Mount Pleasant Pets 2018-19

22 MP PETS www.MtPleasant.Pet | www.MPVets.Pet | www.facebook.com/MPpets G U I D E Local to Mount Pleasant, a few of Goose’s favorite spots often featured on his ‘gram include IOP, Sullivan’s Island and Alhambra Hall in the Old Village. His daily routine most always includes playing a vigorous game fetch, but Woodham makes sure to spoil him every so often, saying, “When he's been especially good, we take him to Hairy Winston so that he can pick out his own treat. They love him in there.” At about 1,500 followers, Goose’s mom posts consistently and truly treats each post as a social experience, explaining, “I firmly believe that the shorter and sassier the captions, the more comments we’ll get. Goose has become quite popular around Mount Pleasant because we take him every- where we can. We’ve actually met some of Goose’s ‘friends’ through Instagram.” Catching a glimpse of @pippipup on Instagram is a near-magical experience, prompting the dainty dachshund’s mom, Wendy Jane Robbins, to consistently deem her rescue pup #mythicalcreature to her 850 and growing followers. I first came across Pippi’s Instagram during Charleston Harbor Veterinarians’ Halloween costume contest in which Beezus, my golden, was a contestant ( and winner! ). But I knew from the beginning Pippi would be stiff competition; this pup is downright adorable. “Her quirky ear is an obvious favorite, but she also has the funniest personality. She happily hops around like a little rabbit, but she's also a little bossy when she wants to be,” said Robbins. But Pippi’s past isn’t all rainbows and butterflies: Robbins adopted her through Carolina Loving Hound Rescue in Greenville. “Pippi had been involved in a puppy-mill raid, had had several litters and required some extra care. … she was par- tially blind and deaf, and CLHR knew that it would take a special family to tend to her needs. We had been obsessively liking and commenting on her many funny videos from her foster mom until we finally decided that we'd contact the rescue,” Robbins said. Robbins gives Pippi’s account – established in 2016 – purpose by shedding light on puppy mills and educating others who may have questions as to “where to get a dog like Pippi.” “She has always attracted lots of attention, so I figured, why not give it a go on social media? I also wanted to highlight the horrific reality of puppy mills and to spread the ‘adopt-don’t- shop’ message. Pippi is a double dapple, a color pattern achieved by breeding two dapples. Puppies are born blind and deaf, in addition to other dangerous abnormalities. People are purposely breeding double dapples because they are so beautiful and can be sold at a much higher price, but many people do not understand the host of health problems that go along with it. Occasionally, I will get a message on Ins- tagram from someone who wants to know the breeder she came from and how much she cost. It can be annoying, but I look at it as an opportunity to educate. In general, Pippi's fans just love to see cute pictures of her and that silly ear,” Robbins explained. Pippi may be a small dachshund with a dash of Chi- huahua, but she’s doing grand things with her Instagram account. You can usually catch her on an evening prance along Colonial Lake, White Point Garden or Joe Riley Wa- terfront Park – and sometimes with a line of a dozen other dachshunds. Robbins and Pippi are the founders of the account @dachshundsofcharleston and plan monthly walks from White Point Garden to Waterfront Park. “It's quite a sight to see a dozen or more dachshunds walking in a line along the Battery,” said Robbins.