NEW YORK – A Manhattan man who turned his cuddly 10-pound Pomeranian into an online sensation worth $500,000 is being forced to start from scratch after his ex-girlfriend stole the growing business, he claims in court papers.
Scott Smith and his sister Jessica, along with Smith’s ex, Anna Camara, hatched the site “Sammy and the City” last year, posting pictures and videos of the tiny canine fluffball at assorted city landmarks.
The 7-year-old dog’s “view of the city” gained 40,000 visitors a month, and more than 51,000 followers on the photo-sharing app Instagram, 8,500 Facebook fans, and a 3,000-person Twitter fan base.
Fans gleefully gazed at pics of a grinning Sammy with his reading glasses, newspaper and morning coffee, or enjoying the Central Park sunshine in a beach chair with a plastic palm tree attached.
But in April, Camara allegedly muzzled the venture without warning or explanation.
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