Do you ever look at your dog and think, “wow, you could totally be famous?”
I sure did when I was 13. That’s when I had the brilliant idea to create an Instagram account for my two dogs—Clover, a female Boxer with diva energy, and Finn, a Beagle/Jack Russell mix with boundless chaos in his DNA.
Their handle was @1clover_1finn, I know 😆 very original right?
I was convinced their goofy, lovable personalities were destined to blow up on social media, and of course, I expected that they would credit their fame back to me. Each post was from their perspective, usually a selfie with captions like: “Needed a nap after a long day of barking at the tree and playing fetch.”
The account gained traction quickly—or at least, I thought it did. Within a few weeks, we had 12 followers. Half were my family (probably out of obligation) and the rest were… well, the three other Instagram accounts I ran at the time. However, we were determined to break through. Clover would sing along with me as I played the recorder, which may have just been her way of tuning me out.
For his part, Finn, who wasn’t as much of a singer, would showcase his “zoomies,” as I liked to call it, when he would get insane bursts of energy and run laps around the living room. One of my favorite memories was when I was throwing Finn’s toy and he decided to hurdle over Clover to get it with no hesitation.
I really thought my dogs had the talent and personality to make it big, but over time, I realized they might actually prefer being the audience rather than the stars. That became especially clear every Thanksgiving when The National Dog Show Presented by Purinacame on TV. While my family was scrambling around the house prepping and getting ready to host a gathering of 10, Clover and Finn never missed a moment of the dogs prancing around the ring on NBC. They’d park themselves in front of the screen, eyes glued to the parade of perfectly groomed canines strutting their stuff. Sometimes they even barked or growled at the TV, which I liked to imagine was their version of cheering.
Maybe Clover and Finn never reached Instagram stardom, but in our living room, they were celebrities in their own right. And honestly, watching them fangirl over the National Dog Show each year became its own kind of tradition—a reminder that even if they weren’t “Best in Show,” they were the best in our show.
With the opportunity to work on the National Dog Show, as an intern for the promotion agency this year, I feel like 13-year-old me is fangirling a little bit. Having lost Clover a few years ago I am especially grateful to be a part of something that reminds me of the bond I shared with my dogs and the creative side they brought out of me at a young age.
This year’s show will be taking place November 15-16 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center with tickets available at https://nds.nationaldogshow.com/.
Can’t make it in person? No worries. The show will be airing on NBC Thanksgiving Day, November 27, from noon-2 p.m. in all time zones, following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Enjoy!