Furry, four-legged friends

A tale about posting on Instagram and why the one post you think will appeal can be the one that comes back to bite you on the arse.

In the spring, I heard a suggestion from someone who had read the opening scene of my new novel that it might be fun to add a dog.

Okay, I thought, I like dogs. I grew up with a dog. I could add a dog. I don’t usually get along with books that have dogs in them (mainly because I am scared that the dog will die, as is usually the case), but I could still have a dog in mine because then I could ensure it survived.

So, decided, there would be a dog. But whose dog should it be? Well, it couldn’t belong to Vee, the main character (for <reasons>), but what if she ended up having to take care of this dog? Right, that sounds good. So the dog belongs to someone else initially, but who?

As the first scene opens with Vee anxiously waiting at the air station where she works for the return of two Halifax bombers, perhaps the dog could belong to a crew member. Great, that’s sorted.

But then came to big question: what type of dog should it be?

A little research (ahem, you don’t want to know how many sites I investigated about dogs in the 1940s…) told me that among the most popular breeds of dogs at the time were cocker spaniels, German shepherds, and wire fox terriers.

So I did what any good writer who uses social media does and posted on Instagram, asking people which they thought Lucy the dog should be.

I even included pictures of airmen with their dogs.

And people chose for Lucy to be a wire fox terrier. So I duly added Lucy the dog to the scene (and to the following scene, where she’s trailing around after Vee).

And then the DMs started on Instagram.

Oh, but my dog was so cute and would I be interested in some pet chews for them? But didn’t I just have the loveliest dog and would I like a special lead for talking them on walks? And my, wasn’t that dog the sweetest, but I wouldn’t say no to some doggie treats, would I?

And would you believe I am still getting these DMs eight months later. Offering treats for dogs who are long gone to canine heaven. Who I never owned in the first place. Who are clearly not my pet.

And so, this is why you shouldn’t use the hashtag #dogsofinstagram ;)