Can I offer the suggestion of a sticky post that has a list of members who want to posted themselves, maybe a pic, some content about themselves, their pit, whatever? You don't need to post a pic, you can simply show your pit, or whatever.
Additionally this post would not have replies to posts to clutter the listing, just a listing of members and some info almost like a directory. Something that newer members can look at to see who's who on the site.
What do you think?