j-hope first introduced Mickey to ARMY through BTS’s official account in 2013. At the time, BTS’s Twitter account shared a photo of Mickey with a caption that roughly read: “I heard showing off your dogs has been a trend lately? Let me introduce my Mickey too 멍멍.” Mickey is a Shih Tzu with his signature wнιтe-and-brown coat and is now around 15-16 years old.
The dog was once abandoned at a gas station before being adopted by j-hope’s mother and sister. From then on, Mickey was cared for by the family as a true member of the household. j-hope and his sister Jiwoo frequently took photos with him and even dressed up their “youngest” in clothes, hair clips, bows, and more.
j-hope’s mother even painted a portrait of Mickey before she painted portraits of her own two children, leaving even Jiwoo exclaiming in jealousy.
As an important member of j-hope’s family, Mickey has also received plenty of love from ARMY. Fans have therefore frequently asked about how he is doing. However, a recent response from Jiwoo on Instagram left many feeling heartbroken.
Specifically, during a Q&A, Jiwoo received a message saying, “Unnie, how is Mickey? I miss mickey too”. j-hope’s sister then warmly replied, “Mickey spends most of his time lying down now, but his love for food remains unchanged…”, while sharing four photos of Mickey resting on the rug and near his food bowl.
Although Jiwoo kept a lighthearted and cheerful tone when mentioning Mickey’s unchanged love for food, ARMYs quickly noticed from the photos that the dog had changed considerably. Mickey looked thinner than before, appeared more frail, and visibly showed the fatigue of an elderly dog. The sight left many fans both heartbroken and worried about the “baby” who has been part of j-hope’s family for so many years.
In fact, Mickey’s health issues are not new and have become increasingly serious over the past few years. Around 2021-2022, he was diagnosed with cataracts and glaucoma, conditions that can affect Shih Tzus as they grow older. As his eyes became severely painful and Mickey ℓσѕт his vision, the family decided to have him undergo surgery and receive an ocular prosthesis. Although he could no longer see, Mickey was still able to remember the way to his food and sleeping areas.
Most notably, around April-May last year, Mickey went through a particularly serious health crisis, which Jiwoo described at the time: “Our Mickey has become so much smaller now... I feel like we need to be prepared in our hearts. His lungs are already in very poor condition, so our family is simply hoping that Mickey suffers as little as possible... and we're doing our best, wishing that he can spend the time he has left in peace…I’m trying to record as much as I can while I still can. Our Mickey...”
During the same period, j-hope also opened up about Mickey during a live broadcast with fans, saying: “I saw Mickey just now. Mickey is on kind of an oxygen respiratory machine. I’m sorry, my heart hurts. I wish he could live long life”. A few days later, he also said during another broadcast: “Mickey should stay healthy... Mickey, stay healthy. Let's live a long, long life together"
Fortunately, with the family’s devoted care, Mickey made it through that critical period and his health gradually became more stable afterward. Still, there is no denying the pαѕѕage of time, and the reality is that Mickey is growing weaker with age. Fans could not help but feel heartbroken and comment: "Oh my God, he's so old. Please stay a long a long Mikey-ah", "Aw, Mickey is just an old pup now. He’s very loved and cared for though", "Hate how these babies age so quickly. Mickey you still look so lovely", "This breaks my heart. Mickey haraboji", "I love Mickey so much, I remember when Hobi would mention him in his interviews, he's so dear", "Mickey still hanging on. My sweet ol' boy, you're so loved. Please live a long",...
