Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie Waters.
Hi Charlie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Like a lot of people, my story didn’t begin from a place of success…it began in a place so dark I wasn’t sure I’d ever find my way back into the light.
In 2019, after discovering my wife’s affair, my marriage ended in divorce. It forced me to rebuild every part of my life from the ground up. Therapy, my faith in God, and the gym became the three pillars that helped me become the man I wanted to be instead of the man my circumstances were trying to create.
Then, on Valentine’s Day in 2020, Ryker came into my life. Looking back, he was the dog I didn’t know I needed, but he entered my life exactly when I needed him most. A few weeks later, the world shut down due to the pandemic, I lost my job, and life became even more uncertain.
I remember looking at Ryker one day and joking, “Alright, little man… you’re the boss now.”
That moment changed everything.
I started sharing pictures and videos of our everyday life on Instagram, not because I had a business plan or expected anything to happen, but because it genuinely brought me joy during one of the hardest seasons of my life. More than anything, I wanted to share his joy with the world around us.
Between April and August of 2020, the account grew to nearly 9,000 followers, and that was the first time I realized we might be building something much bigger than I ever imagined.
What started as a way to cope with betrayal and uncertainty has grown into an incredible community centered around Ryker, Sinatra, and the joy they bring to so many people around the world every day. More than anything, these two pups have reminded me that some of life’s greatest blessings arrive disguised as our hardest chapters.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. Looking back, I wouldn’t change any of it, but there were plenty of moments when I wondered if things would ever get better.
One of the hardest stretches came after I lost my job in 2020 and spent nearly 500 days unemployed. At the time, it was incredibly difficult both financially and emotionally, but in hindsight, that season became one of the greatest gifts I could have received. It gave me the rare opportunity to spend every single day with Ryker… watching him grow, learn, develop personality and without even realizing it, bring joy to thousands of people online.
By early 2022, our Instagram community had grown to more than 10,000 followers, and I had a realization: if I was investing this much time, energy, and passion into the pet world through Ryker and Sinatra, why wasn’t I building my career around that passion too? That realization ultimately led me to join a major pet food company, where I could align my professional life with something I genuinely love.
From the outside, it may look like everything simply fell into place. The reality is that I had to fight my way out of one of the darkest periods of my life. There were days when I genuinely wondered if I would ever find my way back into the light.
Today, I believe the best version of ourselves is often waiting on the other side of adversity. For me, that journey was shaped by my faith in God and by two little dachshunds I believe were placed in my life at exactly the right time. Ryker and Sinatra gave me purpose when I felt lost, kept me grounded through every success, and continue to remind me every single day to wake up with a grateful heart.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At my core, I’m a storyteller. Ryker and Sinatra just happen to be the ones helping me tell those stories.
What began as sharing everyday moments with my dogs has evolved into creating content that celebrates the bond between people and their pets. Whether it’s humorous videos, travel adventures, or simply capturing the small moments that make life with dogs so special, my goal has always been to make people smile while reminding them just how much joy our pets bring into our lives.
I’m incredibly proud of how something that started as a simple hobby has grown into meaningful partnerships with brands I genuinely believe in. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with pet and lifestyle companies, partner with Marriott properties while showcasing pet-friendly travel, and design and launch my own custom leash with Up Country Inc., a company I admired long before we ever worked together. Seeing people purchase that leash and use something I designed with their own dogs was an incredibly surreal, full-circle moment.
What sets me apart is authenticity. I don’t create content simply to chase trends, algorithms, or the next opportunity. If a partnership doesn’t align with my values or isn’t something I would personally use with Ryker and Sinatra, I don’t pursue it. Every brand relationship has to feel like a natural extension of our everyday lives, and I think people recognize that. Audiences can tell the difference between an advertisement and a genuine recommendation, and I’ve always chosen authenticity over a paycheck.
More than anything, though, I’m proud of the community we’ve built. The numbers and opportunities are exciting, but they’ve never been the most important part. Knowing that Ryker and Sinatra have made someone laugh on a difficult day, inspired someone to open their home to a dog, or simply reminded someone to slow down and appreciate the little moments, that’s the accomplishment that means the most to me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
People often look at what Ryker, Sinatra, and I have built and say, “You got lucky.” My response is always the same: luck never hits anybody sitting in the shade. That’s something one of my greatest mentors, Chancellor Emeritus Kent Hance of Texas Tech University, has said for years, and it’s a philosophy I’ve carried with me.
Have I been blessed? Absolutely. But every opportunity came after years of consistency. The same has been true in my fitness journey. Years of discipline, showing up when I didn’t feel like it, and dedicating myself to something bigger than myself ultimately allowed me to stand on stage alongside some of the top physique competitors in the world. People often call moments like that “luck,” but they never see the thousands of workouts, early mornings, sacrifices, setbacks, and unwavering determination that made them possible.
The same principle applies to everything I’ve built with Ryker and Sinatra. Brand partnerships, collaborations with Marriott properties, designing my own leash with Up Country, and every milestone we’ve reached happened because I kept showing up, creating content, building relationships, and staying authentic—even when nobody was watching.
If anything, some of the “bad luck” in my life became my greatest blessing. Going through a divorce, losing my job, and feeling completely lost led me to Ryker. Ryker led me to Sinatra. Together, they led me toward a career, a community, and a sense of purpose I never could have imagined.
So I don’t believe luck creates success. I believe faith, resilience, consistency, and a willingness to step out into the sun create the opportunities people often mistake for luck.
Pricing:
- Instagram Static Post $350
- Instagram Carousel Post $575
- Instagram Reel $4,000 (Based on most recent paid content agreement with a major pet food brand)
- BUNDLE PACKAGE • Post + Reel + Stories $3,000 bundled rate
- Instagram Story Package (3–5 Slides) $400
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_dapperest_dachshunds?igsh=MTV6cXhnZmNmbTVrMQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14rQtwZxb7w/?mibextid=wwXIfr
