They're good doggos Brent

April 23, 2017 3:24 PM

"When they stick out their tongues, they're doing a mlem, a blep, a blop. They bork. They boof. Once in a while they do each other a frighten." Jessica Boddy looks at the rise of "DoggoLingo," the language of dog enthusiasts as spread by Facebook communities like Dogspotting and, of course, the twitter account We Rate Dogs (previously).
posted by lunasol (44 comments total)

This helps explain /r/rarepuppers, I guess
posted by thelonius at 3:34 PM on April 23, 2017 [8 favorites]

I was explaining this to the SO just recently. I normally hate stuff like this. But I am 100 percent behind Dog Speak. I can't really explain why. It's heckin' strange.
posted by Splunge at 3:42 PM on April 23, 2017 [14 favorites]

I can't really explain why.

They're good words, Splange.
posted by phunniemee at 3:47 PM on April 23, 2017 [100 favorites]

I was out for a walk yesterday and saw a man carrying a little yellow lab puppy. I squealed in perhaps not the manliest way and asked if I could pet him. He said yes so I scritched him behind the ears (the dog). "What a good pupper! At least 14/10," I said. The guy just looked at me like what the h*ck?

I suspect his name was Bront.
posted by AFABulous at 3:53 PM on April 23, 2017 [74 favorites]

It should be noted that the Platonic forms of the mlem and the blep require, of course, that the act be performed by a cat.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 4:06 PM on April 23, 2017 [25 favorites]

It should be noted that the Platonic forms of the mlem and the blep require, of course, that the act be performed by a cat.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 4:06 PM on April 23 [+] [!]

You would say that.
posted by lunasol at 4:10 PM on April 23, 2017 [21 favorites]

*blep*
posted by lefty lucky cat at 4:34 PM on April 23, 2017 [31 favorites]

Interesting theory about "doggo" coming from Australian slang. I know that in my family we used to call our dogs "puppers" way before the Internet was a thing.
posted by chainsofreedom at 4:42 PM on April 23, 2017 [5 favorites]

We once had a large German Shepard - as in, over 100lbs by the time he was two...imagine what having a bouncy puppy of that size around the house was like, especially as a first dog ownership experience. Still, exuberant as he was, he was also quite smart. It only took a few times being shushed after he barked in the house for him to develop an "indoor voice" that was still definitely barking, but at the volume of a regular human voice: "Woo woof woof woo bark ruff woowoowoo.", staring earnestly at you the whole time. He really tried his darndest to hold a conversation with us. He was great with kids too, amazingly gentle and forbearing for being a bouncy giant pup.
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:22 PM on April 23, 2017 [48 favorites]

I noticed the rise of this kind of dogspeak/slang mostly on imgur.

They're all good doggos.
posted by Fizz at 5:46 PM on April 23, 2017 [2 favorites]

Lolcats for a new generation.
posted by edheil at 5:53 PM on April 23, 2017 [8 favorites]

I think it, er, speaks well of those that, when they talk about dogs, use happy, joyful language. It's simple respect for the concept of dog and is what they encourage, being nice dog-dogs.
posted by maxwelton at 5:59 PM on April 23, 2017 [5 favorites]

There is a whole taxonomy of doggos. This makes me happy.
posted by actionpotential at 6:12 PM on April 23, 2017 [6 favorites]

Yeah, Tumblr is also big on adorable animal pictures (and there's a whole corner of the site that's termed "dogblr"), and much of that vocabulary shows up there.
posted by rmd1023 at 6:22 PM on April 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

I really love "a frighten". Also: "heckin' bamboozled".
posted by curious nu at 6:35 PM on April 23, 2017 [22 favorites]

Yeah the internet doggo speak really annoys me. But then so do the kids on my lawn.
posted by killdevil at 7:10 PM on April 23, 2017 [6 favorites]

killdevil does me a concern
posted by um at 7:30 PM on April 23, 2017 [31 favorites]

This quick guide is the hottest meme right now.

And although many folks do NOT love the Doge, I think it was responsible for getting all this started... you might say the "gateway dogg"...
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:32 PM on April 23, 2017 [9 favorites]

This explains that, then. Now I know where this originated.
posted by limeonaire at 8:03 PM on April 23, 2017

I am pretty shameless about this, and about saying nonsense over pets in by.

I am never going to own a husky, since I don't think I will ever have enough energy or space, but I would seize the opportunity to name one Moon Moon.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:35 PM on April 23, 2017 [3 favorites]

I can't believe I forgot to include that guide to dogs, I just saw it yesterday!
posted by lunasol at 9:00 PM on April 23, 2017

I find the spread of Australian slang absolutely fascinating. That an incredibly remote, tiny (population wise) country can give us "selfie" and now "doggo" really speaks to the fact that the age of mass media driving language is dying.
posted by Automocar at 10:03 PM on April 23, 2017 [2 favorites]

Cringe level 100%, captain.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 11:01 PM on April 23, 2017

Great article, 14/10
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:27 AM on April 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

I find the spread of Australian slang absolutely fascinating. That an incredibly remote, tiny (population wise) country can give us "selfie" and now "doggo" really speaks to the fact that the age of mass media driving language is dying.

