It can be hard nowadays for people to agree on much, but one thing most people can agree on is how much they love their pets. Their constant companionship during the turbulence of the pandemic has been a life saver for many people. Shortly after the pandemic began, there was a surge in pet adoptions. In March 2020, Centerville-based schoolteacher Brittney Nelson joined the surge and became a proud dog mom to her new puppy, Laika - a red fawn French bulldog. 

“I have always wanted a French bulldog,” said Nelson. “At the time, I was dating my former significant other, Austin, who was hesitant to get a dog. I decided to make a PowerPoint to show him why this would be a great idea. I put a lot of research into my PowerPoint and presented it to him. I included the information about the breeder I had chosen and explained why French bulldogs make great pets. To my excitement, my presentation won him over!” Nelson said. 

In the middle of the pet adoption surge, “it was very hard to get her,” said Nelson. “But since I was working from home at the time, I was lucky to be able to go early and I got first pick of the litter. The breeder later told me that within two hours all of the puppies had been adopted.

“I named her Laika because I wanted to name her after the first dog in space. The original Laika was a female mutt who was taken to space with Russian cosmonauts in 1957. I have always liked that story. I wanted her to have a unique name and I am a little bit of a nerd since I do work at a STEM school, so Laika was perfect,” said Nelson. She teaches second grade at a STEM school in West Valley.

“My favorite thing about Laika is that she has been such a huge support to me during all of this craziness. I call her a Velcro dog. She always likes to be where I am and do what I do. Having her by my side has been a lifesaver,” said Nelson.

  “I started an Instagram account for her mostly because I had been following other Frenchie accounts and they inspired me. I was also just so obsessed with her! I don’t really have any goals for her Instagram page. I just wanted to be able to easily share photos of her with my friends and family. I would honestly hate for it to become a stressful thing,” Nelson continued.

She said she thinks pet Instagram accounts are becoming more popular “because there is so much pressure and negativity online and some people are getting burnt out of Instagram. Pet Instagram’s are different. There is no negativity, just cute pet photos. It is a great escape with everything else going on in the world. That’s why, I think, everyone has one.”

Nelson grew up living all over Davis County but is now based in Centerville - which she describes as a cozy place to live. Nelson is currently working on her application for her Master’s in Education at Westminster. If you want to see more photos of Laika, follow her on Instagram @laika_frenchbulldog.