Why pet influencers are a lucrative side hustle for owners

Animals can earn thousands of dollars promoting brands on social media or in films and advertisements

Production companies and advertising agencies are using animals of different breeds and sizes to promote products and services. Getty

Almond, a four-year-old Pug, is a Dubai-based part-time nano-influencer who earns roughly Dh2,500 ($680) a month, based on the payments, supplies and discounted services brands provide him as part of sponsored campaigns.

Almond has 5,200 followers on Instagram and all the proceeds he earns from his social media account are donated to the Stray Dogs Centre, an animal shelter in Umm Al Quwain.

“We do not have a standard rate card,” says Ghazala Anwar, Almond’s owner who works for a Middle East FinTech.

Almond, a pug in Dubai, is a part-time nano-influencer with 5,200 followers on Instagram. Photo: Almond

“But on occasions where we have charged brands or hotels for content covering five to eight Instagram stories, one to two posts, one to two reels with reviews, it’s about a minimum of Dh500 to a maximum of Dh800, depending on the quantity of content per campaign.”

This is part of a booming demand for pet models, with production companies and advertising agencies capitalising on people’s love of anything animal-related to promote different products and services.

Top-tier animal influencers can expect to generate about $30,000 per sponsored post, according to a study by OnBuy Pets Suppliers, the Evening Standard reported.

Data from GoDaddy, an American web-hosting company, found that pet owners were expected to earn an average of £15,224 ($18,382) in 2022, with dogs (£15,627) commanding higher fees than cats (£12,895).

The funds are currently being used as side hustles by about 1.9 million Britons, while more than 832,000 owners treat their pet’s earnings as their main source of income.

Thirty-two per cent of pet owners were looking to turn their animals into online stars in 2022, the research showed.

Ms Anwar, from Pakistan, only promotes products that she uses on Almond.

The pug has promoted cage-free/pasture-raised raw meat food, freeze-dried meat treat brands, human-grade probiotics and supplements for pets, organic grooming products, on-demand platforms for pet services and dog-friendly cafes and hotels, she says.

They also do organic promotions for women-led small businesses free of cost.

“[The] majority of pet product brands prefer to give freebies and free lifetime supplies for pet influencers,” Ms Anwar says.

“These include TreatsCard subscription, Pet Taxi rides, grooming products, new launch pet food, treats, accessories, free dog boarding and grooming services, free pet event passes, pet-friendly cafes and restaurant invites and more.”

Almond is far from the only pet to light up social media. The internet is obsessed with Grumpy Cat — one of the original animal influencers known for her perpetual scowl before her death in 2019 — Lil Bub and Doug the Pug.

Hugo and Huxley, two Golden Retrievers aged nine and four, respectively, from the Cotswolds, in the UK, have 347,00 followers on Instagram, 180,000 on TikTok and 394,000 on Facebook, so about a million followers in total, according to Ursula Aitchison, their owner.

“Their social media accounts bring in a lot of money for them,” says Ms Aitchison, who runs a photography company that specialises in photographing people with their pets.

“They have all the dog food, toys, treats, beds, collars, leads and coats they could ever ask for. They get taken on many lovely dog-friendly holidays and stays at luxury hotels where they are even cooked for at some.”

Ms Aitchison, a single mother, manages their accounts part time as she focuses on her photography.

Ursula Aitchison has had Hugo (left) for nine years and Huxley for four. The Golden Retrievers have almost a million followers across different social media platforms. Photo: Ursula Aitchison

Brands pay between £3,000 and £5,000 for a post but this differs for accounts and media platforms, she says.

The amount Hugo and Huxley earn changes from month to month, but they always earn more in the run-up to Christmas.

If they are hired for an event, it is between £2,000 and £4,000, she says.

“Looking after social media requires hours each day replying to comments and messages. I need to think and create content, deal with brands and create collaborations with them,” says Ms Aitchison.

“I also interact with other accounts of similar roles, research latest trends, create live sessions for Q&As and make sure the audience is happy with what’s being put out and check in with them often.”

Hugo and Huxley promote the food they eat regularly, medication, as well as insurance and other things they rely on.

