Are these 10 the most popular Singapore Dogs on Instagram?

Who are the Singapore dogs on Instagram that people follow?

Here’s 10 #sgdogs that I found with the largest following, and with over 12,000 followers at the minimum. Guess what they all have in common :P

Are you curious? Come find out.

Most Popular Singapore Dogs on Instagram 

The dogs featured are identified by @weliveinaflat, with help from @somewhitecookie. This is by no means an exhaustive or definitive list. We were basically trying to find dog(s) located in Singapore that are likely to have the most number of followers on Instagram, as a quick and dirty measure of popularity. :P

The main tag used for searching out these dogs is #sgdogs, besides referencing other webposts. So it is probable that there are popular Singapore dog accounts not using the hash tag that we did not discover. Feel free to let me know of any dogs I have missed and I will update.

I have only managed to chat with 5 of the 10 pet parents running the dog accounts listed in this post. Many thanks to the pet parents for letting me use your dogs’ pictures! For the others, I have linked them to other writeups about them as available. :P

*The number of followers reported is accurate as of 4th Sep, 2015.

 

 

#1 Muffin the Shihtzu | @muffincan – 47k followers

6-year-old Muffin is the poster-child for the pet treats and accessories shop furrific-sg.com. So it’s not difficult to get your hands on a Muffin tote bag, postcard or T-shirt, if you are a fan. Muffin’s hobby is eating, but you’ll most often find him modeling various pet clothes and accessories on his Instagram. Muffin’s human says she buys a lot of props for photos simply because she just loves to “document everything that he does and every expression” that he makes with the props and when he is dressed up. She does need a bit of time to get him to look at the camera, but that hasn’t stopped her from filling her phone full of his photos! Muffin’s bed head can be rather striking :P

Instagram @muffincan
Equipment: iPhone 5s most of the time, DSLR 1000d sometimes.

 

#2 Ching Ching the Shihtzu | @littleyetichingching – 30.5k followers

2-year-old Ching Ching Cai is a “head tilting, carrot eating, toy hoarding” Shihtzu girl. Ching Ching’s photos are often bathed in warm colours and the orange glow of her cosy home. Ching Ching’s Instagram account is peppered with humorous videos of her interactions with her pawrents, such as when papa tricked her by faking mama’s voice and when Ching Ching tried to give papa a shower.  Ching Ching’s human says, “Ching Ching has a lot of funny antics and she’s really animated, so it’s really just catching her doing these things and trying to tell the story in “her perspective”.

Instagram You can find Ching Ching at @littleyetichingching because “she looks like a yeti with her white fur and underbite :).”
Equipment: iPhone 6

 

#3 BunCha the Pomeranian | @babybuncha – 26.7k followers

BunCha is the months-old puppy of Blogger Naomi Neo, who herself has over 200k followers on Instagram. Buncha is #3 on this list of 12 cutest pets of Instagram you need to follow.

 

#4 Princess the Maltese | @princessthewhitefluff – 19.1k followers

7-year-old Princess the Maltese is probably most easily identified by her eyes, which often gives her a sweet, innocent look. Princess is often accessorized and enjoys the attentions of her long-legged dolls and minion. Her Instagram account comprises candid snapshots of her, with various expressions that her fans find cute. Princess’s human says that her IG account is only to show how cute Princess is. Princess’ popularity among followers was unexpected. Princess lives a normal life and the photos are taken a day after bath day when Princess is clean and pretty.

Instagram @princessthewhitefluff
Equipment: Samsung Note 4 and S6

 

#5 Cotton the Maltese | @cottonthemaltese – 17.9k followers

Adopted from Hope Dog Rescue, Cotton’s life is literally a rags to riches story. Cotton the maltese was found abandoned and wandering the streets in bad condition. Despite her history of seizures, she was lucky to find a family willing to adopt her and able to have the time to keep an eye on her because of her medical history. Nicknamed the “smiling maltese” on her profile, Cotton certainly has lots to smile about with all the yummy pet food and toys that she receives from sponsors and friends. “Many people have actually asked how I manage to take such (smiley) photos of Cotton,” says her human, “I have no concrete answer myself! I guess she is naturally quite photogenic and over time she has learnt that photo-taking sessions mean more treats so she’s more than happy to pose for me. And when she’s happy, she has a really relaxed, smiley face ;-)”

Instagram @cottonthemaltese | Cotton also has her own blog here 
Equipment: Nikon D5300 and occasionally iPhone 5S

 

#6 Pirate the French Bulldog| @piratethefrenchie – 15.8k followers

2-year-old Pirate the Frenchie is white with a distinctive black eye-patch which perhaps explains his name. Pirate is #7 on this list of 12 cutest pets of Instagram you need to follow.

