crossed in Istanbul, then L.A., then in fairytale Cappadocia—and somehow we still managed to miss each other in Zurich. :)
TOFU WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. TIFFANY WAS TOO.
And then I had the privilege of being invited to Tiffany and Can's wedding in Cappadocia.
I have been to many weddings in my life, including some incredibly elaborate ones, but this one was truly extraordinary. A real fairytale, set against a place that already looks completely out of this world.
Every detail was beautiful, but what made it unforgettable was the people, the energy and how much love and fun filled those two days.
I barely knew anyone when I arrived besides Tiffany, Can and Tofu, yet somehow everyone felt like family. I honestly think we danced our way to sleep.
And naturally, Tofu was at the center of it all.
He was the ring bearer. He had outfits for every occasion. There were postcards from his travels for guests to write messages on, Tofu cutouts appearing throughout the celebrations, a cocktail named after him, and even the wedding cake had the sweetest little Tofu detail, as though he had taken a tiny bite out of it.
It felt like Tiffany and Can weren't simply celebrating their wedding. They were celebrating their little family.
That is also why Tofu feels so special to me personally. Somehow, through one little Maltese, so many different pieces of my life found their way into the same story: my Northeastern connection, my Turkish roots, the pet and influencer worlds, travel, fashion, and the family we have built around Moshiqa.
AND NOW HOLLYWOOF.
WHY TOFU?
When we discussed who should be on the very first Hollywoof cover, Tofu immediately felt right. He travels the world, he has a career, he is a service dog, he has impeccable style, and most importantly, Tiffany shares his life with so much genuine love.
Through Tofu, she doesn't just show us where they travel. She lets us experience the world through his eyes. Her content is creative, beautiful and fun, but also genuinely useful to other pet parents.
So having Tofu, Tiffany and Can begin this new chapter with us feels incredibly special.
And maybe a little lucky too.
I couldn't imagine a better family to be part of Hollywoof's very first cover.
— Meryem Birsöz, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, HOLLYWOOF
PART ONE: I DO (AND SO DID TOFU)
The Interview · The Wedding
Rings, rain, a very serious fitting process, and a cake with a bite taken out of it.
1. Let's start with the most important question: exactly how many outfits did Tofu have for the wedding weekend? And did he have more wardrobe changes than you and Can?
We actually started with about eight different outfits that we were considering for Tofu. After trying different options, we narrowed it down to two and had them tailored to be as comfortable and easy for him to move in as possible.
June in Cappadocia can get quite hot, so comfort came first. We wanted everything to be lightweight, breathable and designed around what Tofu would actually be doing that day.
On the first day, he wore a little suit that matched his dad. On the second day, when he had the very important job of running down the aisle as our ring bearer, we chose a suit-harness made in Italy so he could move as freely and comfortably as possible.
So in the end, Tofu had two official wedding outfits, both coordinated with Can. He may not have had the most wardrobe changes, but he definitely had a very serious fitting process.
2. Tofu being your ring bearer was one of my favorite moments of the entire wedding. Was that always the plan? And how did you prepare him for such an important job?
I had this vision of Tofu being our ring bearer for years, so it had always been a significant part of the wedding for me.
Originally, we planned for him to carry a small ring box down the aisle, but when we tried it, we realized the weight was bothering him. His comfort always comes first, so we changed the plan and had him wear a lightweight necklace with our rings instead.
There was also a very personal reason I wanted him to be the one carrying our rings. In everyday life, when Tofu is especially happy or excited, he sometimes brings things to me. It is one of those little behaviors of his that I have always found so sweet.
So having him bring our rings down the aisle felt symbolic in a way that was very true to him. To me, it was almost like he was carrying a little piece of that happiness toward us as we started this next chapter together.
A little piece of that happiness, carried down the aisle.
3. I felt like there were little pieces of Tofu everywhere throughout the wedding: the travel postcards, the cutouts, the cocktail, the cake, his outfits... I absolutely loved it. Which Tofu detail was your favorite, and whose idea was it to weave him into the celebration in so many ways?
Our wedding theme was travel, and in many ways that theme was inspired by Tofu and all the places we have experienced together as a little family.
Can and I both wanted him woven throughout the celebration because we really see him as our son and as such an important part of our lives. It would have felt strange to tell the story of us without including him.
One of my favorite details was the table names. Each table featured photos from a country the three of us had visited together, which felt especially meaningful because our friends and family had also traveled from all over the world to celebrate with us.
I also absolutely loved our postcard guest book. Guests could choose a Tofu travel postcard, write us a message, and then place it into a little mailbox. It was such a simple detail, but it brought everything together so perfectly: Tofu, travel, and all of the people we love coming together in one place.
So I think those two details were probably my favorites, because they didn't just include Tofu visually. They really told the story of our life together.
4. We have to talk about the cake. The tiny Tofu taking a bite out of it may have been one of the cutest wedding details I have ever seen. How did that idea happen?
