PANCAKE
Meet Oak Brook’s most lovable bulldog celebrity
When Bruno Jham and Beth Dunfee first decided to get a dog, they approached the search with a clear checklist. They wanted a small breed that didn’t bark much, didn’t shed much, and didn’t require a lot of exercise. It was a practical wish list, and a humorous one too, because the moment they landed on the English Bulldog, their lives got a lot funnier — quickly.
Pancake joined the family at three months old and recently celebrated her fourth birthday. As Jham puts it, “We’ve never laughed so much in our lives.”
Pancake has a way of making people laugh, especially her owners, Bruno Jham and Beth Dunfee.
Even her name came with a story they’ve never forgotten. The couple was traveling in Brazil when Dunfee tried a local dish called moqueca, a delicious fish stew made with an oil that locals know to consume sparingly. Dunfee didn’t realize that, and when Jham looked over, she was drinking the sauce straight from the plate. The “aftermath” became an inside joke on that trip, and they originally planned to name their future dog Moqueca. But once they returned home, they realized nobody here would know what it meant. They began thinking of a word that rhymed with it, and that led them to panqueca — the Portuguese word for pancake. It fit perfectly. Today, their Brazilian friends and family call her Panqueca, while local friends know her as Pancake.
From the beginning, Pancake stood out as a puppy with a natural talent for comedy. She was goofy, expressive, and seemed to generate funny moments effortlessly. Jham says he always told Dunfee that if they ever posted videos of Pancake, she would become a celebrity. “She’s always had the funniest personality and did the goofiest things,” he says. “Beth often says that she has never seen me laugh as much before Pancake arrived.”
Her viral journey began almost by accident. One day, a worker was repairing their sprinkler system, and Pancake insisted on following him around. Jham started filming and happened to catch the exact moment the sprinkler turned on, sending Pancake running straight toward the camera. He joked in the caption that she was supervising the worker and was rushing back to report her findings. The video “went super viral,” and suddenly Pancake’s goofy charm was being shared far beyond Oak Brook.
What people responded to, and still do, is the familiar, lighthearted feel of her videos. “We aim to make the content very lighthearted and funny,” Jham says. They film things that many dog owners experience, and viewers see themselves and their own pets in those everyday moments. The joy in Pancake’s content makes people smile, and that naturally makes them want to share it with others.
Pancake out and about celebrating Halloween.
Interestingly, they never set out to build Pancake’s social media presence. “We joke that we became creators by accident,” Jham says. About a year and a half ago, they created a pet gate they hoped to market online. They used Pancake as the model, but the gate didn’t take off. Pancake did. One video after another kept gaining attention, and before long, she was reaching people all over the world.
Some of Pancake’s videos happen spontaneously, capturing whatever funny thing she’s doing in the moment. Others take more planning, especially when they take her out for special adventures, like meeting Santa or going on a canine cruise. Those can require filming, scripting, and editing that stretch over a few hours. Whether the video is simple or involved, Pancake makes the process entertaining.
Even with her growing fan base, her daily life at home in Oak Brook is as predictable and cozy as can be. She wakes up at 7 a.m. for breakfast, heads outside briefly, and then immediately returns to bed. Around noon, she gets up again for a break and some water, then sleeps until 4 p.m. She spends the late afternoon snuggling with her family until dinner, and afterward, she enters what Jham calls “the witching hour,” demanding playtime until she’s happily exhausted and ready for bed by 8 p.m. It is, by all accounts, the ideal bulldog schedule.
“Pancake thinks the village should increase the scratch tax and that all residents should have to scratch every pet’s belly at least 12 times a day.”
– Bruno Jham on Pancake’s recommendation to the Village of Oak Brook
The messages they receive from fans remind them that Pancake’s reach goes far beyond laughter. Every now and then, they hear from someone who has recently lost a pet and finds comfort in Pancake’s videos. Those messages stay with the family. They feel heartbreak for the person writing but also gratitude that Pancake is able to bring them a bit of joy during a difficult time.
Pancake’s favorite things are as charmingly simple as her personality. She enjoys goldfish crackers and carrots and loves to play with empty juice and milk bottles, tackling the challenge of removing the caps. She also has a squeaky chicken she likes to “attack,” and she happily walks around Oakbrook Center and the nearby forest preserves with her family.
Those local outings have led to some of the funniest real-life encounters. Jham says that when they go out with Pancake, “it’s hard to move much!”
Pancake enjoys a walk at Oakbrook Center, one of her favorite spots.
People stop constantly to pet her and enjoy her goofy personality. One of the most memorable interactions happened at Oakbrook Center, when a woman became so excited to see Pancake that she immediately FaceTimed her daughter so she could show her. It was one of those moments that made it clear just how much happiness Pancake brings to others.
As for what’s next, Pancake keeps her goals simple. According to Jham, “Pancake’s priorities are to eat and sleep.” Beyond that, she hopes to continue spreading joy. She recently was named the national winner of the Pet Lovers’ Choice Awards in the Mid-Tier Influencer category. And has been working with brands on advertising projects, a fitting evolution for a dog who became a celebrity without ever planning to be one.
And if Pancake could offer one piece of advice to the Village of Oak Brook? Her perspective is definitely on brand: “Pancake thinks the village should increase the scratch tax and that all residents should have to scratch every pet’s belly at least 12 times a day.” It’s a policy proposal many Oak Brook dogs would likely support.
Pancake may not have set out to be famous, but her ability to make people smile both online and around town has made her a beloved part of the community. Through every goofy video, joyful interaction, and accidental viral moment, she continues to remind people of the simple delight of loving a pet.
Follow Pancake’s journey @thebabypancake and cheer her on at the Pet Lovers’ Choice Awards in June.
