If you’ve ever seen sad dogs tied up outside and thought “I should photograph this..” you’re among a select group of individuals who also share your love of pouty pups. Andy, an Irish guy living in Australia, started a Facebook page dedicated to depressed Dachshunds and forlorn French Bulldogs anxiously awaiting the return of their owners. In an article by Mashable, our dog-loving photog friend explained the reasoning behind his project, “One thing I noticed when I moved over [to Australia] was the amount of dogs tied up at shops! I’ve always loved dogs and liked to pet them to cheer them up a bit so when I saw them and I thought other people would get a kick out of seeing them online too.”
Andy takes quite a few pictures but due to the popularity of the Facebook page, he’s also seen quite a few submissions come in from around the world including Spain, Canada, U.S.A and of course Australia where it all began. But what’s the interest behind the images? What do people get out of seeing mopey mutts? One Buzzfeed reader responded had an answer, “In a fast-paced world where a significant portion of human interactions are done online, this is a very visual and genuinely emotive encounter.” The thought process goes like this; see a sad dog, take his picture to share with thousands of other curious folks around the globe, remind yourself the world is about genuine encounters and love, pet the dog on the head, and have a happier day!
With both an Instagram account and Facebook page, Sad Dogs Outside Shops has over 4000 followers and counting. “I reckon 90% of the photos are submitted by followers of Sad Dogs,” says Andy. “I get them from all over the world now, and many of the pictures are of really high quality… we are slowly building a Sad Dogs community.”
So there you have it, Andy’s initiative is only continuing to grow, linking thousands of people together through their shared interest and turning frowns upside down one dog at a time! You can follow the page here.
