While 2020 was skimpy on its silver linings, one well-documented one was just how much we leaned into the unconditional love of our pets.
Again and again, our dogs and cats came to the rescue this year, lifting our spirits with their silly antics, rousing us from boredom (hello, Covid pet adoption boom!), providing us with moments of stress-relieving laughter, and, when it seemed the only thing left in the world was Netflix and sweats, even doing their best to keep us fit.
In an otherwise bleak cycle around the sun, our pets provided some of the year’s happiest, brightest, and perhaps most unexpected moments of joy and inspiration. Here are the stories that will stick with us long after this dumpster fire of a year is finally extinguished—tales of our pets providing healing, hope, and humor, during a time when we desperately needed it.
2020 Year in Review: The Craziest, Funniest, Weirdest, and Most Heartwarming Stories About Pets
This year, we got a little obsessed with our pets…
- They helped us keep it together this year: The Instafamous Pets We All Need Right Now
- And we adopted lots and lots and lots of them: So, You Got a Pandemic Pet: Now What? Tips for Pet Parents During the COVID-19 Pet Adoption Boom
- They soon became our often distracting WFH colleagues: 20 Pets Who Want You to Stop Working From Home Right Now
- And we had lots of questions about them as the pandemic continued to spread: Dogs and the Coronavirus: A Resource Guide for Pet Parents About COVID-19
- …including how to keep them safe, healthy, and engaged: Pet Socialization and Wellness During and After a Pandemic: What the Experts Say
But they kept us laughing…
- Dogs—and even cats—perfected the art of interrupting the weather report: Dogs Interrupting Meteorologists Is the Best Thing on the Internet Right Now
- …and interrupting press conferences (and Zoom calls): It Was My Dog That Interrupted Anthony Davis’ Press Conference After The Lakers’ Game 4 Win
- Their Halloween costume game was on point this year: Dogs Model the Top Quarantine Themed Halloween Costumes of 2020
- They had an amazing ability to show up as spectators at baseball games: These MLB Cardboard Cutouts of Dogs Are the Highlight of 2020
- …and even the National Dog Show: National Dog Show inches one step closer to fully non-human event with cardboard pets
They were our inspiration….
- To keep moving: A guide to working out with your dog
- To find humor in the absurd: Funko’s ‘This Is Fine Dog’ Perfectly Captures the Dumpster Fire That Is 2020
- For creative protest: People Are Posting Pics Of Dogs Protesting For Justice, And They’re Too Cute
- To pull together: Largest Animal Rescue Flight in History Flies 600 Pets From Hawaii to the Mainland in Search of Forever Homes
- For a very good business idea: Prepping Your Pet for a Walk Down the Aisle? Hire a Concierge
- For an incredible new app: MeowTalk: Alexa developer’s app to translate cat’s miaow
- And for a few…memorable…personal fragrances: Love Puppy Breath or Kitten Fur? Spray Them on With These New Scents
We celebrated their ingenuity, personality, and unique bond with us…
- Discriminating dogs hired to review hotels: Everyone’s a Critic, and for Hotels.com, Your Dog Can Be One, Too
- Dogs learn the art of the selfie: A photo booth where my dog can take selfies using her paw
- …and cats acquire a fondness for technology: Cat All Over Your Laptop? Just Give ‘Em Their Own
- The show must go on! Miss Dog Mom 2020 Crowned—With Dog, of Course—in Virtual Pageant
- An enterprising Golden Retriever breaks an unusual world record: This Dog Just Broke the Guinness World Record for “Most Tennis Balls Held in the Mouth”
We cried, remembered, and learned something new…
- Therapy dogs to the rescue: Sweet Therapy Dog Offers Much-Needed Relief to Firefighters Battling West Coast Fires
- Dogs brought out the best in us: Woman donates more than 7,500 pet oxygen masks after rescuing dog from wildfires
- We honored the legacy of of some very special canine heroes: The Legacy of 9/11 Dogs 19 Years Later
- Science reveals dogs are actually not closely related to modern wolves: Dogs Were Domesticated Once, From a Lost Population of Wolves
- Once, pigs could fly; now it’s dogs only: Service Animals on Planes Now Officially Limited to Dogs
We delighted in pets’ return to politics and good policy…
- The city of Denver overturns Pit Bull ban: Denver overturns pit bull ban after more than 30 years
- Dogs to return to the White House: President-elect Biden is headed to Washington with Champ and Major, who will be the White House’s first shelter dog
- Scratch that: Dogs and a CAT to head to White House: A Cat Is Said to Be Joining the Bidens in the White House
- Wilbur, a French Bulldog, becomes mayor of Kentucky town: French bulldog named Wilbur elected mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
And, finally, we now have a new seasonal earworm to compete with Mariah Carey:
Goodbye, 2020!
Please join us in collectively kicking this year to the curb.
Whatever the new year brings, we hope it’s healthier and happier fortunes for you and your family—and your pets, of course.
