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Fetching likes: how to make your pet a star

Sit, stay, pose!

ST. LOUIS — If you are a pet owner and have a smart phone, chances are the camera roll on that smart phone is full of pictures of that pet. Have you ever thought: “The world needs to see more of this?”

Got Pet-ential is a talent agency for animals based in St. Louis with a national reach. They get their clients—cows, hamsters, dogs, cats, birds, you name it!—in front of marketers, casting directors and photographers for a variety of roles.

We profiled one of their clients, Meatball the English Bulldog, on TISL.

“Clients definitely want to book Meatball because of his social media,” said Trisha Woodall, the owner and Meatball’s agent. The 4-year-old has nearly 35,000 followers on Instagram!

Here’s what he (via his mom) said are his top tips for getting a better social media following:

  • For the best pictures, figure out what best motivates your pet to look his cutest: food, squeaky toys, etc.
  • Sometimes you need many pictures of the same pose. Don’t stop snapping!
  • Engagement is important on Instagram
  • “Most importantly, just have fun with it”

READ MORE: Actor, model, eater: Meet St. Louis' top dog

The star-makers at Got Pet-ential also shared their tips for taking your pet photography and videography to the next level (and maybe even make some money):

  • Get great headshots of your pet, including full body shots.
  • Make sure photos are well lit with a solid or non-distracting background, and your pet is well groomed.
  • Your pet will work best with other trainers and photographers on a shoot if they demonstrate strong obedience and can obey commands like sit, stay, down, and watch me. They should also be able to work in distracting environments and around flash photography.

DOGS WITH JOBS:

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