Dog influencers are barking straight to the bank

Hudson is the star of the show, and today is his big day, so after Hudson’s manager introduces him for a quick meet and greet, no one complains when he goes in to the next room for a quick power nap.

If you are one of the 116,000 people who follow him on Instagram or the more than 381,000 who follow him on TikTok, then you will know Hudson by his full name: Hudson the Fluffy Corgi. And you will probably also know his mission to spread #fluffyjoy to the world. Whether it is videos of him rubbing his face in the snow, flopping on a yoga mat or lazing in his backyard, Hudson is living his best life, and the simple pleasures of it, usually with a dash of lighthearted humour in the captions, have proven irresistible to his followers.

Dog influencers were already on their way to becoming ubiquitous prior to the pandemic, racking up tens of millions of social-media followers and raking in large sums through sponsored posts. Two pandemic factors have combined to make them more popular – and more lucrative – than ever: the number of Canadians who brought dogs home since the start of the pandemic and the fact that the world is often a very dark place that we need relief from. An Italian greyhound dressed ready for a Paris runway can’t solve the world’s problems, but can make you forget them for a moment.

That moment for you may be just a brief, pleasant distraction. For brands, it’s an opportunity to sell pet food, leashes, collars, pet clothing, stays at pet-friendly hotels or travel to pet-friendly destinations.

Retail sales of dog food grew to $2.8-billion in 2020, up from $2.2-billion in 2016, according to an Agriculture Canada analysis. With food, toys, insurance and all the other costs of looking after their furry friends, Canadians spent an average of $3,999 on their dogs in 2022, according to Statista. And there are now more dog owners than ever before. A survey released in June, 2021, found that 3.7 million Canadians adopted, purchased or fostered a cat or dog during the pandemic.

Considering how much money Canadians spend on their dogs each year, it’s no wonder brands are seeking out influencers.

“Brands use influencer partnerships as a way to build and maintain organic social conversations and it’s a good way to expand their reach by tapping in to the influencer’s audience,” says Stephanie Dumont, creative director of StreetDog Marketing, a Toronto-based agency that works specifically with the pet industry.

In a 2021 blog post called “Dog Instagram … You Actually Make Money on That?,” Victoria Stuart detailed her earnings as part-time Instagram pet influencer running the account @Justbeingfarley, which chronicles her adventures with her mini Australian shepherd.

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Of the just over $17,000 she made last year, her first monetizing her account, most – nearly 80 per cent – came from sponsored posts, a type of ad in which a brand pays an influencer to promote its products or services.

In 2022, she made more than $50,000, including one post she was paid $10,000 for. The companies she partnered with sell poop bags and treats, among other dog-specific products, and she also partnered with Lake Louise Tourism to show off how dog-friendly the area is.

Ms. Stewart sometimes wonders whether she could make influencing a full-time job, but she currently doesn’t make enough online to cover the salary she makes as an engineer in the oil and gas industry, says the 37-year-old who lives in Canmore, Alta.

Plus, she doesn’t want to turn Farley in to an employee.

“I don’t want to make her work hard,” Ms. Stewart says.

A dog influencer with approximately 100,000 followers can usually charge anywhere from $500 to $1,000 for a post, Ms. Dumont says.

When it’s not their full-time job, influencers can be more selective with the paid work they do.

“With my schedule now, I don’t usually do anything that’s under $1,000,” says Lyndal Moody, director of community at Vetster, a service that connects pet owners to online vet services. She also runs the account @Iggyjoey about life with an Italian greyhound who is usually dressed in pup couture.

A good year, Ms. Moody says, is $30,000.

Iggy Joey has been featured on a T-shirt sold across Zara stores and in a Mercedes-Benz commercial.

Paid posts for hotels are some of Ms. Moody’s favourites to do. She’s done them for a handful of hotels in Toronto, and in the fall of 2022 she was paid to spread the word that the NoMad hotel in Las Vegas is pet-friendly.

“I kind of would say to people, it’s like I have a cartoon strip. And like, she’s the main character,” Ms. Moody says. “That’s why we all do it. You know, because you need to distract people from the world.”

Marg Skorka started an Instagram account for her dog because she loves drag. From that love was born @Miss.picklesthepug, in which the dog is dressed as a drag performer.

“I love the art of drag. If I’m having a bad day it’s my happy place,” says Ms. Skorka, a 33-year-old nurse injector in Toronto.

She started the account six years ago. Now, with 55,000 Instagram followers, she typically charges between $600 and $1,000 for a post.

Ms. Skorka has worked with PetSmart and Pet Valu, among other companies, and Miss Pickles has been in a music video for T-Pain and a 2019 Super Bowl commercial.

The choice of what companies to work with always comes down to authenticity, the most crucial commodity in the world of influencing.

“I want Pickles’ audience to just be authentic and not be just, like, being that selling type. I just like her account to be joyous and bring a smile to people’s face versus just pushing a product,” Ms. Skorka says.

Michelle Kerrison and her now husband bought Hudson in 2016.

Ms. Kerrison had a fondness for Kimchi, a fluffy corgi she followed on Instagram. She started an account for Hudson right away, but soon her twin sister, Heather, took over writing the captions and essentially becoming Hudson’s manager.

“This is just for fun for us. Neither me nor my husband are interested in quitting our jobs to to be a full-time pet influencer parent or anything like that,” says Michelle, a project manager in the pharmaceutical industry. Her husband is a product manager at Walmart. They live in Milton, Ont.

Both of them are still baffled sometimes to have a celebrity dog, and Michelle says she was happy to cede the work of maintaining Hudson’s social media to her sister, who devotes about five to 10 hours a week to running the dog’s accounts.

“At a certain point it was kind of like, this is more your thing,” Michelle says, nodding to her sister as we wait for Hudson to return from his nap.

Soon after he does, it’s showtime.

People love to watch Hudson swim. They love to watch him just going about his life. He’s shy, Michelle says, and that helps make him relatable. Hudson is genuine.

But then comes December, and the days fans clamour for – Hudson bouncing and shaking from side to side to get his bone-shaped treat from his advent calendar.

The short, simple video has been viewed by nearly 90,000 people on Instagram.

Video of the seventh day of the advent calendar, just 16 seconds long and featuring some very excited bouncing, has been viewed more than eight million times on TikTok. Day 11 racked up 6.3 million views.

There is no deep meaning at work here.

“It literally is just about joy and fun,” Heather says.