BENGALURU: To share the adventures of their pets with the world, Bengalureans are creating separate accounts on social media, such as Instagram, for their dogs and cats. With the growing popularity of ‘petstagram’, many pet parents now have more followers on their pets page than their own personal accounts, sometimes even going upto 23,000 followers. In fact, influencers also get queries from other pet parents, who turn to them for advice on health issues or the daily routine of their pets. This, even before a visit to the vet.
Pet parent Namitha P C started ‘trixtermicah’ on Instagram, dedicated to her two-year-old Micah. “The main motive behind the account is to tell followers the emotional support a dog can provide to hoomans. I wanted to create awareness that pets are family,”says Namitha, whose page has over 3, 400 followers.
From diet, playtime, training, goofy moments and interactions with her sibling Sniper, Namitha started posting everything about Micah two months after she walked in to her life. “I have noticed many pet parents upload only the happy moments and not what happens behind the scenes. There are many pet parents who approach us even before they seek advice from vets, on diets and concerns on daily routine,” she claims.
Jahnavi Bhat, an entrepreneur and musician, also receives queries about pet accessories and what she feeds her pet Millie. She created the account Millie Doggy Brown a year ago to share all the ‘weird and funny’ moments of Millie. Priyanka Rajwani, pet parent to Shih Tzu Felix, who runs ‘i_am.felix’ on Insta, adds, “Many pet parents ask if I have also faced similar health issues with my pet. Many of them connect asking for remedies for health issues. I suggest that they take their pets to the vet if it’s very severe.”
When Namratha P Reddy started an Insta account (Hazel.the.goldie) for her pet in 2017, she was not aware of the large pet community on Instagram and she never knew her two-year-old Golden retriever’s page would receive 3,600 followers from around the world. “The idea is to create positive vibes, the way Hazel does in our lives,” she says, adding, meal times are never complete without Hazel drooling around her. “Even if she’s full, she still needs to sniff our food and have a bite from our plates. She still has puppy behaviour and she gets candid when she meet new friends,” says the MBA graduate. So, Reddy always keeps her camera on standby to capture those moments.