Why Were Miami-Dade Residents Angry At A Banana Suit Dog?

Miami-Dade County residents' anger at an online dog image represents their frustrations with the school board.

Last Monday (August 31), Miami-Dade County Public Schools fell victim to a (DDoS) cyberattack on the virtual school system, according to the Miami New Times. Over 270,000 students were supposed to start class that day as well.

Parents, teachers and students encountered an error page on My Online School, the district's virtual school program by the company K12. The error page showed a small dog in a banana-print outfit and this message: "Oh Bananas! Too many people are online right now. Please try again."

As the district's tech support worked on the issue, users of My Online School took to social media with their concerns and anger.

***WARNING: The tweet below contains profane or graphic language.***

The Miami New Times said they tracked the origins of the hated image. Karsten Winegeart is the photographer, and the dog in the photo is his six-year-old Shih Tzu/Yorkie mix, Bella. The photo was originally uploaded on Unsplash about a month ago.

Winegeart said he didn't know K12 was using the photo of Bella until the Miami New Times told him.

"That's news for me," he said in a phone interview with the outlet.

You can follow Bella's new Twitter page at @FamousBananaDog.

Photo: Getty Images