'Happiness is a warm puppy': Animal laughs and joys for a happy brain to give your midweek slump a silly paw pick-me-up (October 21, 2026)

Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor

Oct 21, 2026 6:45 AM EDT

What happens in a world where you never get to pet an animal? That sounds like a sad world… Are there people out there who have never touched a fuzzy little creature before? Let's fix that! We can start with these silly animal memes.

Everyone has their preferred little fuzzy guy they like to hang with. Some enjoy their feline friends to hang around the house with, others like their canine companions to round around on the grass with. But there are more than just pet dogs and cats! There are rodents, birds, insects, heck, even reptiles can be beloved scale babies. I have always been a dog and rodent person. I grew up with dogs; I had a dog of my own, and I've had several mice and rats. They all hold a special place in my heart, and the time I had with them was so unbelievably special; they helped form who I am today.

Some people go their entire life without having a pet. That's crazy talk to me! So, what, you only pet strangers' dogs as they walk by you? No, you don't even ask to pet someone else's dog?? When do you pet a fun, fuzzy little guy? Have you befriended the local squirrels by feeding them every day, and now they let you pet them? No to that too??? Okay, this is serious. Let's get to the memes.

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In a world that requires you to answer emails first thing in the morning and micro-dose misery as you wait in traffic, having a pet is so healing. You always have someone who is so very excited to see you and will always think the world of you, no matter what! You might be having a difficult day liking yourself, but your pet isn't. They know for a fact that you are the most amazing hooman in the world, and they will howl at the moon about it!
Petless people are in the minority in the world, so you might not even know anybody who has never had a pet. I mean, never, like they didn't grow up with one; they never adopted a dog after their first messy breakup in their early twenties; they didn't get a pet cat after living alone for the first time; they never even had a roommate who had a pet. These petless people are few and far between. But what does that mean for them?
Some say that makes them less empathetic and more self-centered because they've never had to figure out someone's emotions who cannot talk, or had to be the reason for an innocent creature's survival. If you have ever lost a pet, then you know the immense heartbreak it causes and the hole it leaves in your heart for the rest of your life. Well, these petless people just don't get it. In fact, they might even get upset at you for making a big deal about the passing of a beloved pet. They just don't get it.
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I am a pet-full person. For most of my life, I have had a sweet creature to care for. A dog, a cat, a mouse, a rat, a bird, a hamster, and… Actually, I think that's it. Oh, I took a caterpillar home one time when I was a kid! But my mom released it back into the wild when I went to sleep and told me it went back home to its mom and dad. That was probably for the best… Anyways, my life has been so much better every time there is a pet in it. Currently, I am petless. I hate it. My last mouse passed last month, and though she was old and I knew it was coming, it never gets easy. That was my baby girl! She passed in my hands, looking at me lovingly. So, I do not relate to these petless people. I want to pet every dog I see! If a friend tells me their pet passed, I cry with them! Animals truly don't deserve humans, but I will give them all the love I can as long as they want it. That includes memorializing them through memes! Animals always love to make their hoomans smile.
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