Welcome to the ultimate destination for dog enthusiasts and social media mavens alike. At Dogfluencers, we're passionate about showcasing the best and brightest in the world of four-legged fame.
Whether you're looking for adorable photos, heartwarming stories, or expert tips on how to turn your own pup into a social media star, we've got you covered.
Today we got the honor of interviewing Vanessa (Charlotte & Chonkers's Human). You can find a direct link to their Instagram here.
Here is their story:
Can you tell us about your journey to becoming a dog influencer? What inspired you to start sharing your dog's adventures on social media?
Silva: At first, it was all about having a social media outlet to have pictures of my dogs, but then it became so much more. We were introduced to the pet community and it was more than just posting pictures of my dogs, it was about sharing about their day, the struggles we had with them, or the funny things they do and the pet community are right there following along your journey and providing insights and tips for us that helped us tremendously!
What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?
Silva: For starters, I think my dogs themselves. They’re littermates that look nothing alike. They’re different sizes with different size legs and everything. Their breed makes them unique since no one has seen a husky/bulldog duo before. We also don’t try to follow a certain aesthetic and instead try to be our genuine selves. We also participate in puppy groups that allows us not just to have followers, but actual pet friends that are genuinely interested in the content we post, just as we hold the same perspective on their pages as well.
How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?
Silva: We’re still new to posting content, but we try to think outside the box! We’re trying reels to showcase treats, coming up with cute captions for our bandanas and wearing them everywhere we go. We try to showcase dog shampoo as uniquely as possible every time. Our creative process mostly comes from the holidays and the seasons. Given that spring and summer might be a bit hard, we already plan to showcase them outdoors and being active in our Arizona weather.
Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?
Silva: We’ve never faced any negativity. That’s the best thing about the pet community, it’s a very supportive and positive community where we’re all learning new things together. The only challenge I would say that we faced is being able to have a consistent engagement from our followers, but we dealt with this challenge by not letting it get to us. There were times that this lack of engagement had us discouraged to keep posting, but I realized that engagement isn’t what’s important, it’s about sharing our journey to those that genuinely cared for us.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?
Silva: Be genuine and post whatever you like! You’re not required to follow a certain aesthetic, but it may help being consistent on the kind of content you post. Don’t hesitate to follow whoever you like. Most importantly, don’t jump at every business that is looking for pet ambassadors or models. Only apply to a business that you genuinely love and are able to meet their monthly requirements that fit your own schedule.
How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?
Silva: They’ve influenced everything! I’m a college student, so they’ve pushed me to get out of the house for their daily walks. They’ve helped me destress, helped my anxiety, and most importantly, they kept me company during my all nighter study sessions. They’ve definitely influenced my life in a positive way that has made me change my lifestyle to fit theirs.
Can you tell us about a particularly memorable or funny moment you've had with your dog during one of your photo shoots or adventures?
Silva: A memorable moment would have to be a recent bath tub photoshoot we tried doing. Our puppies are used to showers, but I forgot they’re not used to bodies of water. When I had the tub filled somewhat and tried to have them sit, they would not do it all and were actually disturbed by it. It made me realize that we needed to work on this in the future, but it also made me take a pause and instead, make me focus on accommodating them, since I’ll never force them to do something they don’t want to. Instead of a bathtub of them laying down or sitting, we instead captured them being cute in the tub as they stood over the product we were trying to display. Not only did we get the shot we wanted, but my puppies were able to comfortable the whole time given bodies of waters are out of their element.
What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?
Silva: Definitely the pet community itself! We love seeing how creative other pet accounts can be. We’ve made good friends throughout our journey. We were able to participate in crazy holiday card exchanges that might seem wild to others, but we find absolute delight in it!
Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?
Silva: Our puppies 1st birthday is coming up on April 1st, so I want to be able to be as engageful as possible and have our followers join us on our journey as the day gets closer. We also can’t wait to display the costumes we got for the upcoming holidays of Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. A big project we plan to do is showcase my puppies going with us on a coastal highway roadtrip with us. We want to try and showcase them as adventurous pups since it’s difficult to do so here in the desert.
