Talking Ben the Dog is a virtual pet app from Outfit7, first released in 2011, starring Ben, a grumpy retired professor dog who reacts when players poke, feed or talk to him. The app surged again in 2022 when TikTok creators filmed themselves calling Ben and reacting to his blunt answers, turning his growls, laughs and phone calls into short meme sounds. Short clips like this growl spread because they are instantly recognisable even without context, and they still appear in reaction videos, pet edits and prank compilations today.