# Who Let the Dogs Out?
"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is the Baha Men's 2000 cover of a Trinidadian track called "Doggie," which exploded into a party staple, stadium anthem, and endlessly recycled source of dog-related image macros online.
## Origin
The song was written and first recorded by Anslem Douglas as "Doggie" in 1998, with Anslem later explaining the lyrics were aimed at men ruining parties by hassling women[2]. The Baha Men's manager heard it and pushed the group to cut their own version, betting it would be a hit[3]. Baha Men released "Who Let the Dogs Out?" on July 26th, 2000, and the official music video was uploaded to YouTube years later where it racked up repeat listening as the song's online afterlife grew[5].
The track also appeared on the soundtrack to "Rugrats in Paris," cementing an entire generation's association between the hook and early-2000s kid media[3].
- **Platform:** Radio and film soundtracks (viral spread on YouTube and image boards)
- **Creator:** Anslem Douglas (songwriter), popularized by Baha Men
- **Date:** 2000
## Overview
"Who Let the Dogs Out?" is the Baha Men's chart-topping 2000 single, built on a shouted call-and-response hook that answers itself with "Who, who, who, who"[1]. The track originated as a 1998 song titled "Doggie" by Trinidadian artist Anslem, who wrote it as a jab at men who harass women at parties, flipping the usual club-track framing by casting the catcallers as the dogs[2]. The Baha Men cover sanded off most of that satirical edge, which is how the hook ended up soundtracking kids' films and baseball games instead of feminist readings.
Online, the song works less as a format and more as a bottomless audio punchline. The hook gets paired with any photo or clip involving dogs escaping, lounging, misbehaving, or simply existing, with image macros plastering the lyric over dog pictures[3]. Urban Dictionary entries also catalog the phrase's informal uses, including a bit where "dogs" refers to someone's bare feet when they pull off their socks[4].
## How It Spread
The Baha Men cover hit number one in Australia and New Zealand and charted inside the top ten across much of Europe, which is how a Caribbean party track written as a feminist jab turned into a global earworm[3]. In the United States, the New York Mets adopted the song as a 2000 postseason anthem, and Baha Men performed it live before Game 4 of the 2000 World Series at Shea Stadium[3]. The track kept returning to Mets broadcasts across later seasons, which is a big reason the hook still reads as sports-arena shorthand.
Online, the song became a stock audio bit for dog videos and image macros, with YouTube uploads of the original music video acting as the central hub for repeat listens[5]. Clips of the Baha Men performing the song live, including televised appearances, kept circulating as reaction material[6]. Anslem's own version of "Doggie" is also archived on YouTube, giving curious listeners a way to hear the pre-Baha Men original[7].
On March 9th, 2019, a documentary titled "Who Let the Dogs Out?," directed by Ben Sisto, premiered at SXSW and traced the tangled chain of writers, samples, and performers behind the hook, which the Daily Dot covered in its review[1].
## How to Use
Common usage pairs the "Who let the dogs out?" lyric or audio with any dog-related image or clip, especially shots of dogs breaking loose, running off-leash, or wreaking household havoc[3]. The phrase also works as a standalone exclamation in reply posts whenever actual dogs appear in a feed.
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Who Let the Dogs Out??
It's a 2000 single by the Baha Men whose shouted hook became a recurring audio punchline for dog photos, videos, and image macros online[3].
### Where did Who Let the Dogs Out? come from?
The song was written and first recorded in 1998 by Trinidadian artist Anslem Douglas under the title "Doggie" before Baha Men covered it and released their version on July 26th, 2000[2].
### What does Who Let the Dogs Out? mean?
Anslem wrote the lyrics about men harassing women at parties, casting the catcallers as the "dogs"; Urban Dictionary also lists a slang use where "dogs" refers to ugly bare feet[4].
### How do you use Who Let the Dogs Out??
People typically pair the lyric or audio with any clip or image of dogs, especially escaped or misbehaving ones, as a reaction or caption gag[3].
### Is Who Let the Dogs Out? still popular?
It's a classic that still gets rotation at sporting events and in dog-themed online posts, and it was the subject of a 2019 SXSW documentary by Ben Sisto[1].
## References
1. [https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/who-let-the-dogs-out-review-sxsw/]()
2. [http://www.revelist.com/feminism/who-let-the-dogs-out/613]()
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/who-let-the-dogs-out]()
4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Who%20Let%20The%20Dogs%20Out]()
5. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O27fagObxaM]()
6. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IvTcV4FmtQ]()
7. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkuu0Lwb5EM]()
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