Popularity doesn’t come easy on Instagram. Jack Daniel (JD), a two-and-a-half-year old Labrador knows what a struggle it is. He poses while being driven on a bike, manages to let-go of his favourite ball to get the perfect beach shot and even resists the temptation of devouring his birthday cake till the shutterbugs do their work.
Most importantly, he ensures that he is photographed regularly, including a compulsory once-a-week outdoor shoot. How else do you think his profile @Mylabthecutest has 233 followers in just 27 weeks? “When we are out, he refuses to get into the car till he hears the click of the camera. During one of our shoots, I forgot the memory card at home and I was unable to take photographs. He refused to leave the place till I took some photos from my phone,” says Aditya Venkatraman, who bought a Canon 1100 D just to shoot JD.
‘Mylabthecutest’ captures the journey of the two through their adventures on the beach, motorcycle rides and their day-to-day activities. “The idea is to inspire people to bring home a pet. In fact, some people even got one after seeing the profile,” says Aditya.
Social network profiles for pets are a popular trend abroad. So much so, that some celebrity pets give tough competition to the celebrities themselves. The trend is just catching up here.
An ardent pet lover, Tanisha Chauhan’s favourite online activity is to see cute photos and videos of animals. After seeing some adorable pet profiles, she decided to introduce three-year-old Pickles to the world.
Tanisha and her husband had adopted Pickles, who was rescued from Harrington Road. “My phone is full of Pickles’ pictures and Instagram was a perfect place to share them all. Her profile — @Woofytails is all about her royal life, where she trains humans.
Tanisha explains, “The idea is to show people how to make a four-legged animal part of the family. I have grown up with pets but Pickles was special as she taught me to be a parent and I want to show things from her perspective.”
Pickles has more than 200 followers from all over the world in just seven weeks. “I was surprised to see her grab the limelight. She has followers from across the world. I make it a point to upload her pictures with quirky captions every night before I hit the bed. The idea is that her followers abroad don’t miss recent posts,” says Tanisha.
These social media pets are a force to reckon with. Adonis, a five-year-old Golden Retriever, wastes no time when someone needs her help. If any pet, anywhere is in distress, @Adonisthegolden is happy to help. “We created his profile just a few weeks ago. His profile is full of videos of him and his silly tricks. His followers are pets from all over and we are a close-knit community. We leave each other messages and help whenever we can. Recently, a dog in the U.S. met with an accident and his friends on Instagram collected funds for his aid,” says Prianca Vishnu, who plans to shoot a slow-motion video of Adonis.
Not just Instagram, Chennai also has some four-legged Facebook stars who take their profiles very seriously. Kelly Tangy, a Golden Retriever, for instance, has been maintaining her FB for six-and-a-half years now. She shares photos (taken from a professional camera), forwards, jokes and her friends are up-to-date with her life.
Such is her seriousness about her online presence that her FB profile shows that she is in a ‘Relationship’. “There is a male dog in Kodambakkam she’s friends with. When she is hanging out with him, she is in a relationship,” says Alfred Abraham. He, along with his brother, handles Kelly’s profile.
There are many pets who have Facebook profiles, but they are mostly inconsistent. Kelly means business. “It is she who interacts with potential buyers when the family decides to sell the litter. We maintain the profile in such a way that it seems that she is in charge of her life.”
Creating a profile for a pet is easy but it’s a task keeping it creative. Check @marniethedog, @chalky0528, @chloerkardoggian, @macykrazeeelabrador and @gypsiegirls for inspiration.
