Skittles the barker

In 2016, when I was 9 years old and my brother Ryan was 11 years old, we decided to make an Instagram account for our dog Skittles. Fast forward to 2021, and now the account has 14,900 followers who adore Skittles.

We started the account by posting themed and festive pictures of Skittles dressed for specific events and holidays. Though this account started with just posting the fun photos, my brother and I wanted to do more than just that. 

When Hurricane Harvey hit, my brother and I raised $1,500 and donated it to the SPCA because that is where we adopted Skittles. My brother and I personally delivered the check to the SPCA to show our support. After the hurricane, when there were many displaced animals throughout the county, we wanted to help them by making videos, posting information, and reaching out to many people to raise money for this organization.

Besides raising money for this charitable cause, we would also reach out to small companies for sponsorships. They would send us their inventory, and we would post it on the account. This allowed us to try free dog products such as toys, bones, swim floaties, etc. for Skittles, and in return, those businesses would get promoted on Skittles’ account. Additionally, from the sponsored products, we would have contests with free giveaways. 

This account, @skittles_the_barker, is more than just about our dog. It is a social media platform to promote small companies, raise money for animal shelters, and provide information about interesting things for dogs for our followers. We never knew Skittles would have such an impact on so many people on Instagram; this dog has more followers than I do! 

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