- UPS driver Sean McCarren started a Facebook group six years ago called “UPS Dogs.”
- The group is dedicated to photos of the dogs (and sometimes cats) that UPS drivers meet on their route.
- UPS drivers from across the country submit their photos and videos to be featured on the page.
- The page has over 1.5 million followers today. You can take a look at it here.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Joanna Fantozzi contributed reporting on a previous version of this article.
Sean McCarren started a Facebook group called “UPS Dogs” six years ago.
A Facebook group called “UPS Dogs” went viral in 2018. The group, started by 17-year UPS veteran Sean McCarren, features adorable photos of dogs (and sometimes cats) that he and other drivers encounter on their routes.
McCarren got the idea for the page when he realized he had between 50 to 60 photos of dogs on his phone.
“I posted on my regular wall, and everyone was all crazy about it,” he told Insider. “So I decided to just go ahead and make a page.”
The page, which went viral in 2018, has over 1.5 million followers today.
And the accompanying Instagram page, which McCarren updates less frequently, has 491,000 followers.
"Dogs are really important to people's families, they are like their son or daughter, so you try to talk to them and treat them as such," he told Insider.
McCarren gets between 20 to 30 submissions to the page per day.
"We have about 30 drivers that post on a regular basis," Sean McCarren, who started the Facebook group six years ago, told Insider.
He told Insider someone helps him maintain the page, as keeping up with the submissions is like a full-time job.
The Facebook page is updated with posts every few hours, so followers always have fresh dog content.
McCarren schedules the posts to go up every two hours or so, which is helpful since he can't be on his phone when he drives.
As of December 2019, the page was fully scheduled through February.
Apparently, drivers keep boxes of treats in their truck, which is an especially good idea when faced with large groups like this one.
"What's funny is - ask any delivery driver and they will tell you - dogs just jump up into the vehicle, wanting a biscuit," McCarren told Insider.
"Sometimes I'll go through a couple of boxes of treats a week."
Many dogs will jump directly into the truck.
The open door makes for easy access.
McCarren said the posts have gone global, as people submit from all over the world.
"It's pure," McCarren said of its popularity. "I mean, who doesn't love dogs?"
A lot of these pups take an immediate liking to their UPS driver friends.
McCarren said he doesn't have a favorite dog from the page, because they're all great.
Sometimes a UPS driver will even be greeted by an entire basket filled with puppies.
Even 9-week-old puppies make friends with drivers.
And sometimes, dogs will find their "forever homes" with their UPS drivers.
"Leo would always start barking as I pulled into the condo complex," Katie Newhouser wrote on the UPS Dogs Facebook page of this photo.
"He would always jump into my truck when I stopped. His owner passed away and now he lives with me."
The UPS corporate office approves of the group, too.
"Yes, we are aware of that site," a UPS spokesperson told BuzzFeed.
"It's a good example of the relationships our employees build with their customers, two- or four-legged," they said.
Even "newer" residents have love for the UPS guy.
"This is Solar. She's a new resident on my run at the YMCA in Portland, Maine. She is only 8 weeks old and not yet ready for treats. But soon!"
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