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We love Pet Foolery here at Bored Panda. We have featured the cute comics series—which is created by Minnesota illustrator Ben Hed—many times before, laughing along with his imaginings of animals flirting like humans, the age-old 'cat vs dog' debate, and not forgetting his wildly popular comic duo, Pixie and Brutus.

Ben's self-described “goofy little comics” feature various types of adorable animals including anteaters, badgers, and tigers. But it is cats and dogs, those that we mostly gravitate toward as pets, that are the main stars of the series. Ben himself has two dogs, while his parents have three dogs and two cats, so he has plenty of material for his cartoon drawings!

Pet Foolery's Instagram page is hugely popular, with the success of Pixie and Brutus, in particular, pushing it up towards 2 million followers. We love funny comics and we love cute pets, it all makes perfect sense really, doesn't it? Scroll down below to check out some of our favorite Pet Fooleries below, and don't forget to check here, here, and here for all the Pixie and Brutus you can shake a stick at. Enjoy!

Illustrator Hed of Pet Foolery told Bored Panda that “with random webcomics, it’s not really difficult to continuously come up with creative ideas.”

“However, with animal comics about recurring characters and a continuing story (i.e Pixie and Brutus) I find it’s getting harder and harder to come up with new ideas and jokes.” Scroll down for the rest of the interview.

More info: Instagram | Patreon

The artist talked to Bored Panda about what webcomic artists who are struggling or are new to their craft can do. “One important piece of advice I’d give is to not be afraid to try different things, especially if you’re struggling.”

“Some of my highest performing comics were we’re new concepts, deviations from my normal style and format,” he said.

Hed also revealed to us that it takes 5 or 6 hours, on average, to finish one comic. But he noted that “it varies quite a bit.”

In previous interviews with Bored Panda, Ben of Pet Foolery told us about how his extremely successful Pixie and Brutus comics came into being and also cast some light on his creative process.

“Pixie is a tiny, joyful, energetic kitten. She’s innocent, and also somewhat oblivious to the serious, dangerous stuff around her,” Ben told Bored Panda. While Brutus is a scarred German Shepherd.

“He was adopted by Pixie’s owner after retiring as a Military Working Dog (MWD). Brutus, in many ways, is the exact opposite of Pixie. He’s… Seen things. He’s a very serious and intimidating military dog, but he has a soft spot for Pixie and does what he can to protect her from the harsh realities of the world around them.”

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The artist said that the idea to draw comics about Pixie and Brutus came to him randomly. “Honestly, Pixie and Brutus were just another random comic idea I had while at work. I was never planning on making them a series; I just thought it would be a funny idea to introduce a cute little kitten to a big intimidating war dog. So I made the first Pixie and Brutus cute animal comic and people liked it so much, I just kept making them.”

“I do worry about each comic’s performance, but I worried about that before I created Pixie and Brutus too,” Ben told us. Fortunately, he gets lots of feedback from fans of his art. “What they liked about the comic, what they thought was going to happen, ideas for future comics, ideas for new characters. There are probably a couple of funny comics in my feed that are entirely inspired by a comment on one of my posts.”

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Kesam
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4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I had the craziest LSD trip the other day. I imagined this elephant family took me in as a pet. Was a bit awkward when I figured out I had wandered over to my neighbors naked, acting like a dog."

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He also said that the comics have evolved over time: “Their designs are a bit different from the first P and B comic, and I guess Brutus has gotten gradually less hostile towards other characters as of late, but other than that. It’s pretty much the same.”

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“I thought it would be cool to have them adapted into a TV show, but that’s long term. Probably won’t even ever happen… but maybe.” Well, we certainly hope that Ben’s comics eventually become animated!

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Colin Leetham
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ok... but to be clear we all know that squirrels are the real plotters, right?

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Luisa Vasconcelos
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me buying chocolate for a full week, just to super power eat it all in less then 2 days.

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Colin Leetham
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Emphasis on "training." Dogs need to be socialized and trained how to react to people who aren't in their pack... Pitts are amazing animals if they have halfway decent owners.

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Jenica Thomas
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do NOT tell a dog of any size that it is NOT a lap dog. They will prove otherwise.

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Cori
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went to someone's house once as a kid that had a great dane. I accidentally sat on HIS couch. All the dog hair on it should have been a clue. I got buried under 100+ lbs of dog and legit had to be rescued. Didn't really mind though because he was the coolest dog I'd ever met.

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Rinpai
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You never specified that the human has to be comfortable. Those dogs are quite comfortable in that lap.

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K. LNU
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree, they all are lap dogs! Just sometimes one's lap starts at the ankles and extends to the neck region. ;)

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Melissa Nunya
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a friend with two Rottweilers who would try to sit on my lap at the same time. They were big softies

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Zeke Henry
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

when i was a little kid we would take the dog on car rides with us and they would sit one us

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marnidarr
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All Great Danes are lap dogs. Just ask them and they will tell you that.

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Kimberley Thom
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rather have a lap dog or cat no matter the size, than a pet who acts as if I don’t exist.

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mermaidgirl960
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh my god true though, my fat bulldog is who weighs as much as me (about 60-70 something pounds) always sits on my lap smothering me... Same with my lab dog, not lap dog XD

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Karen Crum
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those are what I call ‘half a lap dog’ because only half of the dog fits on your lap at anytime.

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Sarah Storm
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me when I get home and sit down. My 50 lb dog squishes me. She's not as big as some dogs, but she for sure isn't a lap dog.

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Xavier Wescott
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

the bigger the dog, the more likely it will want to sit in your lap

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glowworm2
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's hilarious when the really big dogs think they are lap dogs.

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EllieGirl
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

get a couch instead of that chair geez! it's that simple!

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Spinaap
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4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

would have been better if the cat stayed itself (as they at least think to be perfect already) lol

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