Thanks to students Devon Baird and Rose Hofstetter, an Instagram account called “Pets of Xavier” was created to provide a much needed   bright spot within the Xavier family. 

The account started after Xavier announced classes would be completed remotely and Baird and Hostetter wanted to find a way to keep the Xavier community involved. 

“What we loved about the idea for ‘Pets of Xavier’ is that not only do we get to see each other’s pets, but we also get to see each other outside of campus,” Hofstetter, a sophomore digital media and advertising double major, said. 

“This is so important now that we’re all in different parts of the world.” 

Inspired by the popular Instagram account, “Dogs of Instagram,” Baird and Hofstetter expanded the concept to include all kinds of pets. The account currently features dogs, cats, fish and even a hamster.

Each post includes a photo of an animal with a bio submitted to Baird and Hofstetter by messaging the account. 

“There’s really no creative limit, but we always try to feature the Xavier student, their hometown, the pet’s name and a little about them,” Baird, a sophomore biology major, said.  “We also know that not everyone is a professional pet photographer and we welcome that.” 

“Pets of Xavier” was created to spread positivity on social media. With more than 100 followers, the account posts every few days, but hopes to grow and reach a wider audience. 

“We’d really like for the student body, alumni, faculty and anyone in the Xavier community to get involved and share their animals with us,” Baird said. “If we can continue to spread more joy to the community, then we know we’re doing something right.”

“We’re just two students who want to make other people smile,” Baird and Hofstetter said. 

“Not to mention the submissions are always super cute and fun to receive, people are always very excited to share their pets.” 

For fun-filled posts, follow @petsofxu on Instagram.