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 Rozanne (Splinter'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?
Willems: I started instagram way before I got Splinter, around 10 years ago. I have always been passionate about photography and I wanted to start sharing the photos. It all started with model horse photography, I ended up having over 8k followers on the model horse account. So when I got Splinter it was without a doubt that he would also get a instagram acc. In the beginning it was mostly to share photos with family and friends but at some point we started to get follows from people that we didn't know. We are now 5 years further and we have 15K followers, made a lot of good friends through the app and I have learned so much from the dog community.
What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?
Willems: Oooh there are a few things. One of the biggest things is that he is a real adventure corgi. Our daily hikes are all in the forest and in the vacation we go to the mountains. I always joke that he is the "world champion mountain climbing, short leg devision" as he has done some of the more difficult hikes in Norway. I love to capture the hikes with my camera so we can share our daily hikes with the people on instagram. We hope to inspire people to take their dogs with them on adventures no matter how short their legs are.
We do get a lot of comments about Splinters eyes and tail. Splinter has one brown and one blue eye which makes him extra cute (or that's what I think at least). It's something that immediately stands out when you look at him. He also has a big fluffy tail, although it's normal for corgi's in the eu to have a tail, it's less seen in the USA.
How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?
Willems: Not really. I always try to take photos that makes other people feel like they were with us on a hike. To tell the story of the hikes in forest in Norway.
However some times I do plan a photoshoot. This is mostly around a holiday like Halloween or Christmas. I often go to Pinterest or my saved post on instagram for inspiration. I try to not copy some one, but to make my own version of it. Like a few years back. I did a golden foil photoshoot with Splinter. This is normally done with horses and I thought that it would also look good on dogs.
Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?
Willems: I have been extremely fortunate to not have had much hate come towards Splinter and I in the past few years. There were a few of course, but I have just deleted their comments.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?
Willems: Don't do it for the fame or the money, do it because you like to be creative with a camera (or phone). It's a lot more fun if you do it because you like sharing photos or videos then if you do it for the numbers. Of course having a lot of followers and working with brand is fun, but it shouldn't be your main goal.
Instagram is a lot of fun, especially because in the dog community we do all like dogs and it's so easy to make friends. There are lots of chat groups all about dogs, dog photography, training dogs etc.
And if you get a hate comment (everyone gets them), just ignore it. It's just a troll behind a screen that knows nothing about your dog.
How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?
Willems: Splinter has influenced me in so many ways, and they are all good. He has had a huge impact on my mental and physical health.
I got sick just a few months after I got him, I was tired all the time. Yet he did get me outside. Some days going for a walk with him was all I did. And that has helped me "recover" so much easier. I literally owe him my ability to live a somewhat normal life.
He has also helped me a lot mentally. If I have a bad day Splinter will be the one that makes me smile. He is extremely silly and a huge clown. He can make everyone smile.
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?
Willems: There are a lot of those with a clown like Splinter. But there is this one thing that pops up in my head. We had this pedestrian crossing close to one of the houses we lived in. I think it smelled nice as he always tried to roll in it, like every singel time. And we got a lot of laughs and smiles as it was on a crossing with traffic lights. Some times there where over 10 cars that could see him rolling. And of course Splinter would take extra long to roll those times.... Luckily he does know the sounds of the traffic lights so he knew when we needed to go.
What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?
Willems: Showing the hikes we do with the rest of the world. Especially when it's a fun and longer one. Some days I have so many videos of Splinter being silly or of the beautiful nature around us that it is hard to chose which one to post. And it always makes me smile when we get a DM saying that silly Splinter made someone's day a bit better.
Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?
Willems: At the moment we are planning our travels for 2024. It's going to be a year full of adventure in Norway. We are planning some stays in cabins and some backpacking trips through the Norwegian mountains. And I will of course do my best to capture it the best way possible (maybe even in a YouTube video!)
Next to that I hope to also share some more dog sport videos as the canicross season will start again soon and we are looking into starting agility this summer as well!
