Wyndham Looking for the Next Pup Superstar – Does Your Dog Have What it Takes to Be the Face of Pet Travel?
Have you ever gazed lovingly at your furry companion and thought, "I wish the world could appreciate you as much
Ivy Griffith
Have you ever gazed lovingly at your furry companion and thought, "I wish the world could appreciate you as much as I do"? Do you often think to yourself that your dog is the cutest – by far – and that other dogs could learn from his example? When you travel, do people remark on your dog's good behavior and sense of adventure? Is your Instagram full of pictures of you and your furry pal hiking the mountains, surfing the waves, or enjoying a relaxing walk in yet another exotic location?
If so, your day may have just arrived. Baymont Wyndham has just launched a national pet search for the next face of the travel pet products. They're looking for people to submit their furry pals and a piece of travel advice – to be featured in their pet travel guide. But wait, there's more. Winners will be given a special prize – as if your dog finally being recognized for his extraordinary cuteness wasn't enough.
The Pup with the Pizazz
We know – you're ready for the details because you've already got the perfect picture ready and it's Go Time for your furry friend. Here's what you should know about Baymont Wyndham's search:
- Starting on National Pet Day (April 11) people can submit their best travel advice and a high-resolution image of their furry friend to baymonttraveltips@wyndham.com
- 10 dogs will be featured in Baymont’s new, free downloadable digital pet travel guide
- Owners of the 10 winners will receive 60,000 Wyndham Rewards points – exchangeable for a getaway to any destination of their choice in the Wyndham family
- Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 PM ET on May 9, 2022
If you don't have your image all queued up and ready to go – and we're not judging, but how dare you – you have plenty of time to plan for that perfect shot and think of the travel advice you'd like to share.
Traveling with pets takes foresight and planning, and your dog has to be trained and happy to hit the road. So if you feel as though you've nailed this aspect of life with furry friends and want to pass on your wisdom to others, this is your chance. Plus, your dog will receive his due adoration from the masses – that's a win-win if we've ever heard of one. So get planning, grab a camera, and throw a bone to Wyndham – they just might throw a free vacation back at you.
The Rise of the Pet Influencer
The concept of pets as superstars is nothing new. But the rise of the Pet Influencer has shown that there is nothing we won't sacrifice for our favorite furry friends – including hours of our days and days of our lives scrolling through social media.
Pet Influencers can give you that free shot of endorphin you're looking for. Aside from being a familiar face, Pet Influencers provide distance companionship for those who maybe can't have a pet in their lives right now for whatever reason – and a chance to bond with fellow fans over the antics of your current obsession.
Past headline-making Pet Influencers included Grumpy Cat (the face of Millennial and Gen X apathy), Ozzie the Moustache Parakeet ("gonna feed the babies??"), Lil Bub (cheeky cat with the memorable cheese face), Wilfred Warrior (the cat that you don't want to accidentally run into at night – but can't get enough of), Boo (the Pomeranian that was too cute to be real) and so many more – animals that still hold our heart to this day, even though many have passed on.
Here's a look at some of the biggest Pet Influencers right now:
- Juniper Fox: With 3M followers on Instagram alone, this cheeky little fox brightens everyone's day and comes with an adorable group of pals.
- Jiff Pom: Even though Boo isn't around anymore, Jiff is here to fill those adorable shoes. Jiff is often pictured wearing clothes and grinning for fans. Jiff has a whopping 9.8M followers.
- Teddy the Shetland: This fluffy miniature horse lives the high life. Although Teddy only currently has 164K fans on Instagram – his star is rising. After all, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there and what's a horse to do?
- Suki Cat: Suki is a two-for-one deal and shares her adventures with her rescue pup pal, but Suki's striking Bengal coat, green eyes and love for adventure make her an internet sensation with 1.9M fans.
- Maya Polar Bear: Is she a dog, or is she a polar bear? In reality, Maya is a Samoyed who just happens to resemble our favorite holiday Coca-Cola icon. With 1.9M followers, Maya shares that home life and what it's like to be irresistibly adorable.
- Smudge Lord: You know Smudge best in his stint as "table cat." In a now mega-viral meme, Smudge made his best disgusted face at a plate of lettuce and was quickly turned into the internet's favorite "I don't like this at all" icon. With 1.6M followers, it's clear people do like Smudge – whether he likes them or not.
- Gotcha: Gotcha the Cockatoo is best known for a video that went viral of the large white bird running up and down the hallway screaming unintelligible words. Were they curse words? The meaning of life? That's hard to say – but people loved slapping their own subtitles under the playful bird's vocal rant – "I want four bed rats." Better call Sarah about that one, Gotcha.
There's nothing people love more than looking at adorable pictures of their favorite animal species. The internet may have created a lot of not-so-good things for society, but Pet Influencers will forever remain one of the internet's best contributions.