With today being International Dog Day we’ve discovered that the Cocker Spaniel is Ireland’s top dog.
This is according to Facebook who are celebrating the day by revealing the most paw-pular dog breeds on Facebook in Ireland.
Round of appaws for our furry friends as the Cocker Spaniel tops the table, followed by the English Springer Spaniel, Labrador, Jack Russell and Golden Retriever.
On Instagram, owners of the Cocker Spaniel will go barking mad as the French Bulldog takes the lead, followed by the Bulldog, Golden Retriever, Border Collie and Chihuahua.
Dogs play an important role in people’s lives as they offer great companionship and especially this year as Ireland navigates its way through different stages of lockdown.
Over the past three months, people in Ireland have shared more than 2 million posts and comments on Facebook about their pawsome pooches and have used #dog over 26,000 times on Instagram.
Other popular dog-tags on Instagram include; #dogsofinstagram, #dogstagram and #puppy.
As a nation, we have succumbed to puppy love with people logging on to Facebook to share their favourite doggy snaps, join a network for rehoming dogs in need of shelter, help reunite lost dogs with their owners and connect with fellow pupper-lovers.
Over 300,000 people in Ireland are part of dog lover communities on Facebook with some of the most popular Groups including, “Take Me Home” Dog Connection Network Ireland, Irish stolen lost found dogs, Dogs Trust Ireland Lost & Found Dogs and TCD (Trinity College Doggos).
Joanne Phelan, who runs the “Take Me Home” Dog Connection Network Ireland Group on Facebook said:
“This group is a fantastic way to meet like-minded people with big hearts and a love for dogs.
“With 6,500 members, I try to educate people about animal welfare, ethical dog ownership, raise awareness about lost dogs and show people how to live a healthy lifestyle through veganism.
“We’ve also had instances where we have rehomed dogs through the Page. For me, dogs are an important part of my life.
“They love you unconditionally and are non-judgemental. I think every day should be International Dog Day!”
With people spending more time at home due to Covid, interest in fostering dogs has risen. On Facebook, over 20,000 people in Ireland have talked about rescue dogs over the past three months.
Kerri Sullivan, who runs Dogs Trust Ireland Lost & Found Dogs Group which has over 7,200 members said Facebook is a fantastic way to help dogs find their fur-ever home; “At Dogs Trust Ireland, we have a number of Facebook Groups with a strong and interactive community.
Our “Lost and Found Dogs” Group has one of the largest followings. This group provides a platform for people to share pictures and information about dogs they have found or to alert the dog-loving community if their dog is missing. Through this page, we can help them find their way home.
“In addition to our Groups, we have a Facebook Page, Dogs Trust Ireland, which has over 134,000 followers.
“The Page shows our followers what goes on behind the scenes at Dogs Trust which helps attract and retain supporters.
“We also use this page to share adoption updates, educational campaigns and Government advocacy campaigns to tackle a variety of animal welfare issues in Ireland.
“Today we’re making an extra fuss of our pups. Check out our Facebook Page to see their reactions to their International Dogs Day treats!”