Usher is used to melting hearts with his moves and his music, but watching him love on a soft, sweet, cuddly dog is at least that adorable – and possibly more!

PEOPLE caught up with the 40-year-old singer recently and got the lowdown on his love for the pup he calls “his role dog.” And lots of great footage of him giving her belly rubs and kisses.

He refers to Scarlett as so many of us do our own pets, as an unwavering source of love and support.

“Some of my hardest times, she is always there with me.”

And although he notes that his sons, 10-year-old Usher V and Naivyd, 9, don’t walk Scarlett (apparently celebrity parents aren’t different than regular ones in this respect!), they have learned lessons of unconditional love for having her in their lives.

More about goldendoodles.

This “designer breed” has soared in popularity in recent years, but the goldendoodle first appeared in the 1960s – a cross between the poodle and the golden retriever (it is often called a “groodle” in Australia!) and the purpose of doing so was quite noble. The hope was to create suitable guide dogs for visually impaired people with allergies. Poodles do not shed and are therefore considered hypoallergenic.

Goldendoodles, however, are not predictably shed-free, though most do exhibit a low shed rate, and one MUCH lower than a purebred golden retriever. Over the years, they have been bred to three distinct sizes (standard, medium and miniature) and three coat types (straight, wavy and curly).

Goldendoodles are not recognized by any established breed association, but that hasn’t done a thing to tamp enthusiasm for them and in fact, they have gone on to become successful as guide, agility, therapy, search and rescue ad diabetic detection dogs, as well as beloved family pets, for they tend to possess wonderful qualities from each of their breed origins — the poodle’s intelligence and the retriever’s trainability.

They tend to be friendly, patient and loving of both children and strangers — and that super-soft and cuddly coat certainly doesn’t hurt!

Singer Alanis Morissette, 44, whose Grammy-winning 1994 album, Jagged Little Pill, became a musical production this year, is closing out the happy year on a sad note to which each of us can relate.

On Saturday, she announced to followers and fans via social media that her Chihuahua mix, Leelee, had passed away.

“Goodbye angel leelee. our souls are one. inconsolable. my girl. i love you,” the performer wrote on her Instagram account, alongside a photo of her cradling and kissing the small pooch.

Morissette often posts images of her canine family on her accounts, including the below, which appeared on Twitter a couple of weeks ago.

i love you lee. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/fYpVpQy6lp

— Alanis Morissette (@Alanis) October 17, 2018

This lovely shot of Morissette and Leelee was posted just 10 hours prior to press time.

Morissette regularly posted sweet photos of Leelee with loving captions on her social media accounts.

Little Leelee is survived by her canine siblings, Boogs and Circus; all three are pictured in these sweet lockets in a tweet from May of this year.

COPING WITH THE LOSS OF A PET

Grief is a very personal journey and for those of us to whom pets are family, can be just as big a loss as when a human we love dies. This means the full acknowledgement of such a loss may take time. For some pet owners, honoring their pet may mean adopting a new dog right away, for others it could take weeks, months, or years. It is important that we respect the ways in which others go through this loss, even if it differs from our own.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, owners in mourning should be kind to themselves as they prepare for the “new normal” of a life without their beloved dog.

“Just as it took time to build the relationship with your pet, it will take time to get used to him or her not being there,” their website reads.

Generally speaking, when con artists scam good, honest people out of their money or possessions, the Internet doesn’t give them an ovation, but somehow, Princess is different.

This clever fox of a shar-pei or shar-pei mix (to our eye, anyway) knows how to work that cute, worried-looking face of hers into a delicious free meal – and precisely where to go to get it.

Her owner, Betsy Reyes, posted on Facebook that Princess leaves the house at night and heads straight to the local McDonald’s parking lot, where she pretends to be a stray in order to get free food. Employing all the standard tactics your own dog uses to glean scraps from the table at dinner, Princess – simply put – works it, scoring fries, burgers and all the fast-food goodies dogs worldwide can only dream of.

“If you see my dog @ [sic] the McDonald’s on shields, quit feeding her fat ass,” Reyes wrote on Facebook. “She’s not even a stray dog. She’s just a gold diggin’ [email protected]@ b*tch that be acting like she’s a stray so people will feel bad for her & feed her burgers.”

The best part? Reyes headed out to bust her dog in the act, taking video in the process as she lurked like a private investigator in the McDonald’s lot, watching Princess work her crafty magic on the patrons. Have you ever seen any busker or panhandler with a success rate like this?

And this hilarious one where Princess recognizes that she’s been busted begging!

For sure, there are healthier habits a dog could have – and we hope that Reyes finds a way to keep her dog from getting out (and super-sizing herself with meals way too fatty, salty and rich!) – but we really have to give this crafty pup credit for her smarts. And admit that we, too, enjoy a good, crispy sleeve of French fries once in awhile.

