The cuteness. It burns.

July 18, 2014 6:04 AM

Yesterday, (and apparently several times in the past) super popular twitterer @darth kicked off the kind of love-in that only the Internet can provide. #hugadog

Big Ones
Little Ones
One by One
Or in a group
Ones that Hug Back
Ones that Dodge
Ones that Doge
Ones that need a home

It doesn't matter if you're a kid, an adult, or a dog, life's better when you hug a dog.

posted by DigDoug (27 comments total)

My own dog wasn't nearly as interested in playing #hugadoug as I was in playing #hugadog
posted by DigDoug at 6:05 AM on July 18, 2014 [3 favorites]

My dog is a hugger!
Yaaaaay!
Oh and here he is with my brother.
I don't participate in any of the hashtag social medias, so this will have to suffice.

Dogs are the best. If you don't have a dog, please borrow a dog and hug it. I am happy to temporarily loan my dog out to any mefite for hugging purposes.
posted by phunniemee at 6:24 AM on July 18, 2014 [8 favorites]

It wasn't a hug, but it was a tiny kiss -

For part of my commute, I was sitting on the subway next to a woman who had a wire-haired dachshund with her, sitting in a bag on her lap. (I kind of intentionally chose the seat next to her for that very reason.) He was a little sleepy for much of the ride, but I saw him checking me out every so often, and I was subtly leaving my hand near his snout just to get him accustomed to me - so that before we got to my stop, I could hold my hand out to him a little closer for him to check me out in earnest; and yes, after giving my fingers a bit of a sniff, I got a tiny and shy little "hi there" lick, and that pretty much made my morning, yeah.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:25 AM on July 18, 2014 [10 favorites]

Ooo. I just got back in from taking my three dogs out. Part of our morning routine is a round of hugs.

When I get home from work if I don't play a round of laps cuddles with my one dog he is loopy all evening. You might think lap cuddles and hugs are no big deal but try it with a german shepherd who is convinced that he's a small dog and that if he just keeps trying hard enough he'll eventually be able to fit his entire body on my lap.
posted by Jalliah at 6:27 AM on July 18, 2014 [5 favorites]

Don't hug your dog.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:31 AM on July 18, 2014 [5 favorites]

Me & my sister's dog, Bruno

Imminent hug/tackle
posted by carsonb at 6:56 AM on July 18, 2014 [3 favorites]

I hug my dogs so that they'll be used to it, just in case anyone else ever tries.

I do have one who really likes being hugged, but she's just weird. That's not normal dog behavior at all, and she's the first dog I've ever had who wasn't just tolerating it.
posted by ernielundquist at 6:57 AM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Faint, I get your point. I really do.

But still
posted by DigDoug at 7:11 AM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

So my dog, every day when I get home from work, scrabbles around my legs until I pick him up and hug him. He clings his little paws around my shoulder, buries his head around my neck, and just grips. He loves hugging. I can go stand over the end of my bed (where he's safe to drop off if he wants) and literally completely let go of him, remove my arms, and he clings there like a baby monkey. Generally my first five minutes home from work in the afternoon consist of me walking around my house doing stuff while wearing a 22lb terrier.

Some dogs may not like hugs, but Truman is not one of those dogs.

He's kind of a silly, though.
posted by phunniemee at 7:25 AM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

phunniemee, my dog is the same, except he's an 80 lb golden. At least I get my exercise.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:29 AM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

I get Faint's point as well. Some dogs don't like to be full on hugged and their body language needs to be consider. I have three dogs and 'hugging' one consists of a nice arm over the back and pat on the chest. The other one likes to come over, lay her head on my lap and get what I call a head cuddle hug. The last one who I refered to up thread does love to be full hugged and cuddled. He would be happy if that's all I did. I have had to spend time training him that every time I sit down does not mean cuddle time and when I say 'enough' that means cuddle time is over. He's a nut bar.
posted by Jalliah at 7:31 AM on July 18, 2014

I should add which does back up what Faint posted. I would never, ever let anyone other then me or my parents try to hug the dog that is such a cuddle monster. He is not like that at all with people he doesn't know really well. He stresses out around unfamiliar people and gets uber protective and more then likely would nip at someone trying to do that. When new people come into the house I have to be pretty careful and do Archer based introductions until his guard goes down.
posted by Jalliah at 7:40 AM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Not a hug exactly, but sleepy Zhoras are good Zhoras.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:00 AM on July 18, 2014

My dog demands a good ten minutes of hugs and snuggles first thing in the morning and it's been a delightful surprise. I didn't know dogs did that!