From what I remember, California and Australia had a certain amount of cultural exchange, so it probably goes back further. (I mean other than the 'fun' cultural exchange in 19th century San Francisco that led to the first 'kangaroo court'.)

Anyway, be careful what you wish for; that kind of casual disregard for language is what birthed Australia's equivalent of "y'all", "yous". Let's hope it doesn't spread.
posted by Merus at 2:55 AM on April 24, 2017

Australians post a lot on 4chan, so their slang spreads from there to the rest of the internet.
posted by Spacelegoman at 3:20 AM on April 24, 2017

My favourite thing on FB (apart from Dogspotting) is the Floof Bork Snoot &Boop Inc page. They get an enormous amount of shady requests to sell their page and always write heckin' responses(FB link). I mean, when I'm having a bad day, they come to the rescue with good boys (again, FB link).

My ten-year-old nephew just isn't sure if the page is written in English or not (he's bilingual but only uses English when he's in the house). I find that totally adorable.
posted by kariebookish at 3:42 AM on April 24, 2017 [8 favorites]

I find the spread of Australian slang absolutely fascinating. That an incredibly remote, tiny (population wise) country can give us "selfie" and now "doggo" really speaks to the fact that the age of mass media driving language is dying.

So, does it follow that when you're fed up with trying to take the perfect 'selfie' and throw the contraption in disgust and your good 'doggo' chases and retrieves it, that kinda maneuver is now called a 'selfstic doggo boomie'?
posted by mightshould at 4:00 AM on April 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm so into saying "heckin" over the last few weeks. I think it's adorable. Best non-swear word since Mr. Fox gave us "What the cuss?" Nice to know this is more than just a reddit thing, off I go!
posted by polly_dactyl at 4:51 AM on April 24, 2017 [3 favorites]

H*ckin', please! There's children that could see this.
posted by snwod at 6:05 AM on April 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

It's just fascinating to me how a lingo can be infused with such positive emotional content.
posted by DrAstroZoom at 6:45 AM on April 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

I for one love this new Internet interest in puppers and doggos. Ms. Justice Bark (14/10) and I do an approve.
posted by Elly Vortex at 6:58 AM on April 24, 2017

It's spreading. My sister-in-law's parakeets have been "rainbow chickens" for a few weeks now. I expect her parrot to start using it in a few weeks more.
posted by Quindar Beep at 7:19 AM on April 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

I've been saying pupperdogs for ages. Does that make me ahead of the curve??
posted by orrnyereg at 7:53 AM on April 24, 2017

r/sneks speak a version of doggo. do a heckin' good job of doggo.
posted by INFJ at 8:45 AM on April 24, 2017 [2 favorites]

I used the term "trash panda" on Facebook and a friend-of-a-friend in her sixties felt the need to make sure I understand that I had, in fact, shared picture of a raccoon.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:46 AM on April 24, 2017 [17 favorites]

I can't be the only one that has trouble explaining what "They're Good Dogs, Brent" means and why it was funny to people who don't speak meme. I know explaining memes is fraught with peril at the best of times, but it's the ultimate online equivalent of 'you had to be there' kind of thing isn't it ?
posted by TwoWordReview at 8:47 AM on April 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

Cats can blep and doggos can blep, but only sneks can blelele.
posted by Foosnark at 8:48 AM on April 24, 2017 [10 favorites]

From what I remember, California and Australia had a certain amount of cultural exchange, so it probably goes back further.

Huh, when I moved here my new coworker said “No worries” all the time but I chalked it up to him being engaged to a Tasmanian. Then I noticed everyone saying it, without any of the conscious Australian reference that one might have heard back in Crocodile Dundee / Yahoo Serious days.
posted by El Mariachi at 8:51 AM on April 24, 2017

Hmm I say "no worries" a lot but attributed it to "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and "Hakuna Matata" ...
posted by INFJ at 8:59 AM on April 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Don't Worry, Be Happy

I found out that's from Meher Baba. Bobby McFerrin was kind of awesome until that song....
posted by thelonius at 9:19 AM on April 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

"Trash panda" (and our former term, "grabbyhands") has entirely supplanted "raccoon" in my relationship's lexicon. It's only a matter of time till I end up with AzraelBrown's scenario.
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:15 AM on April 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

There were several posts (example) going around about a year ago with pictures of various animals and alternate names for them - "trash panda" for a raccoon, "danger noodle" for a cobra, etc. My favorite of them was "majestic sea flap flap" for a stingray. That one got heavy use when my wife and I were at the aquarium.
posted by rmd1023 at 1:39 PM on April 24, 2017 [4 favorites]

TwoWordReview
Know Your Meme explains They're Good Dogs Brent
posted by Cookiebastard at 4:03 PM on April 24, 2017 [1 favorite]