It is actually a very funny story. We spent a surprisingly long time thinking about the wedding cake because we wanted it to taste amazing, but also to fit the look I had always imagined. In my head, I had always pictured a classic white tiered wedding cake.
The challenge was: Tofu is also white. And of course, we wanted to find some way to include him.
Our goal throughout the wedding was to let Tofu participate as much as he comfortably could, and since he obviously couldn't actually eat the wedding cake, we thought he at least deserved a place on it.
We went through so many ideas. At one point, we considered having a little Tofu sleeping on the cake. We even joked about having him take a tiny poop on it. And then, because travel was the theme of the wedding, we considered turning the whole cake into another travel-inspired moment.
Eventually, we had so many ideas that we couldn't decide, and we also had no idea how to actually execute them, so we basically told our wedding team and the bakery, “Surprise us.”
When we finally saw the cake, there was this tiny Tofu at the bottom with a little bite taken out of the cake next to him, as if he had secretly helped himself before anyone else could. It was perfect. It was funny, subtle, and so completely Tofu.
I think the fact that we didn't know what the wedding team and bakery were going to do made seeing it for the first time even more special.
5. Tiffany, shall we tell everyone how we stopped the rain on your wedding day? :) I think you need to tell this story, because what happened in those very early hours before the wedding is still one of my favorite memories.
It was very strange, but somehow it worked!
I had always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding in Cappadocia, surrounded by the caves and that incredible landscape. So when I heard there might be a storm on the wedding day, my heart completely sank.
I had already started preparing myself for Plan B and moving everything indoors.
Then my mother-in-law told me about a tradition: if we wrote down the names of 50 bald men we knew and tied the list to a tree, the rain would stop.
At that point, I was willing to try anything.
So in the very early hours before the wedding, we started putting together this list of 50 names and tied it to a tree. It was one of those completely surreal wedding-morning moments that I will never forget.
And somehow, despite the forecast, it did not rain on our wedding day.
Do I know if our list of 50 bald men actually controlled the weather? Probably not. But I am definitely not going to question it.
6. One of the things I loved most was seeing how many of Tofu's loved ones had traveled across the world to be there—his grandma all the way from Taiwan, his aunt from L.A., his uncle from New York. What was it like having everyone Tofu loves together in one place for such an important moment? And how was he with all of his favorite people around him?
I honestly think it might have been one of Tofu's best days ever. So many of his favorite people had traveled from different parts of the world and were suddenly all together in one place. I really wouldn't be surprised if he thought the entire wedding was actually for him.
At first, he could barely contain his excitement. He was doing zoomies, running around, greeting everyone and clearly trying to take in the fact that all of his people were there at the same time.
For me, that was one of the most special parts of the wedding too. These are people who have loved Tofu throughout different chapters of his life, so seeing him surrounded by all of them in one place made the whole celebration feel even more complete.
7. Was there a moment during the wedding weekend when you looked at Tofu and thought, “He knows something very special is happening”?
I think it was in the days before the wedding, when our family and friends started arriving in Cappadocia. Tofu kept seeing people he loves from different parts of his life all showing up in the same place.
He was so excited, doing zoomies and greeting everyone. I don't think he knew it was a wedding, but he definitely knew something special was happening.
TOFU, BY THE NUMBERS
- 8 outfits considered
- 2 official wedding looks
- 50 bald men on the rain list
- 4 cocktails on Tofu's bar
- 1 tiny bite out of the cake
PART TWO: TOFU'S PASSPORT
The Interview · The Traveler
France · Italy · Türkiye · Switzerland · Greece—and beyond.
8. Tofu has traveled to so many places with you. Which destination brought out the happiest or funniest version of him? Is there anywhere you could immediately tell he absolutely loved?
I think different countries really bring out different sides of Tofu.
In Germany and Switzerland, he gets to be adventurous and hike through beautiful trails. In South Korea and Taiwan, he seems to really enjoy city life. In Thailand, he gets to experience places with so much history and such a different atmosphere...
Every country also has its own dog culture, and I love watching how Tofu adapts to each one. Traveling with him lets me experience those differences through his eyes too, which is one of my favorite parts of having him with me.
But if I had to guess his favorite place, I would probably say TOKYO. He gets to go out to dog friendly dinners with us, order from his own little dog menu, and even soak in a dog hot spring.
At that point, I think he decided Tokyo understood him perfectly.
9. You have this wonderful way of sharing travel through Tofu's perspective rather than simply posting beautiful destinations. Has traveling with him changed the way you experience a city or a country?
Yes, absolutely. I think the biggest change is that I travel much more slowly now.
Before Tofu, I would try to cram as many tourist attractions as possible into one day. Now, I am much more likely to stay longer in one place, take a walk through a park or trail, or spend an afternoon at a café instead of rushing to the next landmark.
Because I am always looking for places where Tofu is welcome, I also end up discovering restaurants, cafés, parks and neighborhoods that I probably would never have found otherwise.
Along the way, I meet dog lovers from all over the world, and those conversations have become such a meaningful part of traveling with him.
