About 17 months ago, I got my own puppy. It’s been a crazy little journey so far – training, socializing, caring for and creating memories together. If you know me, you know she is spoiled and that I am pretty obsessed with her. I’ve got to keep her in mind with all my decision making. Since I am alone with her, I need to ensure she is fed, exercised and has been given plenty of attention. One decision I made when getting a puppy was if I should create an Instagram account for her. Some people think it’s a little odd, but if you’ve ever looked for dogs on Instagram then you know there are tons of dogs with their own accounts. Dog owners create accounts for various reasons and I’m going to share some reasons on why I think you should create an Instagram account for your pet.
1. Less posts on your personal feed
If you’re like me – you probably get sick of seeing people post the same things over and over again. At my age, people are starting to get married, have kids, get their own places and to get dogs. Some of your followers are likely just people you talked to in high school; old friends or friends of friends. It’s just how things pan out when you grew up with the launch of new social media platforms every couple years. What I can’t handle is the constant photos of the same things over and over again. Of course, I am obsessed with my dog and could post a photo of her everyday on my Instagram if I wanted to. But I know majority of my followers don’t want to see that. For that reason, I thought it would be a good idea to create a separate account for those who enjoy and want to see her pictures more often.
2. A timeline of life
I love going back through the feed I’ve created. I can see photos of her when I first got her when she was just a little tiny puppy compared to now. She has grown so much in 17 months. This way I can also remember things we’ve done and the life she lived once she passes away – it’s horrible to think of, but I am not naive. Having a collection of photos in one place makes it so much easier to reminisce.
3. You could make some money
If you’re serious about earning some money on the side, you can work to grow and then to monetize that account. As you may know, brands will pay for “influencers” to promote their products or services. In fact, the company I worked for while working as a brand manager partnered with Boo, the world’s cutest dog and with Grumpy Cat. Both of these pets have started a business of their own – making money from brand deals, appearances, merchandise, etc. It takes a lot of effort, time and strategy to get there. I personally am not looking to make my dog Insta-famous, but hey, I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.
So, you might think I am crazy for creating an Instagram account for my dog.. but hey, you can’t complain that I spam my personal account with her. Of course she’s going to make an appearance on my account – after all, she is my #1. If you’re interested in following Ellie on Instagram you can here: @elliethefroston
