{"slug":"advice-dog","name":"Advice Dog","url":"/templates/advice-dog.jpg","w":500,"h":500,"top":"RANDOM SETUP","bottom":"TERRIBLE ADVICE","description":"The original advice animal. A golden retriever puppy on a rainbow background dispenses the worst guidance imaginable with the happiest face you've ever seen.","keywords":"advice dog meme, advice animal original, rainbow dog meme, puppy advice meme, advice dog template, first advice animal","year":2006,"origin":"Advice Dog is the meme that started it all. Posted to a Mario fan forum in 2006, this golden retriever puppy on a rainbow pinwheel background became the first \"advice animal.\" The original format paired cheerful, confident delivery with advice that ranged from reckless to genuinely dangerous. Unlike later advice animals that developed specific personas (anxiety, anger, wisdom), Advice Dog has no filter and no specialty. It will tell you to do anything with equal enthusiasm. The entire advice animal ecosystem, from Courage Wolf (aggressive motivation) to Philosoraptor (fake philosophy) to Insanity Wolf (maximum chaos), descended directly from this smiling puppy. For advice that might actually help you, see Actual Advice Mallard. For advice delivered with smug overconfidence, see Roll Safe.","format":"classic","howToMake":["The first advice animal is ready for action. Type your terrible wisdom and let the puppy deliver it","Top text introduces a scenario or states a vague premise. Bottom text gives comically bad, irresponsible, or nonsensical advice. The rainbow background and smiling puppy sell it as if the advice is perfectly reasonable","White Impact font on a rainbow background is the birthplace of the advice animal aesthetic. This is where the whole genre started, so keep the formatting classic","Short, punchy advice works best. The puppy's enthusiasm does the heavy lifting. Two or three words of terrible guidance land harder than a paragraph","Save the original advice animal as a PNG with Download, or Copy it to share the worst recommendation of the day"],"exampleCaptions":["HOUSE IS ON FIRE?","MAKE S'MORES"],"exampleAltText":"Advice Dog meme recommending making s'mores when your house is on fire","exampleRefreshDate":"2026-03-09","seo":{"aliases":["Original Advice Animal","Rainbow Dog Meme","Puppy Advice Meme","Advice Puppy","Golden Retriever Advice","OG Advice Animal"],"description":"A golden retriever puppy face, tongue happily out, centered on a spinning rainbow pinwheel of bright magenta, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. The puppy looks thrilled to see you, completely unaware that whatever it is about to recommend will probably get you fired, arrested, or both. The rainbow radiates outward with the confidence of advice that has never once been fact-checked. This is the face of pure, unfiltered, enthusiastic wrongness.","definition":"The ancestor of every advice animal meme. A golden retriever puppy on a rainbow background dispenses advice that no reasonable person should follow. Created in 2006, Advice Dog established the top-text/bottom-text animal format that spawned hundreds of variations and defined an entire era of internet humor.","useCases":[{"category":"Dangerously Bad Life Advice","examples":["Feeling sick? / Go to work and spread the joy","Car making a weird noise? / Turn the radio up","Rent is due tomorrow? / Treat yourself to dinner tonight","Late for work? / Stop for coffee. You're already late","Phone at 2% battery? / Watch one more video"]},{"category":"Relationship Guidance From a Puppy","examples":["She hasn't texted back? / Send 14 more messages","First date tonight? / Talk about your ex the entire time","Partner says \"we need to talk\" / Pretend you didn't hear them and leave the country","In an argument? / Bring up something unrelated from 3 years ago","Want to impress your crush? / Bark at them"]},{"category":"Career Destruction","examples":["Boss asks for the report? / Tell them you're more of a big-picture person","Job interview tomorrow? / Wing it. Preparation is for cowards","Coworker takes credit for your work? / Take credit for their lunch in the fridge","Got fired? / Update your LinkedIn status to \"open to overthrow\""]},{"category":"Academic Sabotage","examples":["Exam in the morning? / Sleep is more important than studying. Do both","Didn't read the book? / Confidence is the only chapter you need","Group project due today? / Your groupmates probably did their part. Yours will figure itself out","Professor asks a question? / Answer a completely different question with total confidence","Thesis deadline next week? / Start a new hobby instead. You've earned it"]},{"category":"Health & Wellness Tips (Do Not Follow)","examples":["Pulled a muscle? / Pull the other one so they match","Doctor says eat more vegetables? / Pizza has tomato sauce. Problem solved","Can't sleep? / Drink coffee. If you can't sleep anyway, might as well be productive","Feeling stressed? / Make a series of impulsive financial decisions","Need to lose weight? / Carry all your groceries in one trip. That counts as a workout"]},{"category":"Technology Tips From 2006","examples":["Computer running slow? / Download more RAM","Got a virus? / Turn the computer off and on. Viruses hate that","Forgot your password? / Try \"password123.\" Everyone uses it for a reason","WiFi not working? / Yell at the router. It responds to authority","Phone screen cracked? / Put a sticker over it. Out of sight, out of mind"]},{"category":"Financial Planning","examples":["Savings account empty? / Open a second one. Two empties make a full","Credit card declined? / Use a different one. Problem solved","Can't afford groceries? / Eat out instead. Someone else does the math","Tax season? / Just don't file. They probably won't notice"]}]}}