At the beginning of this spring semester, one of my sorority sisters added me to a group on Facebook called "Dogspotting" while we were watching the Puppy Bowl. She described it by saying that people just post pictures of cute dogs—little did I know it would change my life.
The first thing to know about "Dogspotting" is the rules. You cannot post a picture of your own dog or a dog you know. It has to be a unique sighting. It has to be a picture of the dog itself, no selfies are allowed. It can’t be a photo from a place where dogs are typically found like the vet, or a pet store. Last, you must provide some context of where you saw the dog.
At first, it was all a bit overwhelming. I was thrust into the world of dog enthusiasts and people who refer to all dogs as “puppers” and “doggos.” I didn’t understand just how far this group had spread, with almost 150,000 members. (I have contributed to that member count by adding a few of my other dog-loving friends.) I had no idea that people from all over the world were joining in. Dogs from Italy, China and the UK—there were so many adorable, foreign dogs.
I quickly found myself wrapped up in this somewhat fantasy world where my entire Facebook feed was filled with happy people posting about happy animals. It was a big difference compared to what the typical Facebook feed looks like. There were small dogs, big dogs, silly dogs, and really talented dogs. All 150,000 of us came together to share in the joys of randomly seeing a dog. It amazed me how excited some people got at a spot. Some people even drew pictures of dogs they saw when they couldn’t take a picture.
After a while, I caught myself sneaking pictures of dogs when I saw them out and about. I would try to resist the urge (and try not to be creepy about it), but I would think, “Wow, that little pup would brighten so many people’s day.”
Drury has seen a great increase of dog appearances on campus in the last few months. One of my professors brings his dog to class sometimes and my sorority sister has a fluffy dog she brings to all of our events. There’s another girl who lives near me with the happiest ball of fluff I’ve ever seen. When I spot a dog on campus I get so excited. I never noticed how many sweet dogs there were around me until I joined Dogspotting.
I feel like sometimes we all need a little break from the negative. This is my way of escaping the bad in the world. My life has honestly changed for the better since I joined Dogspotting. I highly recommend it if you want a little more positivity in your life.