 

#7 Plato the French Bulldog | @helloplato_the_frenchie – 14.2k followers

5-year-old Plato the French Bulldog is currently featured on PETS Magazine as “some kind of Instagram celeb dog” so of course he is on this list. :P His is also the only account on this list with a child co-star, Amber. Plato’s mom says, “If he’s looking cute, I take a photo and think of a (sometimes funny caption) later.” And although these photos often include his human sister Amber,  Mom says mummy is still Plato’s favourite human. Mom also says it’s easy to take photos of Plato because “he’s very food-motivated. I just have to take out a treat and he will do anything,…  But he (Plato) really loves to follow Amber around, especially when she’s eating, cos she will usually give him some… He also likes to go and lie near her when she’s playing with her toys or drawing, which I find really sweet.” But really, “their relationship is more boisterous and fun, and not necessarily the huggy and sweet kind.”

Instagram @helloplato_the_frenchie 
Equipment: iPhone 6+

 

#8 Pepi the Chihuahua | @hellopepi – 13.4k followers

According to BuzzFeed, 4-year-old Pepi is Instagram’s Hottest Supermodel. It’s also the prettiest account out of this list of ten. :P Personal opinion only. :P You can also see the FAQ on Pepi here.

 

#9 Kody and Kai the French Bulldogs| @kodyandkai – 12.7k followers

Kody and Kai are two frenchbulldogs, one fawn and one black. This is the only account on my list of ten with a black dog.

 

#10 Latte the  West Highland White Terrier | @thevanillapup – 12.6k followers

Two-year-old Latte has a blog/website over at vanillapup.com. You can also see this post Q&A with vanillapup to get to know her better.

 

Are small, light-coloured dogs more popular?

All but one of the most popular Singapore dog accounts on Instagram in this list appear to be light-coloured. Whether a DSLR or a handphone was used to take the photos didn’t matter. Age and gender of the dog did not appear to be much of a factor as well.

In addition, small, white and fluffy appears to be the common theme when it comes to who gets to be the top dogs of Singapore on Instagram. There’s no disputing that small, white and fluffy dogs are adorable. In particular, the Shih Tzu, Maltese and Pomeranian dogs are bred to be cute and winsome lap dogs with big round eyes.

But maybe white or light dogs also tend to stand out better in a colourful grid of dog photos.

 

Is it easier to make an emotional connection to a light-coloured dog?

The Black Dog Syndrome is the name U.S. shelter workers use to describe the tendency of dark-haired pups to be passed over for adoption because potential adopters preferred their lighter-haired counterparts. You can read more about the Black Dog Syndrome on these slate.com, time.com and petfinder.com articles on the topic. 

Black dogs are hard to photograph well. One theory is that facial features don’t show up with as much definition because of the dark fur colour. “Their faces look less expressive, and their eyes get lost,” says photographer Fred Levy on slate.com. Because of the way the camera averages out exposure levels over the entire scene, Levy explains, “often all you’ll see of the dog is a black silhouette and a big tongue.”  As a result, people may make less of an emotional connection with the dog based on photos alone. And for that reason, black dogs often take a longer time to be adopted, and are reported to often be the candidates for euthanasia in kill-shelters.

 

Regardless the colour of the dog…

Perhaps light-haired dogs have an edge when it comes to attracting views and followers, but it does take a dog account with personality to keep the followers from leaving.

I do not doubt many of the pet parents behind the dogs’ accounts love their pooches or they may not have invested the time and effort to maintain these accounts to share their dogs’ photos with the world.

And through that process, whether it’s dressing up dog for goofy photos or sharing humorous videos of their antics, all of us end up creating these little squares of pictures and videos that form a trail of precious memories that we can scroll through again and again.

Cotton’s human says, “When the day is too long or tiring, scrolling through her Instagram page or photos of her on my phone never fails to bring a smile to my face. It’s a plus that there are also many people out there who love Cotton and we get inspired to continue managing her Instagram page when we read comments about how Cotton has brightened their day or made them smile with a goofy photo :-) “

And even though dark-haired pets may be less photogenic than their lighter-haired counterparts, dark-haired dogs are no less affectionate/smart/cute/insert adjective as light-haired dogs.

See also, Tiger Looi – Singapore’s popular mongrel girl on Facebook!

So if you are looking to adopt a dog, perhaps you can consider paying more attention to the darker-haired dogs in the background. I know for a fact that the only dog that stood out to us at the shelter we visited was Mario the white dog. If the shelter person-in-charge had not specifically directed us to our black and tan mongrel dog, Donna, we probably would not have adopted her at all. :P

 

Leave a comment

• What are some of your favourite Instagram pet accounts?
  Let me know and I’ll  go check it out! My personal favourites include @zeiq, @Kelly_Bove, @Berylsmum and I’m often entertained by @Sacco_Sorry.

• If you know of any beautiful black dog accounts, do share as well. @belgiandavinci is a personal favourite of mine.

• Do you know of any FUNNY pet or dog accounts? Share the laughter now!

 

Need a little help taking better photos of your dog that will showcase his/her personality?

• How to photograph black dogs and cats 1 | 2
• 10 tips for getting great photos of your dog
• Photographing Dogs: NomadRuss Ten Tips Reinvented

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