Because nothing calms the heart like adorable, sleeping puppers, right?

Sometimes, when I’m having a bad day, the best thing I can do is lie down next to my curled up dog and gaze upon her peaceful, sleeping face. The very sight of it makes me feel better, not only because it is adorable, but also because it is relaxing to be around such a peaceful presence.

But we don’t always have access to a dog, or a cat, or another cuddly animal. So what do we do when we need some furry cuteness to calm our hearts and minds? Thankfully, Twitter user nasuko (@nasukooun) has the answer for us: just browse Instagram and Twitter under the hashtag #ミジンコ寝.

▼ “I found the best Instagram tag”

As you might have guessed from nasuko’s tweet, ミジンコ寝 (“mijinko-ne”) is when a pet sleeps with its back legs pointing forward, and its front legs bent back. They almost look like shrimp with their curling legs, which is where the word “mijinko” comes in. “Mijinko”, known as “water fleas”, are, in fact, not shrimp, however; they’re actually tiny crustaceans with long tendril-like fins that look like arms.

▼ They look like this.

https://twitter.com/bichibichiman14/status/1111797370407129088

Up close, they aren’t cute at all, and it isn’t exactly clear why this is the creature chosen to compare our furry friends to, but who are we to tell the Japanese how to name their animals’ cute poses? Anyway, “ne,” written in the hashtag in kanji, means “sleep”, so essentially the hashtag #ミジンコ寝 means  “sleeping like a crustacean”. In other words, it is a safe place where you can go to find adorable animals folded up in sleep.

There are Shiba dogs…

And Chihuahuas…

And a puggo…

And of course a Corgi…

Even big doggos sleeping in the Mijinko-ne position!

It can’t be denied that cats, in particular, are masters of Mijinko-ne, owing to their great flexibility.

Of course, any animal can warm our hearts with their “Mijinko-ne”. Here’s a dozy hedgehog displaying excellent crustacean form (click through for all the photos, you won’t regret it).

And even fat little hamsters can do it!

So if you’re having a hard time, or when the stress is too much and there’s no furry friend nearby to give you comfort, find solace in these happy, peaceful, adorable, shrimp-sleeping pets of Twitter and Instagram. And if you need a little more, check out our selection of cute animals here at SoraNews24; we can almost guarantee that they will lift your spirits.

Source: Twitter/@nasukooun via Hamster Sokuhou
Featured Image: Twitter/@nasukooun
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