https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gyz859/send-cute-cat-dog-pet-pics-bad-day

I've never once said "I could really use a photo of a dog right about now" in the middle of a truly bad day, or tweeted a request that said something like "please send cute pet pics."

But a certain subcategory of people who are Going Through It will tweet or post a Facebook update asking people to send them photos of cute pets (dogs, cats, birds, the species is mutable but the sentiment is the same) in order to make them feel better.