{{Short description|Internet meme}} thumb|right|An example of dog shaming '''Dog shaming''', also known as '''animal shaming''', is an internet meme in which an image of a dog or other animal is uploaded to the internet with a sign which describes some recent negative behaviour perpetrated by the animal. The meme originated on Tumblr in August 2012.
==Description== Dog shaming is the name given to the activity where a dog owner creates a sign to describe a negative activity that the dog has participated in. For example, the sign might read "I dug a hole in the carpet". The sign is then either hung around the dog's neck, or placed next to the animal and is photographed and published on the internet.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hotchkiss|first=Joe|title=Oh, the shame of it: Are more folks out of touch with humility?|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/opinion/joe-hotchkiss-columns/2012-11-10/oh-shame-it-are-more-folks-out-touch-humility|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=The Augusta Chronicle|date=10 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Storm: Ashamed of shaming?|url=http://www.reflector.com/columns/storm/storm-ashamed-shaming-1421619|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=Reflector.com|date=25 November 2012|archive-date=29 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129122226/http://www.reflector.com/columns/storm/storm-ashamed-shaming-1421619|url-status=dead}}</ref> It has been compared to PostSecret,<ref name=time>{{cite news|last=Pous|first=Terri|title=Dogshaming: The Greatest Tumblr of Canine Misbehavior Ever|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/22/dogshaming-todays-tumblr-of-the-week/|access-date=2 December 2012|newspaper=Time|date=22 August 2012}}</ref> and a viral image of child shaming.<ref>{{cite news|title=These 10 dogs cutely get 'sign-shamed'|url=http://now.msn.com/dogshaming-meme-shared-on-tumblr|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=MSN Now|date=22 August 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826010720/http://now.msn.com/dogshaming-meme-shared-on-tumblr|archivedate=26 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dad punishes kid by making her hold sign on street|url=http://now.msn.com/dad-punishes-kid-by-making-her-hold-sign-on-street|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=MSN Now|date=29 April 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114073019/http://now.msn.com/dad-punishes-kid-by-making-her-hold-sign-on-street|archivedate=14 November 2012}}</ref>
The internet meme originated on the Tumblr page Dogshaming in August 2012. The very first image posted by Pascale Lemire was of her Dachshund who had eaten a pair of underwear.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dogshaming.com/2012/08/toodoxiesandtwomanyshoes-so-this-happened/|title = So This Happened|date = 16 August 2012}}</ref> Other animals such as cats have since been featured as early as 2003 from Australia by an unknown source referred to as Maxman.<ref>{{cite news|last=Manning|first=James|title=Bark louder than their bite: Dogshaming craze takes off|url=https://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/bark-louder-than-their-bite-dogshaming-craze-takes-off-20120822-24ldu.html|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald|date=22 August 2012}}</ref> The concept was turned into a Tumblr blog by Chris Mohney, who works as editorial director at Tumblr, using Pascale Lemire's original image along with a handful of other images. He described dog shaming as "a half-baked joke that I didn't think would amount to much beyond a few hours' amusement".<ref name=huffpost>{{cite news|last=Sieczkowski|first=Cavan|title=Dogshaming Tumblr Goes Viral As Owners Pan Naughty Pooches|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22/dogshaming-photos-tumblr-dog-shaming_n_1822574.html|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=23 August 2012}}</ref> It went viral after Mohney added the ability to upload additional images to the site.<ref name=huffpost/> It was discussed on NBC's ''Today'', with hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb thinking that it was funny, but Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie disagreeing.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smolinski|first=Julieann|title=Is dog shaming hilarious? The anchors differ|url=http://klgh.today.com/_news/2012/08/22/13414622-is-dog-shaming-hilarious-the-anchors-differ|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=Today|date=22 August 2012}}</ref> A video called "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfammxKoUYs The Ultimate Dog Shaming]," released on YouTube on October 7, 2012, gained national attention<ref>{{cite news|title=Ultimate Dog Shaming: Maymo The Cabbage-Stealing Dog Confesses All Of His Crimes (VIDEO)|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/ultimate-dog-shaming-maymo-cabbage-stealing-dog_n_1951062.html|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=October 9, 2012}}</ref> for its depiction of a beagle named Maymo being dog-shamed for hoarding water jugs and destroying an antique stuffed panda bear, among other things.
Celebrities have subsequently posted or tweeted dog shaming images of their own pets, including Wil Wheaton, and Lauren Conrad, whose puppy had chewed up one of her shoes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Clements|first=Erin|title=Lauren Conrad Dog-Shames New Puppy|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/lauren-conrad-dog-shames-puppy-photo_n_2130747.html|accessdate=2 December 2012|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=14 November 2012}}</ref>
On September 24, 2013, author Pascale Lemire released the book ''Dog Shaming''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Dog Shaming|date=30 May 2013|isbn=978-0385349345|last1=Lemire|first1=Pascale|publisher=Crown }}</ref> Mohney turned over the online assets of Dogshaming to Lemire, the original creator, in August 2012,<ref>{{cite web|title=Dogshaming Blog Founder Tells All|url=http://www.peoplepets.com/people/pets/article/0,,20624089,00.html|publisher=People Pets|date=27 August 2012|accessdate=30 May 2013}}</ref> allowing her to run the site her original image helped create; Lemire stated in at least one interview that she is the sole owner of the dogshaming.com website.<ref>{{cite web|title=Featured Blogger: Pascale Lemire of Dogshaming|url=http://web.blogads.com/blog/2012/11/30/featured-blogger-pascale-lemire-of-dogshaming/|publisher=Blog Ads|date=30 November 2012|accessdate=30 May 2013}}</ref>
<ref>[http://weekendcollective.com/the-20-absolute-best-cat-shaming-photos Cat Shaming Photos - WeekendCollective.com]</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
Category:Internet memes introduced in 2012 Category:2010s fads and trends Category:Internet memes about dogs Category:Photography by genre Category:Culture of Tumblr