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 Leanne (Lily'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?
Oleasz: I started posting pictures of my first dog just for fun years back. When I got my current dog Lily (who is 8), she was pretty much born to be photographed. People often say she’s part human…I think she is. Her expressions and ability to “pose” for certain pictures made it so much fun to post pictures. People loved seeing themed ones, holiday pictures, and ones of her just looking adorable. Our big moment came when I posted a picture of her as a puppy after she’d done something wrong, and she’s sitting in a corner giving the signature side eye. She had all her puppy fluff still and her expression was priceless. A major Goldendoodle page featured that picture and she gained more of a following after that. It never felt like a job, I just loved trying to be creative posting. Lily has always tolerated it haha
What do you think sets your dog apart from other dogs on social media? What makes them unique or particularly interesting to your followers?
Oleasz: Lily has an ability to pose in ways a lot of dogs wouldn’t. She has been photographed standing leaning on a tree, dressed in numerous costumes, for her first birthday she is standing wearing a tutu, then later pictured “tired out” on a chair with snacks and a celebratory bottle of wine next to her. You can have her pose with or next to most anything and she’ll make a priceless picture. People often remember one St Patrick’s Day photo where she’s wearing a leprechaun hat with red braids as well as a picture of her one Easter as a rabbit-she’s standing against a wall with rabbit ears on her head. Lily is definitely one of a kind with the things she’s done for photographs.
How do you come up with ideas for your dog's posts and content? Do you have a specific creative process?
Oleasz: When I first started her page it was before there really were influencers. Pictures were taken purely for fun. I started off with some themed ones and photographs for each holiday, but gradually posts became unplanned. We’d be doing something like hiking, for instance, and there’d be an opportunity for a photo. When we started partnering with small businesses-we started out with bandanas I believe, we tried to be a little more creative with the setting. Her page really just shows her in her every day life. Whether it’s her posing at the vet’s office or out on a walk there really is no specific process. It’s mainly capturing how adorable she is :)
Have you ever faced any challenges or negativity on social media, and how have you dealt with it?
Oleasz: Honestly we’ve been lucky in that department. I can’t recall anything major. There will always be someone that comments on the breed every so often since not everyone is a fan of mixed breeds. We mainly have just made new friends.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own dog influencer account or share their dog on social media?
Oleasz: Don’t expect to gain thousands of followers overnight or be offered opportunities to partner with brands/companies right off the bat. Times have changed, and with social media you really have to focus on making high quality content nowadays. That’s one big thing I noticed throughout the years. You used to be able to just post a cute picture, now you have to spend time editing, making sure captions and hashtags are on point, etc. It honestly is a full time job if you’re regularly posting. Definitely support other pages and interact with them. That’s one way you’ll not only make friends, garner a following, become more noticed…but also be introduced to businesses you may end up later partnering with.
How has your dog influenced your life outside of social media?
Oleasz: I got Lily 8 years ago to be trained as a service dog. I waited months for her, but it was worth the wait. The breeder was fantastic helping with temperament testing, etc (we are still in contact with them to this day!) The 5.5 hour drive to upstate New York to pick her is one I’ll never forget. Lily saved my life in that way, but is truly my best friend as well. Last year (Feb 2023) I unexpectedly went into respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. I ended up on VA-ECMO. Essentially it’s the absolute last resort when your heart and lungs aren’t able to function on their own. When I woke up a couple weeks later, not knowing what had happened, I saw pictures of Lily hanging on the wall. She’s of course wearing a bandana and dog tag from two small businesses we’ve known for awhile and she’s repped for…but they’d been taken literally the day before my life changed forever and I almost never got to see her again. Since she is a fully trained service dog, the hospital allowed her to visit me one day. Seeing my dog come in after not seeing her for about a month was amazing. It made my day. Pretty sure the picture of her at the hospital posted on the GoFundMe an ICU nurse started for me is one reason people donated haha I often say she’s the reason I even have a social life…she becomes everyone’s best friend as soon as they meet her. I say Lily has saved my life-although she literally has as a service dog, she brings purpose to my life and also inspired me to start a pet care business back in 2018. Of course she’s become friends with many of the animals I have cared for. As someone that lives alone and has gone through quite a lot over the years, knowing Lily is there to lick tears away and love me unconditionally is priceless. She influences my life in more ways than I can explain, but is one of the main reasons I’ve been able to keep going despite some of the struggles I’ve dealt with.
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?
Oleasz: Lily had just been groomed a few days prior to us going hiking at one of our favorite spots. Goldendoodles require pretty strict grooming schedules due to their type of fur. She’s groomed about every 4 weeks and that obviously adds up financially. Well, we got to the hiking spot and a couple of her dog friends were there as well. They all had fun running around together, etc. There’s one spot that after a recent storm had turned into a literal mud pit. All 3 dogs apparently had non functioning ears that day, so when they decided to head to that spot? Lily decided on top of that expensive groom she needed a mud bath too. The dogs came out covered in mud of course looking happy as can be. Lily is not a dog you can just hose off and be done with. Again, the breed is high maintenance when it comes to grooming. I just looked at her and didn’t know whether to laugh or be mad. Obviously I took pictures of her joyfully running around covered in mud. As soon as we got to the car? She saw my face and immediately knew she was in trouble. Lily is very smart, too smart at times, so I knew that she’d known exactly what she was doing and that she’d get away with it since she was with friends. She couldn’t look at me during that drive home and we walked in the house and you could tell just looking at her that she knew she’d messed up. Those pictures make me laugh to this day. I definitely won’t forget the day my dog decided to go for a mud bath. Apparently she wanted the upgraded “spa day” package that week.
What is your favorite thing about being a dog influencer?
Oleasz: I love seeing other accounts and becoming actual friends with people on there! Although Lily now has partnerships with larger brands such as Ruffwear, our favorites are some of the small businesses. There’s a different feel to the community. Lily’s bandana collection is extensive (over 100 from just one shop). So although it is still important to continue creating content to support those businesses, it doesn’t feel like a job when you truly love the company and owners. Meeting others that rep for those businesses has also inspired some content. Our first reel actually featured her long distance “boyfriend.” Both dogs wearing bandanas from the same business.
Lastly, what's next for you and your dog on social media? Any exciting plans or projects in the works?
Oleasz: Lily and I hope to continue creating content that makes people smile. She also now has a rabbit sibling who has just started being featured in some posts, so we look forward to creating more content featuring their developing friendship. Since we are now working with larger brands as well as small businesses, we are trying to navigate that and introduce products from those companies while still keeping our page one that focuses on the joy a dog can bring to not just the owner, but to people across the world.
