New York City is home to approximately eight million people. However, there are also about 600,000 dogs living within the five boroughs, demonstrating the species’s status as man’s best friend.
Not all of these pups are stay-at-home dogs, though, and many of these four-legged New Yorkers work to make the city a tail-wagging place.
Dog influencers can be found all over the city of Manhattan, and these pups work hard to earn their biscuits.
One such New Yorker, Miss Ginger, a pomeranian with approximately seven thousand followers on Instagram, has had her account for 11 years now.
Ginger’s owner, Nicole Ignacio, did not plan for her pup to become an influencer.
After her move to NYC, Ignacio knew she wanted to adopt a furry friend. After months of looking between different breeds and breeders, she happened upon a pet store during a walk in the city. A cute pomeranian puppy caught her eye, and she immediately put down a deposit on the baby boy. The next day, when she returned, Ignacio caught sight of a female puppy with “crazy energy” and realized that she had to adopt that puppy instead.
This little girl became known as Miss Ginger.
“She turned out to be the best personality in the world!” Ignacio said. “Ginger is a one of a kind world travel bug, gentle, kind, and a completely different personality than other poms.”
Ignacio was constantly posting Miss Ginger. “I starting posting too much of her on my Instagram, and it became too much,” Ignacio said. “So I created her account and have been posting [there] ever since.”
After creating Ginger’s account, Ignacio was contacted by a variety of brands, hotels, and bloggers—even Netflix contacted Ginger for a role.
Ignacio shared that while Ginger’s earnings from her gigs were supplemental to her income, they were not enough to sustain her cost of living.
“To actually make a living out of it you would have to invest a lot more time on auditions and looking for gigs,” said Ignacio.
Shortly after her appearance in an episode of The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show in 2020, Ginger retired from influencer life.
Calvin and Maya, an influencing duo, are two miniature dachshunds living in NYC. These furry siblings have about three thousand followers on Instagram.
The pair’s owner, Mary-Anne Ramirez, adopted Calvin in May 2021 and Maya in June 2022.
Ramirez created an Instagram account for Calvin after his adoption, but she changed the account’s handle to “ourdoxieduo” when she adopted Maya.
The pair have been brand ambassadors for a variety of pet brands, including Fuzzyard, Pet Parents, and BeanGoods. The products they advertise range from harnesses and collars to toys, dog food, and clothes.
The compensation for Calvin and Maya’s gigs has ranged from $100 to $500, but sometimes compensation comes in the form of free products, depending on the size of the brand.
“Smaller businesses will just send us the product for free and we take photos or videos with it and tag them to promote them,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez explains that with the pups’ status as brand ambassadors, her family has been able to become close with other pet parents.
“We always message each other asking questions about recommendations for our dogs, about food, treats, or ask advice on anything related to our pets,” said Ramirez.
But, influencer pups aren’t the only canines in the city that bring the dog community together. The isle of Manhattan houses many ordinary pooches that are uniting New Yorkers at dog meet-ups across the city.
One such doggy, a dachshund named Butter, owned by Gillian Wiener, is an aspiring influencer with 150 followers on Instagram. He is gaining a following from attending events that host the dachshunds of NYC.
A highlight of Wiener’s life was adopting Butter as her own. “I wasn’t the girl who dreamed about her wedding, I was the girl who dreamed about getting her own puppy,” said Wiener.
Before even completing Butter’s adoption, she created a page for the pooch to share images of him with the world.
“I didn’t expect people would meet Butter on the street and ask if he had an Instagram,” said Wiener.
Last spring, at an event for dachshund owners in Washington Square Park, Butter received many requests for his Instagram handle. Wiener and Butter have met many pet parents and four-legged friends at such events.
“It’s been a nice way to meet people for sure,” she said. “Doxie people always find each other. I guess the same could be said for most breeds.”
Other doggy Instagram accounts have formed communities in Manhattan.
Baba Ganoush, also known as the Prince of Flerory, and his owner have created an Instagram account due to his tendency to watch the New York streets from his apartment window.
Baba lives in a first-floor apartment that faces the busy streets of the West Village. He spends most of his day reigning over his kingdom and bringing smiles to the inhabitants of the Village.
On walks, Baba is referred to as the “Window Dog” by his neighbors. Isabelle Ellingson, a caretaker of Baba, explains that his account was created for the community to get to know him better.
“We placed a sign in the window that says, ‘Tag Me,'” Ellingson said. “We mostly like to use the page to show off his little quirks and cute pictures of him.”
“This account has allowed us to keep track of how far he has come and it acts as a diary of his life,” Ellingson said.
