DOGFLUENCERS: Meet Murphy, Scotland's Viral Cocker Spaniel

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 Fiona (Murphy'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?

Miller: I wanted to be able to look back on memories from Murphy as a puppy as he grew into an adult dog and I thought what better way to do it than have a feed of little squares of his growth over the years, basically like an online photo album! We then found so many other like-minded dog parents and dogs that we loved to follow and enjoy seeing their adventures it gives us ideas of things to do and places to go! We also shared a lot about navigating our way through Murphy’s resource guarding and food aggression which was amazing to know we were not alone but also by sharing our story we had so many others reach out for help. I love our wee instagram community - dog instagram is my happy place!

What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?

Miller: We gained a lot of followers when we started sharing our experience with Murphy having resource guarding issues and food aggression. Resource guarding is common in spaniels and we connected with a lot by sharing this journey and being open and raw about it (showing the bite wounds and the tears!).

How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?

Miller: None whatsoever! We just post what we’ve been up to, dog friendly places we’ve been, packages we’ve received that week. We don’t put any pressure on to follow specific patterns or trends and we just post what we want when we feel and we enjoy doing it this way!

Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?

Miller: We are very lucky that we haven’t been subject to much negativity or hate online as I know it’s so easy to be picked up on every little thing when you share so much online but we are so lucky that we have the best followers and the best community on the gram and if anybody hasn’t liked our content I’ve been lucky they’ve just hit the unfollow button.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?

Miller: Post as often as you like, engage with other people’s posts and stories, follow back, post stories, be yourself :)

How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?

Miller: Murphy is genuinely the reason I get out of bed on my days off he gives me a reason to get up and get out (spaniels don’t have days off). I’ve found myself going on adventures and exploring places I never would have if I didn’t have a dog. I’ve stopped caring what I look like and throwing on dog walking clothes and just enjoyed the outdoors with no care in the world. Nothing makes me happier than seeing Murphy happy and I could just cry when I watch back videos of him having the best time on the beach or wherever. He’s been the best decision I’ve ever made. We’ve had our bumps in the road with his hip dysplasia diagnosis and his behavioural problems but we’ve had nearly a year with no mishaps and I’ll never give up on him.

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?

Miller: Our best memory so far was travelling around the NC500 in Scotland and taking photos of Murphy on every beach we stopped at (which was a lot!). Murphy makes us laugh every single day he’s so funny but he really doesn’t like it when we stop his fun for a photoshoot and likes to pretend he’s the most miserable dog on the planet then as soon as the camera goes away out comes the tongue and the waggy tail!

What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?

Miller: Waking up to see all our online doggy friends posts every morning which make us smile and is the best start to the day. We also come across so many brands and small businesses etc that we would never find if it wasn’t for dog instagram!

Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?

Miller: We’re going to be doing a big giveaway soon which will allow one of our lovely followers to win some fabulous doggy prizes! Dog mom is also looking into doing some photography courses as she has a fancy camera but doesn’t really know what she’s doing and would love to improve her photography skills for our social media :)