Most dogs I've known get instant rigor hugness if you even try.
posted by mochapickle at 8:02 AM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

I wonder if that's darth_smallberries from FC, because if it is, I've met his dog.

<3 Vanilla
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 8:27 AM on July 18, 2014

My dog tolerates hugs fine, but loves to lean against your legs, harder and harder until he almost knocks you over. I think that's his version of a hug. He also is exactly the right height to bury his long snoot in your chest or under your arm if you're sitting on the couch. He will do that and just stand there with his snoot buried up to his eyeballs for a solid minute.
posted by misskaz at 8:47 AM on July 18, 2014 [6 favorites]

It looks as though Neko Case and this dog both give really good hugs.
posted by clavicle at 9:08 AM on July 18, 2014

misskaz, I read your comment before clicking on your photo link, and knew just from your description that you live with a greyhound. That forcible lean is a very typical greyhound habit, and if you get multiple greyhounds in one place, they will lean against each other.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:03 AM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Meh, absolute rules about animals are as dumb as absolute rules about people. Any time my dog is feeling insecure, he comes to me for hugs - usually planting one paw on either side of me while I'm sitting, and bearing down with his weight. That's pretty much hugging. He did it last night, and I have no idea why.

And he clearly loves it when I hug him. Kisses, not so much... he'll keep moving his head a bit farther and farther away when I try to kiss him, until his head reaches its limit. At that point, he looks pretty ridiculous, because he won't move his body out of range; just his head.

EDIT: forgot obligatory photo; his Grandma hugging him.
posted by IAmBroom at 10:14 AM on July 18, 2014

That puppy video reminds me of the few instances during my volunteer work at the SPCA where I was assigned to the puppy room at the very front. TOTAL PUPPY BOMBARDMENT. One of the staff came by and offered her sympathies: "Puppy playing. It's hard work, but someone's gotta do it."

I know you're generally not supposed to hug dogs, but my old dog—a stray juvenile dog from the rez, who I swear is a coydog, despite how rare those are—was the perfect therapy dog for my PTSD. I could be panicking or dissociative and he would come up to me and give me a paw and let me hug him for as long as I wanted. One time, the world was reeling and distant and I had to lie down. He licked my hand the entire time until I felt calm and grounded in reality again.
posted by quiet earth at 10:29 AM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

When I pick my dog up like a child, he puts his arms around me to give me a hug. Having had non-snuggly dogs previously, it makes my day.

EmpressCallipygos - I have totally done that!
posted by radioamy at 1:38 PM on July 18, 2014

My dog doesn't love hugs but with people she likes she will rub her face on their hands, feet, or head so I often put my arm around her and scratch her chest while putting head on top of hers and she seems to like that.

She also usually doesn't like getting the top of her head scratch but she seems to know that I like to scratch her head so she'll nose her way under my hand and let me scratch the top of her head for a few seconds before she starts inching forward until I'm scratching the base of her tail (which she REALLY likes and will arch her back up like a cat). I imagine that she thinks she is clever and that I don't know what she is doing but I just let her have that one.
posted by VTX at 3:38 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh yeah, obligatory pic
posted by VTX at 3:53 PM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

These assholes...both of them are huggy, kissy, jackass, goofy good times.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 8:22 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Don't hug your dog.

Looking at Bruno in that first pic of us, I can tell that he's clearly tolerating my human affection. What you don't see is me in the second pic, tolerating 85lbs of American Bulldog affection hurtling at my soft targets. He's like the brother I never had, we just love tolerating each other.
posted by carsonb at 8:53 PM on July 18, 2014 [2 favorites]

I don't currently have a dog, however, I am that crazy dog-adoring lady who will happily hug any dog that wants a hug. When you're walking your dog down the street and I drive by in my car, I saw "aww!" and comment on your dog. If you're walking your dog and I walk by, I dangle my hand so the dog can sniff me if she wants. Any dog that shows interest (if the owner is amenable) gets a "oh, hello good puppy!" and a scritch and if they're really into it, full on patting and thumping and hugs.
posted by rmd1023 at 9:04 PM on July 18, 2014 [1 favorite]

Am I too late?
posted by The Gooch at 6:48 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]