All proud pet owners have one thing in common: they can’t get enough of their pet pals’ antics, sweetness, cuteness, and even their strangeness, and they just have to share these precious moments with the whole world. It used to be that pet owners only used to share stories about their beloved animals and their countless pictures with family and friends during get-togethers; nowadays, social networks and websites have made it possible for pet owners and lovers to show off their pets to the whole world. Social media platforms have become an extension of people’s lives, and for those whose lives revolve around their pets, it’s only natural that these beloved animal companions also feature prominently in their owners’ online activities.
Animals don’t have to do anything scandalous to become viral; they just do what they do best, being adorable, delightful, funny, and all those nice things that make pets so endearing. On YouTube, the “bumbling” and “awkward” (as described by his owner) cat Maru to date boasts of nearly 140,000 subscribers and more than 6 million views. On Facebook, five-year-old pomeranian Boo rules, and has officially become a public figure with 3.7 million people following the cute dog – he is currently the number one dog on the worldwide web. On Twitter, the cat known as Sockington is being followed by almost 1.5 million Twitter users.
It has also become common practice nowadays for some pet owners to create social profiles for their pets on various social platforms. There’s reality star Bethany Frankel’s puppy, Cookiedabooboo, who has her own Twitter account and tweets updates as herself, mostly about her thoughts about daily life with her celebrity owner. There’s also the cool and comical OprahtheDog who mostly talks about his dad – rapper 50cent – on his Twitter updates. Indiana’s Butler University’s mascot, the bulldog ButlerBlue2, always shows his school spirit and often tweets about the goings-on on campus. On Facebook, there’s Sutter, California Governor Jerry Brown’s dog, whose updates range from political posts to cute pet videos.
And then there are those pet owners who want something bigger for their cherished critter pals, so they create websites solely for them. Many of these sites help raise funds for animal shelters and charities. One such site is devoted to a New Yorker’s cat named Romeo, who currently has close to 10,000 followers, and has amassed more than $50,000 in donations.
Pets have become such a popular subject on social networking sites that it was only a matter of time until dedicated pet sites would also emerge. Social networks dedicated to pets that have cropped up over the years include: Catster, MyCatSpace, and UnitedCats, for cat lovers; for canines, there’s Dogster, MyDogSpace, and UnitedDogs; for those who want to blog about their pets or read about such blogs, there’s blogpaws.com.
For anyone and everyone passionate about pets, social networking sites and dedicated pet websites such as these allow pet owners and lovers to share and enjoy animal pictures and videos, and create profiles for their pets. Additionally, pet social networks also provide anything and everything pet-related, such as expert help, resources, forums, and member benefits. They serve as a venue where pet owners and lovers can exchange valuable tips and other information; find friends for their pets; or even look for or post information about animal adoption.
Whether you’re a pet owner or simply an animal lover, you probably haven’t been able to resist clicking on that link of a cute puppy wearing a ballerina outfit standing on its hind legs on a small trampoline.
