A 'fashion model' Shiba, food loving Cockapoo and a Dachshund who loves a tipple from Liverpool have quickly become some of the most popular dog-based accounts on social media.
There has been an increase in Instagram accounts created dedicated solely to pets and Merseyside have some of the best to offer.
A new survey conducted by Asda Money has revealed that out of the 3,000 UK cat and dog owners questioned more than a quarter of them admitted that their pets had their own social media account.
One in ten said their pet lives a ‘lifestyle that the Kardashians would envy’ – a feeling that one Merseyside dog owner can relate to.
Amy and Ben, both 24 years old, got Shelby two years ago and in the same year, they created the Cockapoo its own Instagram account to share photos with friends and family.
Now the two-year-old has nearly five thousands followers who enjoy watching Shelby eating at the Baltic Market or dressing up as the Easter Bunny.
Amy, from Sefton, explained to TeamDogs what the reaction has been like so far: "We love taking him out to local dog friendly spots in Liverpool, especially restaurants, and sharing recommendations with his followers. It seems that people love following his adventures - he gets all the attention when we meet people too!"
Despite having their own personal accounts, the pair enjoy connecting with people all over the world sharing pictures, asking for advice and networking.
The couple believed creating a dog based Instagram was the perfect place to store all of the many photos of their pet.
Amy added: "I think we all take far too many pictures of our animals - so a dedicated page is the perfect solution to share them with the world.
"The Cockapoo community in particular has grown massively in recent years as it’s become one of the country’s most popular breeds.
"Whether you want to follow your favourite breed or share a love for cute dogs, there are accounts representing pretty much any breed you could think of!"
Another with a big following is Luna the Shiba.
Dubbed as a fashion model in her bio, Luna has nearly four thousand followers who she takes on her adventures with her.
The 3-year-old's account was created in 2018 by her loving owner, Melissa Brooke.
A photographer, Melissa, 24, from Crosby, wanted to share her cute photos and put a smile on many faces with Luna pictured as Harry Potter and playing a game of Guess Who.
The Japanese Shiba Inu gets a ton of compliments in her comments and DMs, but Melissa says the best part is the community.
She said: "The community is great, everyone is really friendly. I’ve met up with a bunch of local dog accounts via Instagram and they were all lovely. I even ended up finding her two brothers from the same litter through Instagram!"
A third account with over 10,000 followers is Harlee the dachshund.
Harlee's account was created over three years ago after her owner, Chloe, feared her friends would get sick of seeing dog posts on her own account.
The mini long-haired dapple enjoys eating lamb and deer's legs while watching the documentary series, our planet.
Chloe told TeamDogs : "Harlee's account has been a great way to show how dog friendly Liverpool is with many shops, restaurants and cafes welcoming dogs."
"It's also a great way to learn new things from other accounts, for example, with the recent heatwave we've learned so many different tips and tricks."
Harlee also has a following on tiktok with just over 23,000 followers and 342 thousand likes.
The three-year-old is snapped enjoying a pint of Guinness, offering smooches for 50p in a kissing booth and dressed as a dragon to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Apart from trying to join the likes of Katy Perry’s Nugget or Lady Gaga’s French bulldog, Miss Asia, in the pet influencer world, other reasons for creating an account, according to Asda Money, include:
- It is an easier way to save photos in one place
- To enjoy engaging with other pet owners
- To avoid spamming friends on their own personal profiles
- To share their pets with others
The search is on to find the UK's favourite dog breed - click here to vote for your favourite
Setting up a profile can be considered fairly easy nowadays, but those with ambitions of being a dog influencer could find holding photoshoots for animals can be more challenging, with 42 percent of people admitting that they have to distract their pets to find the perfect shot.
Layla Flaherty, Director of the animal modelling and influencer agency, Urban Paws UK, says “Creating a pet influencer channel is a fantastic way to share your furry friends with the world. However, it can also be a lucrative business venture.
“We at Urban Paws UK have many petfluencers on our books, some of whom can earn thousands of pounds with every post, review, or story.
"It all depends on the size of their social media following. For example, some of our “micro” influencers, who have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers, can make between £200 - £1,000 per post.”