They have worked with brands such as Tesco, Amazon Prime, Dyson, Amex and Huawei.

“Make sure your dog is enjoying it. It’s only ever fun or worth your while if whatever you are doing makes your pet happy,” Ms Aitchison tells pet owners.

Moet, a blind Persian cat, is a social media star with 1.1 million followers on TikTok, 220,000 on Instagram, 50,000 on Twitter and 15,000 on Facebook. Photo: Emily Shotter

Meanwhile, Moet, a blind cat in Oman, is also a social media star with 1.1 million followers on TikTok, 220,000 on Instagram, 50,000 on Twitter and 15,000 on Facebook.

Moet’s owner, Emily Shotter, adopted the Persian in 2014, when she was a year old.

“She had stitches in her eyes where they had recently been removed,” says Ms Shotter, a British communications professional at a telecoms company.

“I crouched down to stroke her and she rolled over for tummy rubs. I was sold and wanted to give her a forever home.”

Moet, now nine years old, had been rescued from a pet shop. She was already blind at the time of rescue.

However, Moet does not earn much from social media, according to Ms Shotter.

She earns a little from her merchandise store and calendars and also from collaborations. All the money from the store and calendar sales is donated to a volunteer group, Omani Paws, she says.

Most of the other money is either donated to Omani Paws or, on occasion, used for her “rather high” vet bills.

Create plenty of video content to post. Try to think of a quirk or something unique about your pet, which will get them noticed

Emily Shotter,
Moet the Blind Cat's owner

Moet mostly only promotes cat products, such as cat trees, toys or other accessories.

“We don’t like to do too many as we don’t want it to take over her page, but are always open for something bigger,” Ms Shotter says.

“We dream of being able to be a part of a huge campaign for a global company or perhaps part of a documentary on special needs cats — to help raise awareness. My dream, however, if Moet made it really big, would be to open a cat shelter in Oman for special needs kitties.”

Moet has had a few one-off collaborations and a couple of more regular tie-ups with two companies, but these were for small products provided for free in exchange for a post, according to her owner.

Taking care of Moet’s social media accounts is a second full-time job for Ms Shotter.

“It’s a lot of hard work and consistency, but I have a routine and spend a lot of my weekends shooting and uploading videos and also taking and editing photos,” she says.

“Then I line up my posts for the week. The main thing is that I have fun with it and make sure I’m spending good quality time with the cats, and not just social media!”

She advises owners who want their pets to become famous on social media to create plenty of video content to post. Try to think of a quirk or something unique about your pet, which will get them noticed, she says.

Engage with other bigger accounts and cat feature pages, post every day and remember to develop your own style or story, Ms Shotter recommends.

Besides dogs and cats, horses, camels, falcons and reptiles get a lot of modelling work in the region, says Karalynn Thomson, the founder and managing director of the Animal Agency. Antonie Robertson / The National

Demand for pets that will be cast in films and social media campaigns has increased over the past few years, says Karalynn Thomson, managing director and founder of the Animal Agency in Dubai, which offers animal models of varying breeds and sizes to the media, advertising and event industries.

“We are seeing demand for different animals; it’s not just dogs or cats any more. Horses, camels, falcons and reptiles get a lot of work because of the region we operate in,” she says.

“The media industry is now more aware of the value animals can add to a campaign. Globally, a lot of animals have been used as actors [and] the UAE is catching up. Also, there are more well-trained animals available now.”

Demand for pet models is predominantly from companies creating social media adverts and the film industry.

The fees vary depending on the role, what the animal is required to do and how long the shoot lasts.

It could range from Dh200 an hour to a few thousands, depending on the amount of training the animals have to go through, Ms Thomson says.

“We always have two animals that look identical so that we can rest one,” she says.

Horses and camels are more costly because of the grooming required before the shoot and the transport costs.

The Animal Agency sources animal talent, assesses them and presents them to clients for work. The agency also trains animals for the role and works to make sure they are comfortable during production.

Ms Thomson advises pet owners to consider whether their pet is suitable and comfortable for the role, make sure it has basic training and make the animal more social by exposing it to different people and environments.