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 Louis & Arlo (Louis & Arlo'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?
Attwood: It all started in 2015 when we got our first dog, Louis, an F1 Cockapoo. Our first child was nearly 2 years old & I was very aware of sharing lots of photos of our son on my private account for family & friends & now of our puppy too. So I decided to set up an instagram account, purely for sharing some cute photos of our puppy without annoying anyone, if they wanted to follow the account, they could. I soon learned that there were lots of other pet accounts online too & a lovely community of dog owners around the world that are so friendly. They were a great help when it came to needing answers to certain questions about training or just general puppy / dog life. Before we knew it, we had quite a lot of followers & then we started getting small businesses & companies reaching out to us to advertise their products for them & share them on our page. Then around 2 years ago, we got our second dog, a rescue, called Arlo, we're not too sure what breed he is, though the vet suggested possibly a Cavapoochon. Since adding Arlo to the page, we've gained even more 'followers' or friends as we call them, it's so lovely.
What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?
Attwood: That's a difficult one, I think I'd say we're very relatable, there's lots of beautiful accounts online that have a picture-perfect feed, all the photos are amazing & you can tell they've been edited with filters & the like for the perfect aesthetic. We post more 'this is our dogs, doing dog things' photos & I think (& hope) people like that too. Louis & Arlo have very different personalities so we really lean into that as well, it's all just good fun & we like to not take it soo seriously. Louis is a happy go lucky dog, he loves the sea, getting mucky & is like a mischievous toddler at times. He's obsessed with his ball & really likes to show off his tricks. Arlo is more timid, we call him a little prince, because he really doesn't like to get wet or dirty, he likes to have all the attention & sit on your lap or a cushion. He definitely likes home comforts & the 'royal' life. He can take or leave playing with a ball, but he loves company & is very attached to Louis.
How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?
Attwood: We don't really have a creative process as such when it comes to our content, we're pretty simple in terms of snapping & sharing... we obviously try to get good lighting & angles etc, but at the end of the day, they're dogs, not models, so we like to let them just do their thing & document their lives really. They really do have funny personalities which helps. Our content is always shared as if it's the dogs talking, so it can be quite fun to imagine what they'd say about certain situations, it's a bit like Kristoff & Sven from Frozen.
Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?
Attwood: We've been really lucky, we've not had any negativity on Louis & Arlo's account, it's been a really pleasant experience from the word go. I think it may help that we don't share any training or feeding advice etc, there are lots of differing opinions on those subjects. We just do what we do. We do sometimes share what we feed ours, especially when we're promoting brands, but we only share products we genuinely use & that we're confident are good products. We'd never tell anyone to change their way of caring for or feeding their dogs, it's a bit like children in that way, you have to do what is best for your own.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?
Attwood: We'd say go for it, if you're unsure of sharing to the public, you can always have a private account, that way you can have full control over who sees your content. But it's honestly a really lovely community, a lot of fun & a great way to share all your puppy / dog photos without it clogging up your personal accounts.
How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?
Attwood: It's definitely been a great way to make sure we get outdoors a lot, we're lucky to live in a beautiful area that is close to the woodland & the beach, so it really makes us get out & enjoy our surroundings a lot more than we possibly would have without dogs. It's also brought new experiences, created memories & relationships with people, that without having dogs, we'd have never done / met. It's been lovely having our children grow up with dogs too, they really are brilliant at helping lift moods, especially when they've been through tough times, they've been like little therapy dogs.
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?
Attwood: A while back we visited my in-laws house & we let the dogs out into the garden, they went sprinting out & whilst they were exploring, Arlo fell into their pond, or possibly Louis nudged him in, it was a really funny experience & it really started a fun story online, it's something we still sometimes refer back to, it really made us giggle. Very recently, we went to the beach, I was throwing a ball for the dogs, mostly Louis, Arlo isn't a big fan of fetch, but he will follow Louis, wherever he goes. Unfortunately, this ended up with Arlo in quite a funny predicament... My husband was watching me throw the ball & was waiting for me to throw the next one before chucking a big rock into the sea, to see how big of a splash it would make. He looked around & thought I was about to throw it, I was going to, but the ball had nearly slipped out of the thrower, so I was adjusting it. But before you know it, he's thrown the rock into the sea & Louis thought it was the ball, so he sprinted as fast as lightning, right into the sea & swam to try & find it. As always, Arlo sprinted after him, only to realize he doesn't like the water, so paddled to the nearest rock, where he perched & whimpered until my son went & rescued him. It was only a minute or two later, but it was really funny because it all happened so quick. Poor Arlo really wasn't happy & spent the rest of the day sulking.
What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?
Attwood: I really enjoy how much quality time it has us spend with the dogs, of course we spend a lot of time with them anyway, but I really think it has made our bond stronger with all the different adventures we've been on & places we've been to. For instance, we've been to a few pop up events of Cockapoo / Cavapoochon café parties that have been really fun & allowed us to meet other owners that live nearby. It's also a great way to find happiness on down days, looking at a big feed of lovely dogs is sure to cheer you up. Mostly, it's a great way to find new products for our dogs that we might not have found any other way & more importantly it's made us part of a lovely online community of likeminded people, that is really a joy to be a part of. It's great to have a support system at your fingertips & we've made some lifelong friends.
Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?
Attwood: Lots more daily life content... we're also planning a few little dog-friendly holidays this year, so it will be really lovely to share those too. We always strive to grow our audience & we hope to work with a lot more lovely businesses along the way too. Paws crossed we can reach some new milestones, but mostly, we're excited to continue sharing our adventures & making new friends.
For more helpful articles about pet-parenting tips, check out the Off Leash blog at TryFi.com.
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