Tech/Business/Gaming
Pet Influencers: How Dogs Build Fame and Make Money
Scroll through any social feed long enough and a dog will stop you in your tracks. Maybe it is a husky arguing with its owner, a pug in a tiny trench coat, or a golden retriever reacting to a new toy like it just won the lottery. Behind many of those clips is a real business, with brand contracts, talent managers and owners who have turned a pet’s personality into a full-time job.
Pet influencers, sometimes called “petfluencers,” have moved from internet novelty to a serious corner of the creator economy. Here is how it works.
From Puppy Photos to Full-Time Careers
Most famous dog accounts did not start with a business plan. Menswear Dog, one of the earliest breakout stars, began when owner Yena Kim dressed her Shiba Inu in a shirt on a slow, rainy weekend and posted the photos. More recently, Sapphie the Pomsky built an audience of over 9 million followers across Instagram and TikTok after her owners started filming her bedtime zoomies during the pandemic. The pattern is familiar: a casual post catches on, the audience grows, and brands start knocking. Pets have also become a bigger part of how people express...