Looking for a dog community? Check out a Facebook group – Dogster

I am acknowledged as a “hidden person” in Facebook groups. I am a member of hundreds of groups, nearly all of which involve dogs or pets. They consume my food when I roll during my lunch break or when I am relaxing in front of the TV at night. In many cases, they provide an escape from other, more stressful parts of my life. But in other cases, I see life-changing personal connections happening in real time and life-saving commentary happening even though members are in different time zones and sometimes different countries. together.

As with all groups, the reasons for their existence can vary widely. The communities they help cultivate can range from humorous factual claims to strictly trading based on factual claims and everything in between.

You can really find anything if you look in the right place. And if you do, you will likely find resources and people that will change the lives of you and your pet!

Use Facebook to find your lost dog

“I turned to my husband and asked: ‘Where’s Sammie?’ and in the amount of time I had to ask, for him to understand and for us to realize Sammie wasn’t in the house, we heard a car crash into her,” one friend said. “From the sound of it, we didn’t expect her to get up, but she got up and dashed away.”

It might have been 40 seconds between her question and the car hitting their little dog, but the events that happened after those 40 seconds left my friend heartbroken. She and her husband live in a New England city that is new to them, and they have been trying to navigate the best way to find their currently missing and most likely injured dog. Calls were made with local city shelters serving their area, clothing items with familiar scents being placed near their front doors and the neighborhood being walkable and accessible. by car. As night fell, Sammie was still missing, and my friend grew increasingly worried as night fell.

I learned of my friend’s plight the next day, and I promptly sent her a laundry list of resources to reunite lost pets with the pet’s parents. In addition to phone numbers for shelters, animal hospitals, and rescues, I provided her with at least seven lost pet Facebook groups that she didn’t know existed. Honestly, until then, she had no reason to know why they existed.

She joined the listed Facebook groups and started filling out the prompts given, which helped keep her in mind in a frenzy. Members also provide helpful insights into possible scams to watch out for and post physical posters in the vicinity. In essence, they all provide a checklist and help her navigate a very stressful process when she cannot think clearly.

Less than an hour after the posts were made in Facebook groups, she received a call saying her pet had been found in an area just outside the boundary that would include the neighboring Facebook group. approach she originally posted.

After a trip to a nearby 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital, Sammie made it home safely with some minor scratches and bruises.

To join a Facebook Group for Lost and Found Pets, find one in your area. Two local examples are: Lost and Found Pets in Western, Massachusetts and Lost and Found Pets Mecklenburg County, NC.

Facebook groups for specific dog breeds

“I have been running the group for five years now. “This could be interesting and maybe it will drive some traffic to my blog,” says Carol Bryant, who runs my blog. Club Cocker: Wigglebutts Worldwide, a Cocker Spaniel breed group. Carol is also the creator Fidose of reality, a blog focused on Cocker Spaniels. Finding a channel to get more blog traffic is tempting.

Although her initial goal was to drive users to her website, she eventually realized that the Facebook group had a life of its own. “The result of it is a community of friends, people who help people, who say kind things to each other,” says Carol. “If someone doesn’t post for a few days, people will ask, ‘Where are they? Are they okay?’ It has become something I never thought it would happen and has become an integral part of my digital life.”

She is not alone, thousands of her team members participate daily. They share victories and happy moments. They share health fears and medical questions. They shared their heartbreaking loss and their fond memories of the dogs that crossed the Rainbow Bridge. It’s a community in every sense of the word, and many of its members will likely never meet in real life. If they do, there’s bound to be hugs and wiggling butts, a well-known trait in the Cocker Spaniel breed.

Facebook groups for pet shelter and rescue volunteers

You’ve probably heard the term “herding cat” before. I’m sure that’s what it feels like to oversee a group of volunteers and foster caretakers for a large city shelter serving two major cities. COVID-19 makes it harder to manage eager and nurturing volunteers. Safety guidelines change frequently, and limiting exposure means reducing the number of people allowed into a building, if any. The need for pets in shelters has not diminished, even as the number of volunteers directly decreases. This makes virtual communication and innovative ways to coordinate participation paramount for pet rescue organizations.

Heather Cahillane has literally and figuratively raised cats as a volunteer and special projects coordinator at the Thomas J. O’Connor Center for Animal Adoption & Control in Springfield, Massachusetts, during throughout the pandemic. She uses a nurturing Facebook group to help keep volunteers engaged.

In addition to housekeeping notices, this is also a way for volunteers to learn from each other. “It’s not that employees don’t want to help, but sometimes it’s great when employees can feel like they can go home and de-stress between shifts,” says Heather. “Facebook groups can be a great place when a volunteer has an issue. It is 8pm, and something is happening with the foster parent that is not urgent but the person handling the situation is feeling a bit nervous and decided to bring something up on the group page. Suddenly, all these volunteers would share: ‘This is what I did, and this is what you can do.’ This ultimately turns out to be great support for each other, while also providing support to the staff as volunteers have more resources to connect with.”

Facebook groups for dog medical questions

I remember reading a statement from a volunteer vet in a Facebook group entirely dedicated to pet parents posting medically related questions and photos. The volunteer vets then shared insights into the issue, the severity of the situation, and the appropriate next steps owners should take.

“Sir, that’s the nipple,” the vet said calmly. It was in response to an exasperated post by an apparently concerned pet parent who noticed marks on their male dog’s chest and was worried about what they might have done. Veterinarians did not judge their responses, there is no place for that type of interaction in this group. They shared their answers clearly and succinctly and were ready for the follow-up question.

While this particular exchange could be seen as funny, pet owners were legitimately and understandably worried. They seek answers from a place available to them at a time when frequent calls to the vet are not an option.

Obviously, not all interactions in this group end this way. There are a number of serious situations that arise that require urgent vet visits. In an increasing number of geographies, accessing urgent care can take hours. The volunteer veterinarians on this team help provide information on resources and possible care as pet parents prepare for a trip to the nearest service provider.

No two dog Facebook groups are alike

There are thousands of dog-related Facebook groups. These range from breed specific, training and fostering, sports and activities, health and fitness, pet loss and grief, support to those working in the industry. pet industry and any other option you can imagine.

If you find yourself searching for groups after reading this, keep these points in mind:

First, most groups post rules. Take the time to read the rules before you join, as they can give you an idea of ​​what kind of content is allowed and if it’s right for you and what you’d like to see. Second, engagement means you’ll see more content in your feed. If something in a group calls out to you, like it or comment on it. Then you’ll have more of that type of content showing up in your feed. Finally, have fun. If nothing else, you’ll see more dog photos!