Humans first befriended wild animals thousands of years ago. It’s hard to imagine the courage of whoever first decided to make friends with a wolf or a tiger, but over time this friendship has evolved into a match made in heaven. Our pets amaze us in all kinds of ways: By caring, by doing the unexpected, and sometimes simply with their strange attempts to make sense of the world of humans.

Today Bright Side put together some visual stories that show all the different ways in which animals bring joy to our lives. They’ll make you want to go out and hug your pets.

1. “My rescue dog usually doesn’t like strangers, but when my grandma came over for Christmas my dog loves her!”

2. “This old man turned 11 today. He still thinks he’s a lap dog.”

3. “My little lady loves to hug.”

10. “They interrupt my work from home meetings, I interrupt their’s, that’s the way it goes now!”

11. “They pretend they hate each other until I catch them like this.”

12. “Momma needs a bigger lap for the tomcats.”

13. “She won’t let me leave without her.”

15. “Every time I shower he thinks I’m suffering and tries to rescue me.”

16. “He sits like this for hours every day, just vibing and watching the world go by.”

17. “My cat snuggling an abandoned kitten I found on the street.”

19. This kitten is not so great at opening doors, but he really wants to get into the room.

20. “He thinks he’s still a puppy.”

21. “Our dog and a baby squirrel just hanging out.”

22. “Snuggling her stuffed animal during a thunderstorm.”

23. “He’s been raised with 3 dogs and sometimes he thinks he is one.”

Do you have any pets? What are the strange things they do that make you love them even more? Let us know in the comments.