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.
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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.”
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.”
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.”
“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!
Ok... but to be clear we all know that squirrels are the real plotters, right?
Me buying chocolate for a full week, just to super power eat it all in less then 2 days.
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.
THANK YOU! The human is the reason for the "bad dog". I was attacked by a pit bull. WHy? He had/has a stupid human owner. DIdn't do training, didn't give enough exercise... Ditto Dobies, Rotties, etc. I've met a very few bad dogs, but a lot of very stupid human dog owners!
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Trained dog or not, please don't allow your kids to sit/climb on the animal. All it takes is for the dog to be sleeping, in a bit of a mood, or to be hurt in the process of the climbing/sitting and they can turn and snap. It is their natural reaction and can happen even with very well mannered, good dogs. It's just best you teach your kids not to do it instead of relying on the hope that the dog would never injure anyone.
Agreed. My cousin daughter was attacked by their great dane (!) who had been well behaved for years. People forget to also train their kids! (Sorry cuz!)
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I have seen SO many pitties grin JUST like that... That means "I WUV YOUS, GIMME LAP" and cue a LOT of slobbery kisses. :-)
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This may be reverse stereotyping but when I'm on my bicycle it's those little bitty yappers that give me the most grief.
My 25 lb terrier mix is more vicious that a lot of pibbles, rotties, etc. My husband calls him the terrierorist. XD
ANY dog can be "trained" to be mean and attack. I owned a pitt for almost a decade and he was the absolute sweetest dog I've ever owned. (he just passed away 2 days before Xmas from cancer) He thought he was a lap dog and got along great w/ his hoomans and fur brothers, even the kitty. It is so irritating when I hear ignorant people talking s**t about certain dog breeds. On the other side of my rant... ANY dog with human interaction and even the smallest bit of training will grow up to be a great pup, as long as the owners are not idiots. I agree with Colin 100%.
So sorry for your loss. I know how much it hurts.
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We have a bull terrier. Same story. Beware of my jack russel thou. Viscious as s**t
I have met pit bulls that have dispositions as sweet as clover honey. Meanwhile, my worst personal dog experience was with a psychotic Irish setter.
Definitely. Under the same circumstances with equally kind owners, I’ll take a pit bull and a Doberman together any day over a single chihuahua.
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funny, my dad always had a rottweiler and a doberman when i was little and i had no idea they were ''killer'' animals, i loved them!
I think we can all agree that some of the meanest dogs alive are chihuahuas.
Well, how would YOU feel if you had hiding in your genetic memory that you were bred for status and traded around as FOOD for long road trips in the bad old days in Pre-Columbian Central and South America? I'd be HEARTILY pissed, too! Eek.
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Actually the dogs most prone to biting or attacking humans are actually small dogs - especially daschunds. Not pitbulls or any other so-called 'vicious' breeds.
Something about fear reactions possibly related to size as compared to everything else, or the heavy inbreeding needed to get their sizes and appearances...? You constrict a dog's skull along certain lines, it affect the dog's brain functions and maybe that can affect some of the dog's future behaviours. A kind of bred-in brain-damage people didn't account for, maybe. I don't know, but taking a skull the size and shape of a wolf's and scrunching it down to the near globular shape of a Chihuahua or Pug, and something's gotta be deformed to fit or even lose parts of....
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I have a pitbull who is the world's biggest wuss. She talks mad s**t on leash and will snap at younger/puppyish dogs, but the one time she actually scrapped with my newest dog she fell backwards into the coffee table and couldn't get onto her feet very quickly. She also will hide behind the same small dogs she was talking s**t to on a walk when scary leaves go by...
It’s sad to think that most people view certain dog breeds like this.
what confuses me is that big dogs are seen as a threat especially the ones with big flews. but tiny dogs get all the attention that they're harmless. size doesn't matter it's the training u give ur dog.
everyone: "Chihuahuas are cute!" my Chihuahua: will frigging break your hand.
OK, kid, keep clutching those pearls while I get slobbered on by the biggest lap-sluts in the galaxy known as pitbulls. LOL Rotties & Dobies are pretty lovable, too, in my experience, anyway. :-) The ONLY dogs I've EVER been attacked by; mildly bitten, only bruised or drawn blood a little, one scar? A big Collie (my fault--I meowed at him), a Chihuahua (dunno what his deal was), & a normally-lovable Rat Terrier who has issues 'cuz he's old & in pain a lot. He's about 15 or so, & has REALLY horrible teeth. I keep badgering his owners to take him in to get fixed--they finally did, & the poor pup had to have SIX teeth removed. Effing humans--they said, "He's only a dog!" I told them, "If YOU had so many teeth rotting in your #@$% dimwitted head, you'd be in constant pain & you'd head to the dentist right #$@% YESTERDAY! Take him to the vet, or I'm stealing your dog!" Two years later, & his teeth are bad again, & I have to get on their case again. Mickey is such a good dog, most of the time--he doesn't deserve to be in pain because of clueless humans. That pittie's face in the third panel... *dies from cuteness overload*
My parents have a Staffie, Mastif cross, she's 4 and a half stone of muscle. She's incredibly well trained, including a very loud bark whenever anyone knocks on their door. She also loves to lick faces, snuggle in bed and roll around on her back, chewing her plush "baby" toy.
big dogs are the best dogs in my opinion as for kitties I WILL TAKE ANY
Ugh, I understand not everyone is fully educated on these types of dogs but as long as their owners care for them and make sure that their dogs are social enough to not attack someone, then they will be a good and happy dog
I am rather concerned about the girl sitting on the lovely Rotty. Kids should NEVER be allowed to do this. This is how kids get bit which leads to label of "bad/aggressive" dog and put down. Not the animal's fault at all. Smaller dogs - Yorkies, Chis etc are more prone to biting than larger breeds.
My son has a a rottweiler named Dave. He's huge. He sees everyone he doesn't know to be potential friend. Needless to say, he's scared quite a few people but also has more friends than he can count. I have never met a more loving dog! Training is everything!
If my pitties were any more chill, they'd be comatose.
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Note: this post originally had 44 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I like the humour :) Thank's for sharing and making me laugh in the morning! ^^
I just LOVED that! i just wished people read the whole thing instead not doing so its more fun that way
Love the art! Really funny!! How about a series on cats? A Persian cat in a burka or turban? A Norwegian Forest Cat snowshoeing in the Netherlands forest with a sniper rifle? A Siamese cat dancing with crazy jewelry? A British Blue in a navy uniform? A 'murican short hair with a crew cut, backwards baseball cap, Bud-lite beer and rifle saying "Gimme a burger and fries, goddamn it." Just a thought.
I like the humour :) Thank's for sharing and making me laugh in the morning! ^^
I just LOVED that! i just wished people read the whole thing instead not doing so its more fun that way
Love the art! Really funny!! How about a series on cats? A Persian cat in a burka or turban? A Norwegian Forest Cat snowshoeing in the Netherlands forest with a sniper rifle? A Siamese cat dancing with crazy jewelry? A British Blue in a navy uniform? A 'murican short hair with a crew cut, backwards baseball cap, Bud-lite beer and rifle saying "Gimme a burger and fries, goddamn it." Just a thought.
