WeRateDogs became one of Twitter’s most beloved accounts by rating submitted dog photos with impossibly high scores (always above 10/10) and wholesome commentary, spawning “13/10 good boy” meme culture and demonstrating social media’s appetite for unironic positivity.
The Science of Wholesome
Matt Nelson created @dog_rates in November 2015 while a college student, rating submitted dog photos with scores like “13/10,” “14/10,” or “12/10 would pet.” The joke—that all dogs deserve scores above the maximum—resonated as gentle humor in Twitter’s often-cynical environment. Nelson’s commentary emphasized dogs’ inherent goodness, using phrases like “h*ckin good pupper” and creating a distinctive voice.
Viral Growth and Mainstream Recognition
By 2016, WeRateDogs had millions of followers and mainstream media coverage. The account’s rating of a service dog during Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing (“13/10 would do anything for”) went viral with 300K+ likes. Nelson expanded into books (“WeRateDogs: The Most Hilarious and Adorable Pups You’ve Ever Seen”), a podcast, and merchandise, building a media company around dog positivity.
Cultural Impact
WeRateDogs popularized several linguistic innovations: “pupper” (puppy), “doggo” (dog), “bork” (bark), and the 13/10 rating format became standard internet dog discourse. The account demonstrated that Twitter audiences craved wholesome content alongside news and controversy, creating space for animal accounts as algorithmic palate cleansers. However, some criticized the “baby talk” language as infantilizing.
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