Since MySpace is "a place for friends" and canine is man's best friend, it was only a matter of time before the social networking site went to the dogs.
Amid the teenyboppers, rock bands and aspiring models on MySpace.com, you can also acquire friends of the four-legged variety.
There's Tater-Tots of New Port Richey, Fla., a beagle mix whose theme song is "Who Let the Dogs Out." Tots' age, 7, is posted in people years, 49. From his profile, we learn that he's a Virgo and a teetotaler whose occupation is "licking myself."
Tater-Tots' top friends are all dogs, with the exception of one cat, MySpace's ubiquitous Tom and Tots' owner-ghostwriter, Chris Nehr.
It began modestly enough. Nehr, 29, would post photos of Tater-Tots on his MySpace page, but friends and family kept requesting more photos of their furry godson. Nehr got the idea for Tater-Tots' MySpace page after seeing the profile of a friend's cat.
"What a wonderful way for family and friends to see him whenever they wanted," Nehr wrote in an e-mail. "Anyone from across the street or across the country could find out what the Tots had been up to these days."
What the Tots has been up to is visiting the park, playing in the yard at Nehr's apartment complex and sporting superhero costumes on Halloween. If Tots could talk, Nehr said he'd express happiness over the new friends he has made online.
"To me, he's my kid. 'Cause I don't see myself having kids, in the near future at least," said Nehr, who teaches fifth grade. "He's the first dog I've had living on my own."
There must be something about first pets. Daisy Doodle Bugg, a 10-month-old English bulldog, is the first dog that Susan Rodnite of Tampa has had on her own. Rodnite was laid off last winter and started Daisy's profile as a hobby. She uses the page to keep in touch with her nieces, posting photos of her ever-growing puppy and sending messages on Daisy's behalf.
On MySpace, Daisy Doodle Bugg's body type is listed as 1 foot with "more to love," and we learn that her favorite shows are Dog Whisperer and The Sopranos.
Daisy has more than 400 friends on MySpace. Rodnite said the page gets about 20 friend requests a week, mostly from other dogs.
"It's actually been kind of helpful, 'cause I've never had a bulldog before," said Rodnite, 35, now a marketing manager for HSN.
Through MySpace bulletins, dog owners trade tips, post warnings about pet food recalls and solicit breeder information. In addition, entrepreneurs with pet-related businesses create MySpace pages for their dogs as a form of guerrilla marketing.
Rodnite knows Daisy Doodle Bugg "doesn't really care" about the Internet, but she and countless other pet owners still enjoy updating their animals' online profiles.
"It's not unusual to think about people personalizing their pets, showing them on MySpace and giving them human attributes, personalities, et cetera," said Dr. Bruce Friesen, associate professor of sociology at the University of Tampa. "It's just an extension of probably the lack of interconnectedness on a face-to-face basis."
That said, Tater-Tots' and Daisy Doodle Bugg's top friends include dogs they play with in real life. Said Rodnite, "I'm really not crazy."