I am obsessed with my dog, Finlay. I raised him from a puppy. I don’t have children of my own, but my furbaby might as well be my kid. I’ve thought about making him an Instagram for a while, but always hesitated. Now that I have so much free time during quarantine, though, I finally decided to make an account for Finlay. Since starting his Instagram, I’ve discovered six reasons that prove this was an excellent decision.
1. I’m contributing to social media in a positive way.
There is a lot of negativity in the world right now, and I’m tired of it. My dog brings me so much joy and I’d love to share that joy with my fellow animal lovers. If Finlay can make just one person smile each day, I’m happy. Plus, there are plenty of laughs each time I tell my family and boyfriend about Finlay’s latest follower or share how his photos get more likes than mine.
I also follow several animal rescue organizations and do what I can to spread awareness of their cause. I share their posts in Finlay’s Instagram stories. Finlay only has around 650 followers, but all it takes is just one of those people to help make a difference.
2. Posting pictures gives me a purpose each day.
Quarantine has dragged on forever. On the days when I feel unproductive, I feel depressed. Posting a photo on Finlay’s account every day gives me a task to complete and provides a sense of accomplishment.
3. I love interacting with fellow animal lovers.
I love scrolling through my dog’s feed to like photos of other pets and leave compliments in the comments. The Instagram pet community has been so welcoming and inclusive. I’ve even shared some great conversations with other pet parents from around the world. During this time of self-isolation, it’s been a great social outlet to virtually interact with others in the pet community.
4. I can preserve my favorite memories.
Finlay is only 3 and has a lot of life left to live. My older dog, Ginger, is almost 14, though, and I lost many pictures of her over the years. With this Instagram account, I won’t make the same mistake again with Finlay — his pictures will remain preserved on Instagram forever.
5. Instagram is a creative outlet for me.
I love photography, and my best photos are of my dogs. Therefore, this Instagram account gives me a place to show off my work in a positive way for people to actually see.
This account also gives me the opportunity to form creative captions for my posts. I write them out as if Finlay wrote them, and I comment on other pet photos as Finlay, too. I’ve noticed many pet accounts give their dogs a voice or persona as well, and it’s adorable.
6. This account gives me the chance to break out of my comfort zone.
I am very private on my personal Instagram. I don’t post or comment very often. However, I am much more outgoing on Finlay’s page.
This new mission encourages me to take my dogs on more adventures. So in addition to snapping the perfect photo from these outings, I’m also seeing some beautiful places, while spending quality time with my pups.
I don’t have any plans of making Finlay a “pup-fluencer”. I just decided that I needed a fun outlet to express myself during the pandemic and this Instagram account works well. I never expected to enjoy running my dog’s account as much as I do. Although I don’t know what will happen with Finlay’s account in the future, I’ll be forever grateful for the memories that will be made and preserved on his Instagram.
Photo by Delaney Dawson on Unsplash
