‘Put love above likes’ says Blue Cross

Blue Cross is appealing to animal lovers to put love before likes, after new research revealed one in seven Brits would choose a pet based on social media ‘like’-potential.

Fourteen per cent of people questioned said they would choose a specific breed of cat or dog based on the number of ‘likes’ they think the pet will get on social media, rather than considering whether the pet was a good fit for their lifestyle.

Rising popularity in people buying breeds like the French bulldog or pug could be a consequence of the explosion of their fame online. Research suggests a direct connection between the quantity of pet images on social media and the breeds Britons choose to bring into their homes: one in six (12 per cent) pet owners or would-be pet owners said that although they conducted thorough research into a certain breed before choosing their new pet, they were initially attracted to the breed because of images seen on social media.

Mandy Jones, Director of Rehoming at Blue Cross, said: “We certainly sympathise with anyone who loves taking photos of their pets or following cats and dogs on social media, but we wish we could get our homeless pets the same numbers of followers! We love every breed; be they pugs and bulldogs or mongrels and mixes.

“Choosing based on fashion can lead to heartache too; the current fashion for flat faced dogs is resulting in thousands of puppies being born who will have a lifetime of chronic health problems due to being unable to breathe comfortably.”

Blue Cross would love to see potential pet owners start their search for a new pet at their local rescue centre, instead of social media. League tables of the most Instagrammed dog and cat breeds reveal there are just 159,603 uses of #mongrel and 735,035 uses of #mixbreed, while pugs claim the top spot at 34.5m hashtags, and French bulldogs the second most popular at 24.4m.

Blue Cross takes in thousands of pets every year and wants to make rescue fashionable.

Mandy added: “Most importantly we believe every pet is unique and beautiful in its own way so we’d always encourage anyone thinking of getting a pet to consider a rescue and make a decision based on personality as well.

“Pets come in all shapes and sizes and are much better in real life than online. We hope that anyone who loves looking at pet profiles on social media, will take time to visit the dogs and cats on our website and maybe find a perfect new companion to rehome.”

If you’re ready to find a new pet, please take a look at the wonderful Blue Cross dogs and cats just waiting to meet you.

Want to learn how to take a great photo of your pet? Read our advice.