WHEN WE SPOTTED the one-year-old blonde mutt, on page two of a Kijiji search for dog adoptions, we had no plans to transform her into an internet celebrity. My partner, Arielle, and I had been searching for the next member of our family, and we found the fourteen-pound, one-eyed dachshund mix after scrolling far past the catchy ads for fresh litters of puppies. The Toronto- area rescue that housed her told us we were the first to express interest. We adopted her within the week.
Belle, as we named her, was even cuter in person: her ears flopped in the wind, her face was stuck in an adorable perma-wink, and elevators confused her. Soon, every quirky move she made had us posting pictures of her on our Instagram accounts. Surely, we thought, our friends and family would love her just as much as we did. When it felt like our accounts were flooded with Belle photos, we created her own account, @1eyedbelle, a dedicated space for those interested in our pup’s day-to-day life.
I’d come across many pets in my feed — some with modest followings, others more famous than certain world leaders and bestselling artists. Doug the Pug, a Nashville-based dog, for example, has more Instagram followers than Justin Trudeau and almost as many as Céline Dion. Videos of Maru, Japan’s YouTube-famous cat, have been collectively viewed more than 450 million times, and Pumpkin the Raccoon, who was rescued by a family in the Bahamas after breaking her leg, even got a book deal.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2021-Ausgabe von The Walrus.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2021-Ausgabe von The Walrus.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
MY GUILTY PLEASURE
I WAS AS SURPRISED as anyone when I became obsessed with comics again last year, at the advanced age of forty-five. As a kid, I loved reading G.I. Joe and The Amazing Spider-Man.
The Upside-Down Book
In her new novel, Rachel Cusk makes the case for becoming a stranger to yourself
Pick a Colour
BACK HERE, I can hear a group of women trickle in. Filling the floor with giggles and voices.
Quebec's Crushing Immigration Policy
Familial separation can have devastating consequences on mental health and productivity
The Briefcase
What I learned about being a writer from trying to finish a dead man's book
In the Footsteps of Migrants Who Never Made It
Thousands have died trying to cross into the US from Mexico. Each year, activists follow their harrowing trek
Blood Language
Menstruation ties us to the land in ways we've all but forgotten
Dream Machines
The real threat with artificial intelligence is that we'll fall prey to its hype
Invisible Lives
Without immigration status, Canada's undocumented youth stay in the shadows
My Guilty Pleasure
"The late nights are mine alone, and I'll spend them however I damn well please"