In a way, Tofu has made me feel less like a tourist. We move more slowly, spend more time in everyday places, and experience a destination in a way that feels much closer to how a local might live.
I think he has taught me that traveling is not always about seeing more. Sometimes it is about slowing down enough to really experience where you are.
Tokyo understood him perfectly.
10. Tofu is an influencer, a world traveler and also a service dog. What is something people might not understand about traveling with a service dog that you wish more people knew?
One thing I really wish more people understood is that service dog status is not universal, especially when you travel internationally.
A dog who is recognized as a service dog in one country may not automatically have the same legal status in another. Every country has its own rules, and some have their own certification or registration systems. Some countries also recognize only certain types of service dogs.
On top of that, all of the normal dog import requirements still apply. Being a service dog does not mean you can skip things like vaccination rules, health documents, microchip requirements or other entry procedures.
So traveling internationally with a service dog often requires a lot of research and planning. You really have to look at each country individually rather than assuming the rules will carry over from one place to another.
11. What has surprised you most about becoming the human behind a dog with his own community and following? Did you ever imagine Tofu's world becoming what it is today?
Honestly, I am still surprised that there is a whole community of people who choose to watch Tofu every day.
I originally created his Instagram for a very simple reason: my family lives across different countries and time zones, and everyone was always asking me for photos and updates of Tofu.
It became much easier to create one account, post everything there, and let everyone check in on him whenever they wanted.
I definitely never imagined that people outside of our family would eventually want those daily Tofu updates too.
Over time, people started sending me messages saying that Tofu's posts and stories make their day better. Some have even told me that checking what Tofu is doing is part of their morning routine, they will sit down with breakfast, pick up their phone, and see what he is up to that day.
That still feels a little surreal to me. What started as an easy way to keep our family connected somehow became a much bigger community.
This little dog who brings so much happiness into my life is also bringing a little bit of happiness into other people's days.
12. Your content always feels very genuine. Even when Tofu is somewhere incredibly glamorous, it still feels like we are simply watching a very loved dog experience life with his family. Is that something you consciously try to protect as his platform grows?
Tofu is my dog BEFORE he is an influencer.
As his platform has grown, I have become even more conscious of the responsibility that comes with having a following. Rather than thinking first about whether something will be entertaining or look good on camera, I usually think about two things: how Tofu feels about it, and whether it is actually allowed.
At the end of the day, Tofu is my dog before he is an influencer. His comfort, health and happiness always come first.
I also think having a platform means trying to be a responsible dog parent within the wider community. If we can share beautiful experiences while also being honest, respectful of the rules, and attentive to Tofu's feelings, that is something I really want to protect as his account continues to grow.
13. For someone dreaming about taking their dog on their first international trip, what are the three things you would tell them before they book the ticket?
- First, research the rules before you book anything. Every country has different import requirements, and airlines can have their own rules as well. And always double check on your health documents if there are any errors.
- Second, plan the trip around your dog, not just the destination. Think about how long the journey is, whether your dog is comfortable flying, where they can stay, where they can walk, and how dog-friendly everyday life will actually be once you arrive.
- And third, slow down. Traveling with a dog usually means you cannot rush from one attraction to another, but I actually think that is one of the best parts. You end up discovering parks, neighborhoods, cafés and little local places you might otherwise have missed.
I think the biggest lesson is that taking your dog abroad is not just about getting them on the plane. It is about making sure the entire trip is something they can enjoy too.
14. What is the one thing Tofu absolutely cannot travel without? And what is the one completely unnecessary thing he would insist on packing anyway?
SNOWY from Tintin
It has to be his stuffed Snowy from Tintin. It looks just like him and is almost the same size as he is, so it basically feels like Tofu travels with a tiny version of himself.
I actually have to pack Snowy when Tofu isn't looking, because otherwise he gets very concerned about where he is going. But the moment we arrive at our destination, Tofu is always in a hurry for us to open the luggage so he can find him again.
So technically, Snowy is probably the completely unnecessary thing in the suitcase... but according to Tofu, he is absolutely essential.
15. If Tofu could choose the destination for your next family vacation himself, where do you think he would take you?
L.A.
Probably L.A. He loves the sunshine, so I think he would happily come back for some vitamin D, long walks, and as many pup cups as he can get.
16. After seeing so much of the world together, is there still one dream destination on the Tofu travel list that would feel especially meaningful?
SOUTH AMERICA
I think we would love to explore South America next. It is one part of the world we have not experienced together yet, and I would love to discover it with Tofu, the food, the landscapes, the different cultures, and of course what dog life looks like there.
There is something really exciting about going somewhere completely new together.
Something really exciting about going somewhere completely new together.
17. And finally, if Tofu could describe Tiffany and Can's wedding from his own point of view, what do you think he would say was the best part?
I think he would say the best part was simply being included in everything and having so many of our family and friends come together to celebrate with us. He loves being around his people, so having everyone in one place and getting to be part of the whole weekend probably made it just as special for him as it was for us.
