We were lucky to catch up with Kisha Buie recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kisha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The idea for my pet influencer business came about naturally when I got my first dog, a giant schnauzer named Kingsley. Like most new dog moms, I couldn’t stop taking photos of her, but I didn’t want to overwhelm my friends on social media with constant dog pictures. That’s when I decided to create an Instagram page just for Kingsley. What started as a fun way to share her photos quickly turned into something much bigger. I discovered this incredible community of giant schnauzer lovers who connected with our content, and the page just grew from there.

As time went on, we added two more dogs to the family: Charlemagne, a goldendoodle, and Majesty, a standard poodle. Our followers became more than just fans of cute photos—they were genuinely interested in how we dressed our dogs, the modeling gigs they booked, and what life as a dog mom looked like day to day. The excitement and support from our community showed me that this could be more than just a hobby. I knew it was a worthwhile endeavor when I saw how engaged people were and how much joy our content brought to fellow dog lovers. What got me most excited was realizing that, through our journey, we were able to create a space that not only celebrated our dogs but also connected with people who love them just as much as I do.

Kisha, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We really dove into the pet influencer space when the world shut down during Covid. Being home gave us the time and opportunity to fully focus on creating content for social media. I wasn’t a professional photographer or videographer, but I was excited to learn how to take and edit photos, and how to create engaging short-form videos that showcased our dogs’ personalities. It became a fun challenge to make our dogs—who might otherwise seem ‘ordinary’—come alive on screen. We wanted to share their unique personalities while also providing valuable insights about their breeds, what it’s like to care for large dogs, and what life is like in a multi-pet, large dog household.

We also saw an opportunity to address some of the common challenges faced by dog owners. For instance, we share information about the food we feed them, including recipes we create from scratch. One of the biggest challenges we faced was dressing our large-breed dogs. The pet fashion world often caters to small dogs, so we found creative solutions, like using children’s clothes, and shared these ideas with our audience. This set us apart, as we were solving a problem many large-breed dog owners face—finding stylish and functional outfits for their pets.

What I’m most proud of is how we’ve built a community around our dogs. Our followers come to us not just for cute photos but for advice, inspiration, and tips on how to care for large dogs. We’ve been able to show that owning big dogs can be just as fun, fashionable, and rewarding as owning smaller pets. Ultimately, what I want people to know about our brand is that we’re here to provide both entertainment and practical information, while sharing the joy and challenges of life with large dogs.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When we first started, our audience found us organically. We were simply posting pictures of our giant schnauzer and tagging her breed in the photos, which led people who were passionate about the breed to discover and follow us. With a good hashtag strategy and by staying active within that specific community, we were able to connect with people who truly cared about our dog’s story. As our furry family grew, we naturally expanded into other dog communities based on our different breeds. We were pleasantly surprised by how large and supportive the pet space on social media really is. Pet owners tend to rally around each other, and we were amazed by how interested people became in following the lives of our dogs.

As our page grew, we eventually hit a plateau, which prompted us to rethink our strategy. We realized that people outside of the pet space were looking for more than just cute pictures—they wanted authenticity, education, and to get to know the people behind the account. So, we started incorporating more educational content about our dogs’ breeds, their care, and our life as a multi-pet household. We also began sharing more of our own personalities as dog parents, which helped our followers feel more connected to us. Staying on top of current social media trends also allowed us to continue growing and engaging our audience in fresh and exciting ways.

For anyone just starting out, my biggest piece of advice is to be authentic and find your niche. Focus on what makes your pet (or content) unique, and connect with communities who share those interests. Don’t be afraid to evolve your content as you grow, and always listen to what your audience is looking for—whether it’s education, entertainment, or a personal connection.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Our journey in the pet influencer space wasn’t without its challenges. When it comes to social media, it’s often easier to build a brand around yourself rather than pets, who don’t always cooperate, have short attention spans, and generally prefer loafing around the house. Anyone in show business will tell you: working with animals can be tough. We love our dogs, so we had to be very mindful of their needs and create content in ways that respected their natural behaviors. For instance, we limited our content creation to one day a week so our dogs could spend the rest of their time just being dogs. We also recognized that each dog is different, and we had to tailor our approach to suit their personalities.

For example, our goldendoodle, Charlamagne, didn’t mind getting dressed up for photos as long as treats were involved, so we focused on creating fun, fashion-forward looks for her. Our poodle, Majesty, was being trained as a model, so we built content around his gigs and life as a ‘dog model.’ But our giant schnauzer, Kingsley, wasn’t as interested in dressing up or being out and about, so we kept her content focused on her natural beauty and educating people about the giant schnauzer breed, which is quite rare.

One of the hardest parts of the journey was transitioning back to full-time work after Covid. Unlike many other creators, we have 9-to-5 jobs, so the shift from being home all day with the dogs to juggling work and content creation was exhausting. We experienced burnout from being on our toes all day at work and then coming home to try and create engaging content. What helped us overcome this was learning to take breaks and step back when needed. We had to regularly ask ourselves, ‘Are we still enjoying this?’ and reconnect with the passion that led us to start the account in the first place. By aligning our content with what we’re truly excited about, we’ve been able to keep our motivation strong and continue growing our platform.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: KingsleyandCharlamagne
• Facebook: KingsleyandCharlamagne
• Youtube: KingsleyandCharlamagne

Image Credits
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