How to lend a helping paw

Followers, likes, posts, re-posts, hashtags, algorithms—why does social media have to be so complicated? If the internet were an ocean, I would be stuck in a tiny ship somewhere with my friends and family. They would probably put their diving suits on and explore every day while I remained on the ship. And while I wait for them to come back, I will dip my toes into the water a few times, and that's it.

Thanks to Hina's popularity, the animal shelter's unofficial page got bombarded with tons of views and many new followers. Pet lovers from all over the world were actively liking posts and leaving comments. Yuki was so happy that the animal shelter had finally gotten the attention it deserved. And just when we believed we were on the right track, our enthusiasm took a huge blow.

We learned that a high number of views or followers doesn't necessarily bring in many adoptions. Sure, Hina's popularity gave us a nice boost, but a lot of our visitors were just curious fans. Most of them were hoping to see Hina in person, only to leave in disappointment shortly after learning that this shelter is not actually affiliated with her.

It was a new morning, and after we were done feeding the dogs, I started to notice that there were fewer and fewer kennels available. Unfortunately, not all dogs are as fortunate as Kuuki. For example, today the head volunteer, Kenji, told us about his experience with shy dogs and how they are having a harder time getting adopted than outgoing ones.

Timid dogs also need to spend time in a more relaxed setting. Listening to classical music is also beneficial. Usually in these cases, caregivers feed them treats throughout the day in an attempt to win them over and make them come out of their shell. It's a long and tedious process, but with our help, they will find a way to socialize more.

"What's on your mind, Akio? You seemed to be deep in thought today." Kenji said this with a clipboard in his hand.

"Oh, sorry about that! I'm just thinking about how there aren't many people showing up for adoptions these days," I explained.

"Yes, we've had this problem for a while now. Way before you arrived here, actually. And I expressed my concerns to the owners, but..." he said, attempting to find the proper words.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Don't get me wrong. They are both nice people, but they can be very stubborn sometimes," he answered with an awkward laugh.

"My friend Yuki told me that they are both old-fashioned people. I guess it's hard for them to let go of habits," I said.

"Yes. Sometimes I believe Keiko and Satoru are stuck in time. I mean, they still buy ads for newspapers. Who reads newspapers these days? We don't need that. Our sponsors have been the same for years, and no one new is interested in a long partnership. We need to make our presence known online," Kenji said, with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"I'm not into social media myself, so I kind of understand them." I said, embarrassed.

"It's not like I know a lot about social media, either. But we're a non-profit organization. Sponsors are crucial in our field. The online exposure would open a lot of doors for us. But the owners aren't that excited about it," he remarked.

"How come?" I asked.

And just as I was about to exit the room, I ran into Yuki.

"Akio! There you are! Are you busy? Satoru said he wants to talk to us about something," Yuki said. Speak of the devil! I'm curious to find out what he wants.

"Yes, I'm free!" I said as I rearranged my apron and turned towards Yuki.

As we entered the staff room, I saw Rika. She waved at me, and I waved back. Hikaru, however, wasn't here today; he took a day off. As we waited for Satoru, we began chatting about our situation. After about 10 minutes, he arrives.

"Good! You're all here. Thank you for coming. My grandson called me yesterday to inform me that apparently Kitamura's daughter made a... what is it called? A sephie, or slelfie, with you here. Is that true?" Satoru asked, stroking his chin.

"Yes, it's true. And it's called a selfie," Yuki giggled.

"Can you tell me more about that? You didn't mention anything about this selfie when you told me about her coming here," he said. Oh no, is Satoru angry? Maybe he didn't want her to take the picture. At that moment, I was ready to step in and take the blame. After all, I was the one who brought Hina here in the first place.

"Well, she really loved the shelter...and..." Yuki began to explain.

"Sir, I apologize for interfering, but Yuki did nothing wrong. She was only trying to make this place more known and get more animals adopted. Hina was very excited when she entered the shelter, and she really wanted to promote it," I said, cutting Yuki off. Her eyes got bigger as she looked at me. Don't worry, Yuki; I will protect you!

"Yes, I've heard people talking about our shelter because of Kitamura's daughter. But you got the wrong idea; I wasn't scolding Yuki; I just wanted to know what the word selfie meant." He scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Oh..." I exclaimed. After a long silence, we all burst out laughing. We explained what a "selfie meant, and we took one together. I wish Hikaru was here, too!

"Looks like Akio's got your back, Yuki! He has courage; I like him!" Satoru laughed. At that moment, we both blushed and looked away from each other.

"And yes, I am aware of the state of adoptions. This is a major problem we're facing. My wife is worried, and so am I. The internet may be our only savior," Satoru continued.

"I have an idea! Why don't we help?" Rika stepped in with a determined look in her eyes.

"I don't know much about how this works, but I do know that I'll have to pay you. Give me a few days, and I'll research more," he said.

"Oh, no! You don't have to do that! Just knowing that Hina is seeing my posts is enough for me! Yuki will still be in charge of the account as usual. And I'll be the social media manager!" Yuki replied enthusiastically.

"Well, I'm not good at this social media stuff, but I'll be cheering for you guys," I said with my fist in the air.

"Not so fast, Akio! I have the perfect job for you!" Rika said this with an evil grin on her face. Oh, no! What is she planning now?