Welcome to the Week’s Review of Canine Social Media
Welcome to this Special Feature on the DoggieU K9 Blog for an update on this week’s dog-related social media from around the world. There are so many stories. Here we will share some of the best stories this week.
Enjoy & share them.
Show Up to Your Next Online Meeting as a Dog
Sign in to your next Zoom meeting as a rabbit, fox, dog, or another type of animal, using its new Avatars feature that replaces you with a virtual character that copies your expressions, Memoji-style.
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AVATARS ARE LIKE VIDEO FILTERS THAT COMPLETELY REPLACE YOU
- Studies and surveys have suggested that constantly looking at yourself to make sure you’re presentable and reacting appropriately is part of what makes being in video calls all day so tiring. If your Zoom box is showing a giraffe that’s mirroring your facial expressions, that’s a lot harder to scrutinize than your actual face.
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The company says this feature, which is included in the latest update, will only let you become an animal at launch, but that new avatar options will be added in the future. This feature can be seen as useful for a lot of different scenarios — in its press release, it mentions showing up with an avatar filter on could “bring some fun to your team-building meetings” or help pediatricians seem less intimidating to young children. There’s also the idea that it could help alleviate online meeting fatigue.
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It’s hard to tell how useful Avatars will be in reducing meeting anxiety or fatigue — not because they’re not fun, but because of other people’s tolerance for playfulness in videoconferencing. Some have remarked, “my co-workers are never going to see my face again if this feature ends up working well,” but there are definitely places where it might be inappropriate showing up as an animal
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Hopefully, though, if video calls remain a regular part of our lives, we all need, and hopefully get, some time to be a little less serious — something that Avatars could certainly help with.
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The Top 10 Dog Names of 2022
The top names are based on Camp Bow Wow’s database of nearly 400,000 Campers across the U.S. and Canada.
- Sorry but classic names like Champ, Fido and Bear are nowhere to be found on the 2022 list. Even Buddy was knocked off the top 10 this year.
Luna claims the No. 1 spot this year, just barely edging out Bella, which comes in second after the two names were neck and neck for much of the year before Luna pulled decisively ahead. Rounding out the Top 10, in order, are Bella, Charlie, Cooper, Lucy, Daisy, Max, Bailey, Milo and Sadie. Milo debuted on the 2022 list, knocking Buddy out of the Top 10.
So why is a name so important?
- According to Animal Health and Behavioral Specialists, a dog’s name can have a significant effect on their life.
- “Your dog’s name will be used for training purposes, so it’s important to choose carefully,” said Camp Bow Bow’s specialist. “Short, two-syllable names are helpful for getting your dog’s attention, while names that sound like commonly used words or cues could confuse your pup. For example, ‘Shay’ is cute, but it may sound like ‘stay’ to a dog.”
- Also names that end in vowels help dogs distinguish their own name from others because vowels change vocal tone — something dogs are highly attuned to with their acute hearing ability. Names ending with harder sounds, like Breck, can also be easier for a dog to distinguish from other words.
- Over the course of 2021, Americans adopted nearly a million dogs, according to recent pet adoption statistics compiled by Chewy. Shelter dogs often have a name already, but experts say it’s OK to change it. The best advice for new pet parents is to pick something they like and stick with it. “Be sure to give lots of love and positive reinforcement when using the new name, and your pup will adjust just fine.”
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Introducing Cuddle Clones
If you have always wanted a stuffed toy replica of your dog or other pet, Cuddle Clones can custom create one for you. Their talented artists handcraft the likeness of your pet. You can send them a photo and they will create an amazing replica for you to enjoy. 
Creating a clone (stuffed toy of your pet) can be expensive, however, Cuddle Pets offers other products such as socks, mugs, golf club headcovers, blankets or other objects with your dog’s likeness on it. They might even do a tie or a hat for you.
If that special dog (or other pet), needs to be memorialized, Cuddle Pets is the place to do it. The quality and artwork seems to be great.
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