“To date, TikTok videos that are tagged with #dog have been watched over 120 BILLION times,” states Salman Haqqi, a senior pet insurance expert at Money.co.uk. So we reached out to him in a bid to find out what it is about our beloved doggos that makes the internet go crazy.
“The reason that pictures and videos of dogs are so popular online is because there's rarely anything controversial about a well-looked-after pooch,” Salman explained. He added that “content often goes viral because it evokes emotions from the masses and pictures and videos of dogs simply make people feel happier when they’re watching them.”
And in this hectic world, most of us feel deprived of feel-good emotions that give us such an emotional boost, therefore dogs become a vital part of that daily fix.
But are there particular breeds that are more prone to internet fame than others? It turns out that cross breeds are incredibly popular, “breeds such as Cockerpoos and Labradoodles are now some of the most popular due to the combination of desirable factors, both genetically and aesthetically.” As a result, “it adds to the cute factor and people's interest in those specific breeds.”
It’s no secret that the world of pet influencers has boomed in recent years, inspiring animal-specific influencer agencies, major brand campaigns and partnerships, and on-screen appearances. So you may have stumbled across the dog-influencer, which is a dog “that has a large following on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, etc.”
“Obviously they've had help from their respective owners,” Salman noted and added: “but they're accounts people engage with, either because they can relate to having their own furry friends or just enjoy 'canine content' vicariously, without owning a dog themselves.”
