As a dog lover, you read every blog article, post, even caption you find online concerning dogs. With headlines reading “20 Cutest Puppies” or “10 Senior Dogs Looking for Their Fur-ever Homes,” you can’t help but click on the link and take a look at their sweet puppy faces. It doesn’t matter how old the dog is either. You could be looking at a 13-year-old gray-faced black lab, but you still call her a puppy.
For those of us who are forced to go on without the love of a dog in our lives, following pup accounts on Instagram provides the salve we need. By watching cute videos and viewing sweet pictures, we can live vicariously through dog owners!
Here are 5 doggie Instagram accounts to follow for a year of giggles and “Awws.”
1. Smiley the Blind Therapy Dog, @smileytheblindtherapydog
Rescued from a puppy mill in 2004 by his human mom Joanne George, Smiley was born without eyes and has a condition linked to dwarfism. This has left the Golden Retriever with physical disproportions that have made him look like he is always smiling.
Now 14-years-old, Smiley has been working as a therapy dog for the last several years, working mainly with children, of whom, like Smiley, are differently abled. Smiley, living up to his name, has brought hundreds of thousands of smiles to the humans he meets. In an interview with the Huffington Post, his owner Joanne said that when he meets people, “[he] needs to feel you, he sits there forever waiting to be patted and stroked. He leans right up against you.”
Smiley’s mama posts pictures and videos of Smiley’s adventures every day, showing him at work, on walks and playing with his little human brother and napping with his other furry siblings. With over 115,000 followers on Instagram, he is one popular pooch.
2. Susie’s Senior Dogs, @susiesseniordogs
The story of Susie’s Senior Dogs starts with a young man meeting a small, aged dog creature in need of a new home. He fell in love with the mohawked and bushy-eyebrowed Chihuahua mix and took her home.
Susie’s owner, Brandon Stanton (and creator of Humans of New York) was amazed at how the love of a dog changed his life, and his girlfriend (now fiancée) Erin O’Sullivan’s, as fell in love with the little charmer too. Realizing how many people pass over older dogs at shelters to adopt puppies, Erin founded Susie’s Senior Dogs, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the public about adoptable senior dogs who are looking for their forever homes. Named after their beloved pooch, Erin has made it her mission to share news, images and details of senior dogs who need adopting, and the NGO’s Instagram page features a motley crew of pups looking to meet their human. With new pictures posted every day of doggies from all over the United States, Susie’s followers have found their furry family members just looking at their feed.
If you follow this insta page, you just might find your gray-chinned perfect pup.
3. Apollo, @adoreabullapollo
A Pit Bull who doesn’t let his past affect his present, Apollo’s owner Brittany Faske first heard about the dog when she received an upsetting phone call while volunteering for All Dogs Official Rescue Enterprise of Houston (ADORE).
Over the phone, an employee at a construction landfill told her there was injured dog in the area whose face looked like it was half gone, and the dog wouldn’t let anyone come near him. When the pit allowed Faske to examine his injuries, she realized he was the victim of animal cruelty. In an interview with The Dodo, Faske explained that the pit’s snout and nose were gone. She believed that because “the cut was so clean and even, it could have happened with a sharp instrument. It was if someone had literally taken a knife and cut off the front of his face.”
Faske was able to get the ailing pup into her car and to a veterinarian. Naming the dog Apollo, after the Greek god of medicine, Faske was by Apollo’s side at every surgery and was his constant companion during his recovery. They formed such an incredible bond that she adopted him.
Apollo can be found lazing about in a sun beam on the floor or playing with one of his furry brothers. Despite his rough start, he loves people and other dogs. His mom fosters other pups who need homes, and he welcomes them to the pack with love and patience.
4. The Golden Life of Pal, @thegoldenlifeofpal
Brother of Smiley and fur baby of Joanne George, Pal was rescued from a puppy mill in Istanbul. Like his brother Smiley, Pal was born blind. When Joanne first heard of Pal and that he needed adopting, she knew that he would fit right in with the family.
Initially, Pal was wary of his surroundings. Having to fight to survive at the puppy mill, he didn’t know what to make of his brother Smiley or sister Pippi. “Thank goodness Pippi and Smiley are very tolerant, understanding and quiet,” George told Dogster. It only took [Pal] about a day to realize these dogs were never going to hurt him, and he stopped reacting.
George posts videos and snaps of Pal during his training sessions and at play with other dogs. George runs a dog training business, and brings her furry brood with her for training and socializing. Pal is likely to follow in Smiley’s footsteps and become a therapy dog himself, and judging by his Instagram account, he’ll be a great one.
5. Goose the Labrador, @pup.pup.goose
A black Labrador puppy who walks the frosty streets of Boston, Goose brings joy and light to his followers in videos of him playing and getting rambunctious at the dog park and cuddling with his human parents. A huge Patriots fan, Goose loves a good Sunday football game.
For every 50 followers Goose gets, his family donates a pound of dog food to the local humane society. Not only do you get to see cute pics of this pup sleeping, but just by following him, you’re helping to increase the numbers for a volunteer giveaway.
What did we ever do to deserve dogs?
Awwww. I have a pup and I still look at doggie pictures. I *almost* created an IG account just to follow Smiley!