puppylove

@dogsofhamline

#puppylove

Words by Chloe McElmury, photos courtesy of @dogsofhamline Instagram

The first week of college can be stressful, bringing them in during finals week to lift our especially when it’s the first day of the next spirits. four years of your life. The adjustment can When it’s not finals week, you still see admittedly be difficult. However, diving into people with their dogs on campus, spreading your passions can help you find others with joy to those who stop to pet the pets. At least for similar interests and more easily connect to me, whenever I see a dog, I can’t stop staring your campus. What better passion than sharing and smiling. Dogs definitely help to make your love of dogs with the new community college a little bit less stressful, even if it’s just you’ve decided to call home? staring at them for a few seconds as they pass

Ella Seehafer, a first-year hailing from by. Waseca, Minnesota, has found a way to do Ella realized this, saying she “just came up just that. On September 8th, Seehafer started with the idea of doing something special” based the Instagram account, @DogsofHamline. on messages she received before creating the Currently above 130 followers, it garners anywhere from 30 to 55 Spreading Instagram. With encouragement from her friends and strangers likes per post. Ella is spreading puppy love all over Hamline. happiness through alike, she’s kept it going even through classes and joining the

“I always get really happy when dogs isn’t a women’s tennis team. While she’s I see a dog, so I started to share them with others to hopefully bad gig. “not sure if it’ll become something more,” it’s a little thing she enjoys make them a bit happier, too,” she to do for herself and those who explained. The joy of dogs and pets is trendy follow the account. thanks to social media. In today’s connected Spreading happiness through dogs isn’t a world, dogs are treated as celebrities, with many bad gig. Thankfully for us and the rest of the pooches having their own social media profiles. Hamline community, she even adds multiple

Ella wanted to engage in this trend, saying, photos per post, assuring followers will get their “I used to put a picture or videos of dogs on my daily dog fix. Ella, not one to be shy, would Snapchat story whenever I saw one.” She was shamelessly self-promote at the lunch table delighted to see messages about how her photos and elsewhere on campus. But, she realized and videos were making peoples’ days better people were already aware of it, saying that they and brighter. already follow.

Many of us might keep that one contact She shared, “it made me excited that some around on social media because we know they people were mentioning it to their friends.” constantly post photos of dogs, or even better, There’s no doubt her Instagram has already had they have their own prized pupper. Dogs an impact. While it might be small, Seehafer has solve our stresses by welcoming us to reward brought some light to Hamline’s campus. Check them some well-deserved pats and praise. out the @dogsofhamline Instagram for some Even Hamline recognizes the benefits of dogs, good boys anytime, anywhere.