She is, without a doubt, one of the most enterprising puppers we’ve had the pleasure of seeing go viral on the Internet.

Each of us likely knows one of those parents who longs for, or has, a champion athlete child — one who racks up the trophies and titles and medals and perhaps has a wall dedicated to his or her feats in the house.

Spitfire’s family may need to build him a room.

This whippet is a super-champion, who breaks world records like dishes at a Greek wedding. Case in point: this video below, a 31-foot long jump that, you guessed it, set the world record for longest-ever jump by a dog.

Spitfire jumps a distance of over 31 feet to create a new world record for the farthest leap by a dog pic.twitter.com/00alb3lNYB

— viral viral (@xxlfunny1) October 10, 2018

One record is hardly enough for this world-class athlete, though. Spitfire is also the world record-holder in speed retrieval.

And while we’re showing him off like he’s ours, check out this 8-foot vertical!

In an interview with Outside Online earlier this year, Spitfire’s trainer, Kristi Baird explained what makes a legendary dog different from a regular dog.

“Any dog can do this,” Baird said. What makes the great ones, though? “Dogs that have drive. Dogs that love to chase things. And dogs that love the water — I mean, can’t stay out of mud puddles.”

Mud puddles?! Well, that means that on top of being a world champion, Spitfire’s also just a regular dog – which, amazing feats and athletic prowess notwithstanding – is his best quality, if you ask us.

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Bradley Cooper has fans worldwide and he’s sure to earn a few more once they hear that he cast his own rescue pup, Charlie, in his new movie, a reboot of “A Star is Born,” in which he co-stars with Lady Gaga. The pair play musicians and lovers, Jackson and Ally. Charlie is their dog.

“There was no nepotism — I wanted this relationship with the dog… [Jackson and Ally] don’t have a child together but they have a dog together, and I wanted it to be part of their story. I love dogs,” Cooper told PEOPLE last week at the film’s Los Angeles premiere.

He also joked that since his appearance in the movie, Charlie has become pretty big time: “[he] has an agent. I don’t talk to him much anymore. He doesn’t return my calls. He always walks away from me unless I have food.”

We’ve known about Cooper’s love for dogs for awhile now, sharing with you the story of another of his rescues, Charlotte, back in 2012.

“I fell in love with her immediately,” Cooper said of the chow-retriever mix who he rescued at a 2010 adoption event in Santa Monica, California. She was known to accompany him on movie sets quite often.

She and another rescue, Samson, were a pair Cooper had been known to reference as his children.

Charlie, it turns out, is named for Cooper’s late father.

“That meant a lot for him to be in the film,” Cooper said.

Cooper had other members of his inner-circle in the movie, apparently, including a grad school buddy and even his ear doctor.

The actor joked that since getting the role, Charlie “has an agent. I don’t talk to him much anymore. He doesn’t return my calls. He always walks away from me unless I have food.”

We understand, Bradley.

And for a musical ending, here’s a video for Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born song, “Shallow.”

my dog has ear medicine she needs and the other one also thinks he needs it too.. nobody has the heart to tell him it’s pretend.. pic.twitter.com/Vshe7dhl3b

— chloe copley (@chloecopley_05) September 12, 2018

Okay so one of Chloe’s dogs needs ear medication. We’re not sure why, but really, it’s not important.

What IS important, is that the pup’s sibling clearly wants in on the ear meds action. Mostly because it comes with a nice, vigorous, post-squirt ear massage.

So his parents, doing what we’d likely all do, oblige the pupper with a “fake” administration of the meds with the supplementary two-handed ear squeeze.

And everyone’s happy.

Especially us. Because we love this video.

Do dogs get jealous?

According to science: yes.

Back in 2014, researchers at the University of California discovered that dogs were far more likely to snap and push at their owners if they felt they were being excluded from their affection.

“Our study suggests not only that dogs do engage in what appear to be jealous behaviors but also that they were seeking to break up the connection between the owner and a seeming rival,” said lead researcher Professor Christine Harris in an article published by the Telegraph.

“Many people have assumed that jealousy is a social construction of human beings – or that it’s an emotion specifically tied to sexual and romantic relationships. Our results challenge these ideas, showing that animals besides ourselves display strong distress whenever a rival usurps a loved one’s affection.”

Adapting a test previously used for six-month-old babies to canines, University of California researchers monitored the reaction of 36 dogs in their own homes when their owners ignored them in favor of a stuffed dog, which could bark and wag its tail, or a bucket with a Halloween design.

The dogs were filmed and the video rated for a variety of aggressive, disruptive and attention-seeking behavior and found that the pups were roughly twice as likely to make contact with their owner — touching or pushing — when he or she was giving love and affection to the plush dog than when exhibiting the same behaviors at the plastic bucket.

Surely by now you dog lovers have heard of the “snoot challenge,” but in case you and your dogs have been living under a rock of late, a quick Instagram search of the #snootchallenge hashtag proves that more than 11,000 dogs around the world have already jumped in the latest internet challenge fray. Some accomplish, some fail; both can be hilarious, as the many online videos prove.

