It's not enough just to own a dog these days. You have to dress him up, show him off at the right cafes and run a Facebook page and an Instagram account.
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Pikelet the Staffordshire terrier has 320,000 social media followers, and in the dog world, his visit to Melbourne on the weekend eclipsed the star power of celebrities like Paris Jackson on Melbourne Cup Day
The four-year-old pooch flew down from Sydney and on Sunday took time out from book signings (he's just released his autobiography, The Extraordinary Life of Pikelet) to be a VIP guest at Dogapalooza, a dog-friendly music festival in Richmond.
More than 1500 dog lovers with pets ranging from giant Saint Bernards to tiny Chihuahuas, lapped up the sunshine at Burnley Park as the mercury hit 22 degrees.
Deborah Conway sang songs from her album Bitch Epic. Stalls sold dog bow ties, dog 'beers' and a dog 'holiday resort', costing up to $120 per night.
Accompanied by owner Calley Gibson, Pikelet was approached by cooing fans who took selfies with him.
Harmony Black, 35, from North Melbourne, follows Pikelet on Instagram and said the cute online photos often made her day.
She said Pikelet, who was saved from death row at a pound in 2013, proved there was nothing wrong with rescued dogs.
Ms Black's own dog, a miniature English bull terrier called Tripp, has his own Instagram page, Life's a Tripp, with 270 followers.
She says pet social media pages are a "massive" trend.
"Because we're just obsessed with our dogs. We want to share everything about them, what they're wearing, where they're going. They're like our children."
On Pikelet's Instagram page, lifeofpikelet (188,000 followers) and his Facebook page, Life of Pikelet (140,000 followers), Ms Gibson poses him reading a book, cuddling up to pigs in bed, in the bath and eating at a restaurant table.
In case you think It's all too cute, the twist is that it's all not for profit.
Pikelet has raised more than $150,000 for pet-rescue services and helped re-house hundreds of dogs on death row.
Ms Gibson and her husband live in inner Sydney and have fostered and re-housed more than 50 dogs, piglets, ducklings and goats through Pikelet's sites.
Her mission is to show that rescued dogs like Pikelet can be lovely pets. She also wants to challenge stereotypes of 'staffys' as aggressive.
Some book proceeds will go to Oscar's Law, the charity that campaigns against puppy farms.
Proceeds of Dogapalooza also go to Oscar's Law and other pet-rescue services.
Oscar's Law founder Deb Tranter said at Dogapalooza that Ms Gibson's work was "incredible" and Pikelet was "the biggest celebrity here today, an absolute drawcard".
