Trending online: Using pets for Funny Things

Famous animals from around the web

There is something about indulging in animal cuteness. Recently, someone uploaded a video onto YouTube of their Scottish terrier fainting from overwhelming joy at seeing a family member who had arrived home after two years of travel. Another video, which shows a pit bull puppy cuddling up to a baby, garnered over 2 million views.  These latest “stars” are just part of the latest internet trend, where people will post videos online of their pets doing the cutest things.

Here are some of the most famous recent examples:

Boo the dog

Known by many as “the cutest dog in the world“, Boo is famous for his adorable appearance, which consists of dozens of different outfits and poses. A Pomeranian, Boo has over 14 million fans on Facebook. One look at his page and you’re guaranteed to fall in love with this little fluff-ball. He’s dressed in sunglasses, a superman suit, and in various poses. The cutest thing is the expression on his face – it’s almost as if he’s human!

Bubu the Chinchilla

This little fluffy ball of cuteness is a”life guru“of sorts, inspiring those that know of her to live a better life. There are countless photos of Bubu uploaded to Instagram, with each photo accompanies by a little life-lesson caption. For example, ”You should always learn an instrument because you’re never alone with music“, alongside an image of bubu holding a teeny trumpet. Or “Drink antioxidant tea everyday“, with bubu holding a pink plastic teacup to her face, with her long black whiskers forming a pseudo-moustache.

Grumpy cat

Possibly the most famous cat ever, Grumpy cat goes by the name Tardar Sauce, and probably has the grumpiest expression on the internet. Tardar achieved her fame on the social media site, Reddit, when a picture of her alongside a grumpy caption was uploaded. Her Facebook page has more than 6 million likes to date, and has even appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal as well as the New York magazine. Say what? A little weird, yes, but it seems that the world has gone crazy for cats and other furry creatures, so, really, anything is possible. Grumpy cat was even awarded – wait for it – 2012’s most influential cat by MSNBC.

Grumpy cat is managed (yes, she has a manager) by the same person who manages Keyboard cat and Nyan cat. Keyboard cat plays an electronic keyboard and is named “Fatso”. Nyan cat has also became an internet meme, showing an animated cartoon cat with a pop-tart for a body, flying through space. Unbelievable, this YouTube video became immensely popular, ranking at number 5 on the most watched YouTube videos in 2011.

What other things do people do to their pets?

• They dress them up in elaborate outfits
• They make memes out of them
• They throw birthday parties for them
• They dye their hair in pinks, blues and yellows and then post the pictures online

Why do people do this kind of thing and why do we love it so much?

These animals have attained fame in their own right, such as Heidi, a cross-eyed opossum, and  Bobbie the Wonder dog (a Scotch Collie mixed with an English Shepard) who travelled 4,105 kilometers after being separated from his family – all the way from Indiana back home to Silverton.

Fido is another famous example, and there was even movie made about him. Fido (which translates as “faithful one”) was found lying injured in a ditch by a man named Carlo Soriani, who took care of him and nursed him back to health. The dog became attached to Soriani, following him to his train every day, waiting for him to return from work, waiting ever faithfully even until Soriani died when his factory was bombed in the conflict of World War II.

So while many animal fame stories are funny, many are touching, too, and they provide some light-hearted, heart-warming content to our everyday activities. The Japanese have even done research on it and have concluded that looking at pictures of animals improves your concentration!

Well, that’s a good side effect to countless hours of unwinding over cuteness overload! Do you have any internet pet favorites? Tell us about it in the comments below or tweet us @mscareergirl!