If your past week has been comparable to a giant trash fire with no end in sight, social media may be a tool you use to help ignore the growing flames in your life. My personal favorite outlet for avoidance is Instagram. With everyone pretending life is great and nothing could go wrong, it almost seems like things in your life may not be as bad as they actually are. Denial is key.
During these times, the stories and pictures I seek out are of happy moments, involve animals or, preferably, both. My all-time favorite posts are ones involving animals getting adopted and adoption shelters finding homes for every animal previously in their care. So, after curiosity fueled me to do a little research into animal shelters and social media, I am delighted to announce social media platforms have made larger impacts on shelters than just allowing me to look at all the lovely animals. Thanks to Natasha Feduik and her article, “How Social Media Is Helping More Pets Get Adopted,” I have an even better excuse to stare at countless images of cats, dogs and rabbits.
Feduik acknowledges the numerous benefits and abilities social media can have for any business and company. She goes on to reveal the good that comes from shelters using social media to spread awareness of their animals. By following the countless pages, the user is able to directly connect an animal to a shelter. This forces them to think of the animal not just as some prop in a sad commercial, but a living, playful creature in need of a loving home.
By being on social media, shelters are able to reach an audience in their area and as well as countries away. Feduik points out how many well-recognized animals there are on the internet because of their popularity with users. One well-known animal shared all over the internet is Mr. Biggles, best known for being an “utter bastard of a cat.” After a witty shelter worker wrote an honest biography for one of their animals, the internet saw it and shared it with as many people as possible. Mr. Biggles has become such a popular cat that he now has his own website and accepts fan mail detailing stories of other difficult animals.
By exposing users to these animals, the possibility of them getting adopted rises drastically. If someone is in search of getting an animal, being able to visit an adoption shelter’s page and searching through the animals is convenient and personalized. Those looking to adopt are able to communicate with the shelter, explore the various animals and get information on them without having to look up from their phone and see the trash fire of life around them.
There are tons of animals currently looking for loving, responsible humans. If you or anyone else you know is looking to be that human, take a look at a local shelter and give them the home they deserve.
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| Tiny Opie in the front and the original utter bastard, Alice, being just as cute in the back. |
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| Soon after we brought Opie, my second adopted cat, home (days after I was told I didn't need a second cat). |
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| A current picture of Opie and his roundness because he's too cute not to share. |
