When Social Media Isn't Enough: How BarkQuest Built a Real Community Around Pets

This is the story of how one pet owner used Goosechase to build a global community challenge from scratch.

Running an online community feels easier than ever. Until you try to actually deepen it.

Joelle Andrés had a following. She had engaged pet owners from around the world who loved her dog Bastian and his expressive button-pressing antics. But when she tried to bring those people together — to learn, compete, and connect around something bigger — the social media platforms she had available kept getting in the way.

"It almost becomes like an echo chamber," she said. "You're only connecting with people you already know."

Instagram stories vanished in 24 hours. Comments got buried. If she missed a window to check in, tagged posts disappeared entirely. She wanted a level playing field where it didn't matter how many followers someone had - just that they showed up with their pet and their curiosity.

That idea became the Goosechase Experience, BarkQuest.

The Platform Problem Every Community Builder Recognizes

If you've ever tried to run a challenge, a series, or any kind of structured event through social media, you know the friction:

• Tracking who participated.
• Managing submissions.
• Making sure quieter voices don't get drowned out by bigger accounts.

The algorithm often works against you, not with you.

Joelle had been thinking about a global pet challenge for years when she stumbled onto a new engagement tool during a professional development session at the school where she taught (spoiler…it was us).

That tool was Goosechase, an interactive experience platform where participants complete photo, video, and text-based Missions to earn points on a live leaderboard. It's built for structured, social engagement and education, and it's used everywhere from corporate team-building to university orientation to, as it turns out, global pet communities.

"A lot of people see it as an educational tool, but the way it ended up being a big icebreaker for the group is what made me think, ‘this is really cool’.”

What she saw was a platform that replaced the social media hierarchy with something more democratic. A points-based activity feed where everyone competed on the same terms, and where the experience of doing the challenge was front and center, not the clout of whoever posted it.

"It doesn't matter how many followers you have," she said. "It really just brings it back to people and their relationship with their pet."

A One-Week Experiment That Wouldn't End

BarkQuest was supposed to last a week.

"People were losing their minds," Joelle laughed. "They were like, there are so many Missions I want to do, can you please keep it open longer?"

It became a month-long Experience, and the format clicked for exactly the reason she'd hoped: flexibility.

Each Mission prompted participants to submit a photo or video of their pet completing a specific activity, anything from building a puzzle out of household items to practicing agility in the backyard to snuggling with a senior dog who needs a slower pace. Participants could do as much or as little as they wanted, picking Missions that matched their pet's abilities and their own schedule.

Now in its third year, BarkQuest has evolved into something more layered and inclusive, with cats, bunnies, and even goats(!) eagerly participating. Year one used calendar-based prompts tied to pet holidays. Year two introduced unlockable Missions, challenges that only revealed themselves once you completed the previous challenge, adding a surprise element that kept people coming back. Year three brought in collaboration tools that let Joelle's team of trainers and moderators help run the experience in real time.

"Every time I come back to the platform," she said, "there are new features and things I can do to build on the Experience I’ve already established."

Sponsors Who Actually Fit

As BarkQuest's reach grew, brands took notice. But Joelle wasn't interested in traditional influencer deals.

"We're very explicit: This isn't a paid campaign," she said. "We just ask, will you donate a prize?"

Every single brand said yes.

Joelle was able to build a sponsorship program that feels natural, not forced. Brands contribute prizes that winners can donate to shelters of their choice, and some even design their own challenges. One sponsor sent participants out to hide treats in tree bark for their pets to sniff out. It was a simple, tactile activity that became one of the most talked-about Missions of the year.

"It never feels like advertising," Joelle said. "Everyone, even the brands, are just in it for the pets."

The Moment That Changed Everything

Fun challenges and brand partnerships are nice. But one story captures what BarkQuest is really about.

A few years ago, Joelle added a pet CPR training challenge. It earned a lot of points, enough to motivate real participation, and people actually did the training.

Then, twice, it mattered.

"Two dogs were saved because of it," she said. "People learned something in the challenge and then used it in real life."

It's the kind of outcome that reframes what a community challenge can be: not just entertainment. Not just engagement metrics. Something that changes what people can do and sticks with them after the game ends.

She's heard versions of the Experience’s transformative power from participants over and over: “I didn't even know my pet liked this. Then we tried it in the Mission, and now we do it every day.”

What the Community Looks Like Now

Three years in, BarkQuest is a much-anticipated annual tradition.

Word of mouth drives most new participants. Friendships have formed between people who found each other through the challenge feed. And there's a shared language now around animal welfare that Joelle traces directly to the experience of doing these challenges together.

"There's a common understanding now," she said, "about giving pets agency and enriching their lives."

That's the quieter win underneath the fun. A community that knows more, cares more, and comes back year after year because the Experience keeps giving them something worth showing up for.

How to Run a Community Challenge That Actually Works

If you run an online community and you've ever felt the ceiling of what social platforms can actually do, Joelle's advice for how to run a community challenge is straightforward: Experience it first.

"Join an existing Goosechase Experience or play around with a test before you build one," she said. "There are so many things you'll realize on the fly, and only when you're in the headspace of a participant."

Once you're ready to build your community event, here are tips to keep in mind:

• Keep content fresh. Reusing the same challenges year over year gives people an option to submit old content instead of actually engaging with their pet. New Missions force new moments.
• Design for everyone, not just your most dedicated followers. BarkQuest works because a senior cat with limited mobility and a high-energy puppy can both participate meaningfully. When people feel like the Experience was made for them, they invest in it.
• Give people something to do together, not just something to post. The difference between a feed of individual submissions and a shared experience is whether or not people feel like they're part of something. A live leaderboard, unlockable missions, and team collaboration are what turn participation into belonging.
• Don't be afraid to evolve the format year over year. Each year of BarkQuest has introduced something new, and that's deliberate. If people know exactly what to expect, the excitement fades. If they're curious what's coming next, they stay.

The magic of BarkQuest was never the points or the prizes. It was the moment a participant scrolled through the live feed and thought, these are my people. That's what the right tool makes possible: not just a place to participate, but a mirror that reflects your community back to itself.

What is Goosechase?

At Goosechase, experience is everything. Originally inspired by scavenger hunts, Goosechase is an online platform that enables organizations and schools to engage, activate, and educate their communities through delightful interactive experiences. Sign up and try creating a free recreational Experience, or check out our Pricing!