The schedule of events may resemble one from a typical convention, but at PetCon NYC the meet and greets, breakout sessions and vendors were all about animals. For pets and their owners it was the place to see and be seen.
Metropolitan Pavilion filled up quickly Saturday as fans of social media famous dogs, cats, reptiles, even ducks and pigs came to see the stars in real life. Some guests of honor and their pet parents are still getting used to all the attention.
"I do pickup lines but with dogs and people would tag their significant others and it literally exploded overnight," said Aiayna Bochenek, owner of Adaline the Mastiff.
The event was billed as a pet lover's dream, and some diehards took the opportunity to show their undying affection for animals. At one booth guests could sign up for a free and permanent tattoo.
“Cause I love my dog so much she’s opened my heart,” said Susan Fassett, a tattoo recipient.
The pet collective, a website all about animals, tapped an artist from Nice Tattoo in Brooklyn for the job.
"A tattoo is a big commitment but everyone here is for the love of their pets so I think that people will love it," said Crys Chen, a tattoo artist for Nice tattoo parlor.
Having a social media famous animal does have its perks, a lot of them have merchandise they can sell or just give out for free.
"We’ve met so many friends, he's met so many friends, we've gone to meet ups and this is just kind of a bonus thing we get to do," said Chelsea Venneri, Mom to “Bootsy the Corgi” and a makeup artist here at NY1.
Some parents of pet influencers have turned online interest in their animals into a full time career.
"I started making clothing just for fun but then people want to buy them on Instagram, so I started the website and we started to ship all over the world," said Rita Li, owner of Rororiri, Dog and Human Fashion.
Some attendees brought their own animals to the showcase.
Organized by The Dog Agency, a company that represents some of the most famous pets on the planet, some owners at the event came in the hopes their furry friends might also be the next big thing on the internet.
