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 Gloria (Luca'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?
Rodriguez: I’ve always loved photography & when we adopted Luca at 9 months in 2022 we were always outside hiking, training & going on adventures together. This gave me the perfect opportunity to practice my nature photography & take cute pictures of Luca at the same time! I was always sharing Luca’s adventures on my personal socials & felt like I was spamming my friends with videos & pictures of Luca so I decided to just make him his own!
What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?
Rodriguez: I think people are in love with Luca’s permanent & infectious smile! He’s literally ALWAYS smiling & happy to go out on adventures! Ever since we adopted Luca at 9 months we quickly learned that Luca was extremely reactive & we dove right into learning all things dog training & sharing his progress. We had no experience with Australian Shepherds & how much enrichment, training & exercise they need, but we were ready to do whatever it takes to help Luca live more comfortably, especially being his second home. So many people can relate who are struggling with reactive dogs & training in general so we are happy to share our journey in hopes of helping!
How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?
Rodriguez: We don’t have a creative process, but we just go out & record our adventures, training & day to day lives whenever we get a chance. We figure out how we want to put it all together later so we can live in the moment & still have fun!
Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?
Rodriguez: Luckily, for the most part we have not experienced too much negativity. Occasionally there are people who don’t understand dog reactivity or that dog training is different for every dog & breed. We choose to ignore the negativity because we know how hard we have worked everyday since adopting Luca to train & work on Luca’s reactivity.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?
Rodriguez: Do it! Every dog & human duo has a unique story to share & we love following everyone’s journey! We have had so much support from the dog community on social media! We are so amazed at the amount of friends we have made! It’s an amazing way to also keep all your memories with your fur babies in one place to look back on!
How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?
Rodriguez: Luca has helped me in so many ways! My partner & I lost our dog to cancer a few days before Luca was surrendered back to his breeder by his previous owner & so we knew it was meant to be & that he was indeed an angel sent by Meeko. I have always struggled with depression, anxiety & panic attacks. I never imagined we would get so lucky with a dog like Luca that is so smart, loving & helps me with my mental health.
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?
Rodriguez: Luca is such a goofy, silly guy so it’s hard to just name one, but I think last Easter takes the cake! We went to a Sniffspot to do an Easter egg hunt & they happened to have a herding ball. Luca was rolling around on the ball & then randomly he started thrashing the ball around and it popped! It was hilarious because he was so proud of himself afterwards (we of course apologized & offered to replace it) but he was smiling so hard it was hard to not laugh.
What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?
Rodriguez: I love it all! It allows me to be creative, practice photography & have so many recorded memories with Luca. The dog community on social media is amazing & we have learned so much from other’s stories!
Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?
Rodriguez: We like to live day by day, but are always making plans to travel more & share our journey! We can’t wait to share our adventures this summer & hopefully get into dog sports like agility!