What’s the snoot challenge?

In it, a person creates a space with his or her fingers — generally round, triangular or (awww!) heart-shaped. They then hope the dog will approach and stick its snoot in said hole (which makes for a super-cute boop-snoot photo-op).

Pics and videos of the dogs accomplishing or miserably failing the challenge have taken over various social media sites and are melting hearts and inspiring laughter everywhere. Some dogs seem to know exactly what they’re supposed to do; others, not so much.

Some are lured in with treats, others seems to have already been treat-conditioned.

Of course, this is the Internet, so there’s been no shortage of people finding reasons why the snoot challenge is dangerous, demeaning, or otherwise detrimental to the dogs’ health or self-esteem, but reports from vets have countered these claims, noting that the snoot challenge can help condition dogs to having their faces handled — a great trait for safe application of medical exams!

Additionally, some experts say that the snoot challenge can help to train dogs to wear a muzzle or post-surgical cone if ever necessary, aiding them in growing comfortable putting their snouts into small openings.

As long as owners are gentle, there is no harm to be caused during the #snootchallenge! And of course, if your pet seems uncomfortable, you should not force the dog to perform the challenge.

Guy the beagle has gotten loads of attention since becoming the signature “rags to riches” story of the shelter-dog universe. His story – as much of it as we know, anyway – begins with our hero dog lost in the woods of Kentucky and ends with his moving to Kensington Palace, courtesy of the young actress who adopted him from a rescue in Canada, and then went on to be the newest member of the Royal Family.

Now, Guy has apparently “written” his story for the benefit of fans (and hopefully new generations of adopters-not-shoppers!) around the world. According to the Daily Mail, it is set for release in November.

Its full title – His Royal Dogness:The Rebarkable Stoory of Meghan Markle’s Rescue Dog, is reported to be officially endorsed by Markle’s new family, with help from co-authors Camille March and Emmy-winning writer and producer Mike Brumm. It was illustrated by artist Gerald Keller.

You can pre-order it on Amazon already, in fact!

Back in November of 2017, just after it was announced that Markle was engaged to Prince Harry, news broke that she’d taken Guy from her then-home in Toronto to London, settling into Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace. It was also much reported that Markle made a difficult decision, too, leaving her other rescue pup, Bogart, behind. The senior dog was reportedly too frail to make the trip.

Guy, as many now know, was found wandering and eventually made his way into the hands of A Dog’s Dream Rescue in Toronto. Markle saw him at an adoption event, fell in love, took him home and the rest is now a fairy-tale story if ever there was. From the Kentucky woods to paparazzi chasing him as he reportedly rode in a limo with the Queen herself.

In an interview earlier this year, the Duchess of Sussex revealed: “One [dog] is now staying with very close friends and my other, little Guy, he’s in the UK, he’s been here for a while.”

During her time filming the show “Suits” in Toronto, Markle regularly posted photos of her dogs on her former Instagram account.

We recently reported that last month, the royal couple reportedly welcomed a new dog called Oz to their family. Photos have yet to emerge of the new pup, but we’re betting that Guy’s tell-all book will be a big seller for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Christian Shenouda was going to buy a dog, but when someone told him he should visit a shelter to adopt instead, it seemed like a good idea. That’s where he met, and fell in mutual forever-love, with a pittie mix named Ray. Shenouda told The Dodo’s Pittie Nation that Ray’s winning smile won him over, and Shenouda found himself quickly becoming something of a pit bull ambassador. His relationship with Ray made him want to share his experience and show the world what wonderful companions this misunderstood dogs can be.

Like the rest of the world’s adoption proponents, Shenouda (sadly!) could nto adopt all the dogs, but as a photographer, he found he could donate some time to helping shelters — so often overwhelmed with the sheer numbers they have to move through their system — getting better photos of their residents, images that capture their winning pibble personalities far more accurately than the sad snapshots so often taken when they first come through the shelter doors.

Since then, Shenouda’s photos have helped countless dogs – pups just like his own beloved Ray – find their loving forever homes. He also does photo sessions for families, too, capturing pups and their people in beautiful moments they will cherish.

“Ever since I adopted my rescue pup Ray, it’s been puppy love ever since!” Shenouda writes on his website. “Dogs inspire us to live life to the fullest and there’s nothing I love more than to capture and share those moments!”

Check out Christian’s website here!

A note about dogs who smile….

Animal behaviorists have noted dog “smiles” to be a submissive gesture of appeasement, one that shows you and other people that he or she is non-agressive, not a threat. Submissive grins, in dog-speak, are a way to show deference to another individual. Generally, say experts, these grins are associated with increased movement and a body posture that is lower than the dog’s normal stance (remember when Ray was belly-crawling for his boiled chicken?).