I revisited some of the first dog-training accounts I ever followed online

Seeing photos of people and pets I used to check on daily but now hardly remember felt strange.

Today I meandered Instagram memory lane.

The trip started unintentionally—I was simply “cleaning up” followers by looking at flagged and deactivated accounts. (Having recently learned this can help with engagement, and feeling stuck inside waiting to hear about freelance pitches on a bitingly cold afternoon, I figured why not.)

Then I decided to look at who I’m following for the first time in ages. I filtered the list by “date followed: earliest” and found myself plunged into the old days—possibly the golden days?—of my time online.

I’m still friends with several of the people behind these accounts. Some are close connections, fellow dog lovers I’ve now not only texted and video called but actually met in person. Others haven’t posted in years. (I never even realized some were gone.) The bulk are on the app from time to time like me—we exchange occasional well wishes but mostly pass each other by.

Seeing photos of dogs I used to check on daily and now hardly remember felt strange. Mostly …