Photo courtesy @kingstreetwestie
Photo courtesy @kingstreetwestie
Bobby – known to his 10,300 Instagram followers as @kingstreetwestie — wasn’t supposed to be a COVID dog.
In January 2020, Amber McDowell and her husband picked up Bobby from Foxcreek Kennel in Buffalo Junction, Virginia, 150 miles west of Norfolk. It had been five years since McDowell’s first West Highland terrier, Kennedy, passed away, which is how Bobby got his name.
Less than two months after bringing Bobby home to Alexandria, the world shut down due to the pandemic, and Bobby became “our little personality in the house while we were isolating,” McDowell said.
McDowell, who works in strategic communications, decided to start an Instagram account for the pup, since she was taking so many cute photos of him, anyway. Almost immediately, Bobby gained a following.
“People were looking for something happy” during the pandemic, McDowell said. “He helped me with that. As crazy as the internet can be, people can be so kind.”
While Bobby doesn’t have as large a following as the most world-famous dogs @jiffpom (9.8 million Instagram followers) or @itsdougthepug (3.8 million followers), Bobby may hold the record for being Alexandria’s most Instagram-famous dog.
Photo courtesy @kingstreetwestie
McDowell found that the keys to growing her dog's following were consistently posting on Instagram, engaging with people who comment, responding to questions quickly and engaging in Bobby’s voice on other people’s accounts, too.
“I think he’s just got one of those faces, too,” she said. Other tips: Get close up and try to capture the pet’s expressions. The tone of the posts really matters, down to the placement of periods. On the other hand, McDowell said, “Sometimes it’s so random how some things catch on and some things don’t.”
when she takes photos on her iPhone camera, the instruction she got from The Art League really helped improve her shots. Putting some of Bobby’s unique personality into the posts helped, too: He’s the “King of Cheese” (and ham, turkey, and anything food can fit into his little Kong), McDowell said. Apples and pears are a hit, too. Car rides and balls are on top of his list of favorite things. He doesn’t love wearing hats, but he’s pretty chill about it.
One thing he does go a bit crazy for is water. “You have to watch when you fill up the bathtub because he’ll be in it by the time the water fills up,” she said.
Because Bobbie’s puppyhood was spent with humans and he played very little with other dogs, he really thinks he’s human, McDowell said. She brings Bobby to Dogtopia every once in a while, but he mostly stands in a corner or follows the humans around the play area. Now that the world is opening back up, McDowell said she’s looking forward to having Bobby meet more dogs at local dog parks and walking around.
