Meme Inspired Dog Names

As we discussed in the intro, there are so many fantastic dog memes on the Internet it hurts — no, literally, if you find them as funny as we do, you will laugh until you ache. We’re here to celebrate a few of the best. If you’re unfamiliar, don’t hesitate to check them out and be prepared to laugh. 

Doge: For anyone unaware, Doge is a slang term for a dog, but is primarily linked to pictures of Shiba Inus. The word originated from an episode of Homestar Runner, a popular website/series in the early days of Internet expansion, in which Homestar calls another character, Strong Bad, his d-o-g-e. The meme image originated from a Japanese kindergarten teacher who took pictures of her newly-adopted dog looking skeptical (wide, sideways eyes and raised eyebrows) as she tried to get acquainted with it, but after posting the picture online, the Internet took over, turning it into a meme of internalized thoughts with bad syntax to hilarious results. 

Yes, This Is Dog: The image itself was actually taken from a Serbian film, but once it reached Tumblr in 2011, it went viral. The image depicts an overly excited black Lab answering a telephone held by a person’s hand. Perfect in its simplicity and funny on numerous levels, many of which deal with many peoples’ experiences with their pets attempting to “humanize” themselves (or our attempts to do the same to them), this meme is high-status and often under-appreciated. 

Cupcake Dog: While the two other dogs on this list are undoubtedly expressive, it would be hard to argue against Cupcake Dog taking the (cup) cake. Most dogs will show some level of happiness or excitement when presented with something they love such as food, treats, or toys, like Yes, This Is Dog. Numerous others have shown signs of being skeptical like Doge. But few dogs in the world are able to match the expression of Cupcake Dog. 

The meme originated from an episode of “It’s Me or the Dog”, an Animal Planet show about frustrated dog owners who are at their wit’s end with their canine companions, who are often troublesome and misbehaving to the point of no return. Staines, the Australian Shepherd in question, was notorious for stealing food, especially from anything within his reach. During the episode, the trainer works with the family to help teach Staines some self-restraint. The end result is the trainer pulling a tray full of cupcakes away from Staines as he slowly seems to drift into a trance-like or hypnotized expression that is undeniably hilarious. It should be noted that the poor dog does do a fantastic job of self-control, but better yet, epitomizes and actualizes the feeling of self-restraint for humans and dogs alike in his expression alone.