Let’s face it, people. Twitter is a tremendous tool for social networking. Anyone who uses Twitter regularly, though, regardless of the reason, must admit that the constant updates can be a bit overwhelming. What better way to break through the doldrums of work or current affairs than to have a baby puppy or an amusing dog pop up in your Twitter feed?
Nestled between posts about local or international news, or even carefully-curated updates in your Twitter dog-themed list, a roster which certainly includes Dogster, you too can experience the temporary uplift provided by mischievous puppies or artful dog pictures. With millions of users on Twitter, tons of dog-oriented accounts, and the fly-by-night nature of many, who can you follow for consistent puppy and dog photo content? I’ve done that work for you!
1. Generic Dog and Puppy Photos: Puppy Pics
If you’re sitting there saying, “I need puppy pictures, and I need them now,” then Puppy Pics is a gold mine. Updating nearly every hour, you’re going to get precisely what it says on the tin. No muss, no fuss, just a steady and reliable stream of puppy pictures to brighten your day.
OMG he’s so small! pic.twitter.com/JAyW1VLocb
— Puppy Pics (@PuppyPicturez) August 12, 2014
The major issue with the Puppy Pics account is retweet spam, by which I mean they retweet a stray and unrelated link to an external site. If you choose to follow, I recommend turning off retweets immediately. For those of you who are not power Twitter users, simply click on the gear icon next to the “Follow” button and select “Turn off retweets.”
2. The Daily Puppy
Not to be confused with Daily Puppy, which consists mostly of text and links, this is The Daily Puppy. You want the goods, and by “the goods,” I mean a steady stream of adorable puppy pictures arriving in your timeline just when you need them.
A little tough guy pic.twitter.com/aq1zXn2CTu
— DailyDose Of Puppies (@TheDaiIyPuppy) August 12, 2014
Be aware, though, The Daily Puppy is a sibling account to The Daily Kitten. The two accounts do a great deal of retweeting from each other’s accounts. If puppy pictures are what you came for, you’ll want to turn off retweets when you follow.
3. Variety is the Spice of Life – Cute Animal Pics
Sometimes, of course, variety can be nice. If you don’t mind a bit of a mixed bag, and just want a fun interruption in your timeline, you can scarcely expect more from Cute Animal Pics. Rest assured, dog and puppy fans, that the account is heavily skewed towards, and maintains a strong focus on, dog and puppy photos. You’ll never go more than a few tweets before you see another puppy, dog, or group of dogs in your timeline.
— Cute Animals (@CuteAnimal_Pics) July 20, 2014
Things that work in this account’s favor: I like the variety of animal photos offered, from dogs and puppies to otters and hedgehogs. Another bonus: there are no distractions. No retweets, no irrelevant material; there are hardly even any captions. Just dog photos, puppy pictures, and an assortment of small animals to improve your spirits.
4. One dog’s quest to stay positive: ResLife Puppy
If you don’t need 15-20 photos of dogs and puppies in your Twitter timeline, this may be the account for you. ResLife Puppy — related to administration of Residential Life at Loyola University — updates a couple of times a day, on average. Specific to one dog, this account is great for those who don’t need a constant influx of puppy photos.
What did YOU do to make today GREAT? pic.twitter.com/lJXbnhfUjH
— Res Life Puppy (@ResLifePuppy) July 28, 2014
The brainchild of Marci Walton in Chicago, the ResLife Puppy is a happy, positive, and adventurous French Bulldog living in the halls of academia. In this representative tweet, you get the best of both worlds — a cute dog photo and a bit of “seize the day” encouragement!
5. Puppy pictures with a purpose: Dogs Trust
This one is a special favorite; best in show, if you will. Dogs Trust is a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that has been dedicated, since the late 1800s, to protecting, defending, and re-homing stray and abandoned dogs. Their Twitter account could best be described as puppy and dog pictures with a purpose.
Blake here from @DT_Newbury loves to run and play! He loves to be with people and having cuddles. #rehome pic.twitter.com/mMz2lfo8XY
— Dogs Trust (@DogsTrust) August 12, 2014
Yes, you’re going to get photos of beautiful dogs several times a day, but these are not generic photos. These are real dogs in the UK who need real homes. The best tweets and retweets from branch offices in their organization are those that not only show a cool dog photo, but let you know that this dog has been adopted!
Lovely Max has been adopted today after spending some time with one of our foster families. @dogstrust #rehome pic.twitter.com/ejtlBxt6jm
— Dogs Trust Evesham (@DT_Evesham) August 8, 2014
No crass or commercial interests here; the people at Dogs Trust care about the health, well-being, and safety of all the dogs that come into their lives. If you follow only one of these accounts, let Dogs Trust be the one.
Bonus! Creative dog hashtag! #DrawADogTuesday
There’s no doubt that hashtags — meant to direct attention and focus to a specific topic, and make it easier to locate — are the most overused and misunderstood thing on the web today. Though the origins have become somewhat obscured to time, the hashtag #DrawADogTuesday is gaining steam on Twitter. The impetus is simply to get people drawing and sharing their dog art! Skill is not an issue. It’s about creativity!
I’m into this hashtag: #DrawADogTuesday pic.twitter.com/ntRu4JlUni
— Matt Henry (@heymatthenry) July 29, 2014
Whether it’s done on a tablet by a professional artist or illustrator, or a pen scribble by someone sitting in a meeting, this is a fun and varied hashtag to follow for something just a bit different than the standard dog and puppy photo fare. What are some of the Twitter accounts you count on for dog and puppy photo content? Share them with us in the comments!
