PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With more than a half-million followers on all of her social media accounts combined, you may have spotted the “Pardon Thy French” account, whose star — Bethanee Hamilton — is a sometimes noisy, 3-legged French bulldog with an adorable tongue.
Lindsay Van Bramer said one of Beth’s back legs was amputated because of cancer. But that hasn’t slowed down this 9-year-old, who was quick to explore the KOIN 6 News studio and newsroom after this interview.
Van Bramer, a Portland pupfluencer, wanted to spread the virtual serotonin that Beth brings online to in-person. They’re doing it through a plushie.
“The plushie came out great. You can take the hat off and wear it, if you want,” Van Bramer said. “It’s just silly. We look forward to doing more in the future because it’s gone so well.”
The net proceeds from the sale of the plushie go to Joy Rx, part of the Children’s Cancer Association.
Jack Pipkin, the vice president of development for Joy Rx, said they “offer joy-based programming that centers around music and mentorship and nature to bring joy to kids during some of their hardest times.”
The $36 plushies were created by a company called “Makeship,” and the 20-day campaign to sell them wraps up Tuesday. Pipkin said they were thrilled about the plushie partnership.
“There’s lots of generous folks in the community who step up and use their own platform bringing awareness to what we do,” Pipkin said.
That’s what little Beth will keep doing as she spreads joy wherever she goes — including on the KOIN anchor desk.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with our adventures in this new world,” Van Bramer said.