Happy National Dog Day! This nationally recognized day (August 26) may not see banks closing or special sales on beds and deep freezers, but we think many Austinites can agree that we should all have this day off of work to spend some quality time with our furry friends. Since that’s probably not going to happen any time soon, we can at least spend our lunch breaks (or a good chunk of our work days, whatever), checking out all of the awesome #NationalDogDay posts on Instagram.
But did you know that some of the most popular dogs on Instagram are actually from Austin? Here are a few of our favorites, along with some of Austin’s other popular dog-related IG accounts. And if you happen to be reading this once National Dog Day has passed, no worries! Austin is a great place for dogs no matter what time of year or part of town. So keep enjoying these accounts every day, and don’t forget to show how much you love your pooch on your own account (oh, and don’t forget to follow Austin.com, too!)
@myregalbeagle
If you haven’t yet come across Sid, the pizza dog, well I will kindly say “you’re welcome” in advance. Once you have this dog on your IG feed, your life will certainly be better for it. Whether he’s looking debonnaire in his beautiful bow ties or turning on the silly charm with his face stuffed inside of a pizza, Sid will definitely brighten up your day.
This is a dog who can readily become a popular meme with any given photo, and his more than 100,000 followers are a truly dedicated bunch. Like ink on skin type dedicated.
@zilkerbark
Majestic, furry faces. Lolling, pink tongues. Playful, eager eyes. You can find all of these and more, captured against a gorgeous Austin skyline as popular Instagram account Zilker Bark photographs some of Austin’s cutest pups.
Photographer Alex Hopes basically has the best job in the world, photographing dogs, and we’re lucky enough to get to go along for the ride via his social media accounts. And oh yeah, he just happens to be pet parent to Sid, the pizza dog!
@austinpetsalive!
Of course one of Austin’s most popular animal rescues has an amazing Instagram page, chock full of a wide variety of animals. Photos range from daily life at the shelter to peeks inside foster family homes to see how the adoptable animals do in a loving environment. Of course, the main drawback to following their IG account is having to resist adopting every single one of the cuties that they profile. But hey, you can always volunteer and go spend as much time with them as you like!
@citydogaustin
Kaxan is obviously the smartest dog to make our list, he wears glasses, after all. He also happens to be pretty darn adorable, adventurous, and full of good information for pet parents. He’s probably more than a little grateful that the staff at KXAN found him in their alley a few years ago, and that meteorologist Jim Spencer decided to take him home. Though, the KXAN crew is probably more than a little grateful, themselves.
@1dog1hour
This new group led by two passionate dog lovers is helping Austinites fit volunteering into their busy lives, making it super easy to help out shelter dogs with as little as one hour per visit. Learn more about their great work and how you can help from our recent profile of 1 Dog 1 Hour.
@roccothepug
If this handsome studmuffin isn’t already on your follow list, you’d better get to it. All those little fat rolls of love just come together to create one of the cutest little guys on social media, and he happens to live in Austin. He’s joined on his IG account by his equally handsome brother, Weldon. The little dude will even provide you with tips for creating a great cocktail. What’s not to love?
@pug_rescue_austin
Speaking of pugs, the origins of the term “derp face,” Pug Rescue Austin is a great place to find pure and mix-breed pugs to take home so you can cuddle your face into their little chubby bodies. Fun fact: pugs are the best dogs to create name mashups for — who needs a Labra Doodle when you can have a Chug (chihuahua/pug) or a Tug (terrier/pug)?
@austinanimalcenter
The City of Austin run shelter has been doing great work for the homeless and lost pets of Austin for a long time, but that doesn’t mean they’re a stranger to staying on top of social media. They post pics of cuddly cuties quite often, and they use their IG account to keep everyone in the know about adoption events and specials, making it even easier to give a pooch a forever home.
@sweet_olive_may
How can you possibly keep from falling in love with an adorable red Boston Terrier named Olive? You can’t. You just can’t. Especially when her nickname is Meatbrick. This little Longhorn fan shows off exactly why Bostons are so loved and so darn photogenic. You just can’t look away from those sweet puppy eyes once she’s pulled you in!
@BruceWayneATX
And an extra special shout-out to round out this list to my little buddy, Bruce Wayne, one of the most handsome, hard working therapy dogs in Austin. He’ll climb his way into your heart with his long, fancy legs and cuddle right up to you in one of his ridiculously posh outfits. When he’s not busy helping his counselor mom at LASA High School or doing his part with Divine Canines, he’s snuggling up to his brother Dilla and just being an all around good dude.
Featured photo by Image by Sven Lachmann from Pixabay.
