Having a dog is such a special experience. Sure, they wake you up in the morning begging for food and urgently needing to go outside. But the warmth, love and companionship they provide far outweighs the hassles of having one around. And of course, they can constantly provide comedic relief as well. 

The Doggo Memes and More Inc. Facebook group is the perfect place to see just how silly and adorable dogs can be. Members share funny photos of their own dogs, hilarious memes they find online and as the title mentions, more as well. This group was created on October 27, 2021, and it's clearly been a hit online, as it has already amassed an impressive 289k members. It’s quite active as well, with 59 new posts today already and over 3,600 new members in the past week.  

If you need to be convinced just how fabulous dogs are, don’t just take it from me. Take it from an expert! We reached out to Ivanka Patterson, Director of Every Dog Matters EU, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda about what makes dogs so special.

“Humans domesticated the dog as a species more than 23,000 years ago," she shared. "In this long period of time, the relationship between the two really bloomed, and the dog has turned into a special pet for reasons like extreme loyalty, unconditional love, amazing intuition (dogs can smell and warn us if we are sick or in danger and save our lives!), and fun companionship."

Ivanka went on to list some of the reasons why dogs are so much fun to be around. “They can make you feel like THE one and only, they can get jealous and be possessive, they can throw temper tantrums… In other words — it is a full blown relationship with all its colors,” she explained. “You can never get bored when having a dog around. The harsh truth is that no human can give us all a dog can and will.”

We were also curious about some of the funniest and most entertaining things Ivanka has ever seen dogs do. She told Bored Panda that she has plenty of examples, as she is surrounded by anywhere between 120-150 dogs every single day. 

“I definitely find it super cute and funny when dogs are trying to mimic us humans in order to show us their love,” she shared. “Or everything they are willing to do for food.”

“Currently, I am fostering a one-year-old mixed breed pup who had to undergo 6 tough orthopedic surgeries on 3 of his 4 legs in the past 6 months in order to be able to walk again after being hit by a car,” Ivanka shared. “This fellow has no spatial awareness, so often, wanting to just show me his love and gratitude, he jumps on the couch and sits on my face! It always makes me laugh so much.”

“This same dog, when sleeping, is copying one of our cats,” Ivanka went on to share. “The higher on the furniture he can get, the better the sleep.”

“One of my dogs is a Karakachan (a Bulgarian shepherd dog). They are a very territorial and protective breed," the expert added. "She will always signal me if someone is nearby our house. I mean ALWAYS — she will start barking even while drinking water while her muzzle is fully in the water bowl. This results in a funny underwater growl/bark and lots of bubbles."

Ivanka also says that she has a very glutenous 3-legged mini Belgian Shepherd. “She is capable of drinking a full bowl of water just to get to a bread crumb-sized piece of kibble that had fallen in the bowl from another dog of mine. She will put her whole head in the bowl just to get to this minuscule piece of food,” the dog expert shared. “I am afraid she will drown one day in an attempt to get to it.”

Ivanka added that she also finds it amusing when the dogs in her shelter start singing right before their afternoon nap around 2pm. “Someone of all the 130 dogs will give the signal, and all of a sudden the whole shelter is singing,” she says, noting that she can keep listing hilarious examples until tomorrow.

Despite the difficulties that come along with adopting a new dog in the beginning, Ivanka says she can say with no hesitation that “people will become better, nicer, calmer, and the period of time in which they are in a good mood will increase greatly” when they have a dog around.

“All these results are beneficial to both our mental and physical health. Adopting a dog can greatly help a person overcome depression or other mental disorders,” she added. “Taking the dog out for a walk makes us spend more time surrounded by nature, which is calming, relaxing and has a great impact on our overall health, as when we walk for pleasure our body releases chemicals which can not be released in any other way.” 

“I laugh so much every day when I am around the dogs that even if I've had a very hard and stressful day, being around them makes it end on a good note and with a heart full of love,” Ivanka added. “By adopting a dog, you don't only save a life. You gain an amazing friend and companion no human can be, and it is so worth it. You will never feel lonely and unloved again!”