It seems like just yesterday we were basking in the gloriousness of a bank holiday and now here we are again with another three-day bonanza.

But before you break up for a weekend of frivolity, you need to get through Friday – and what better way to start the day than with five delightful animals? (Don’t answer that, there is no better way.) Here are our favourite animals of the week:

1. The dogs attending the royal wedding.

On the day of the royal wedding, hundreds of thousands of people turned up in Windsor to celebrate. But the main event (other than the way our Harry looked at Meghan) had to be the #royalweddingdogs. The fella pictured below heard some bagpipes playing and instantly did the most adorable head tilt. Click the arrow on the right-hand side of the picture to see more great doggos from the day.

2. The pooch who adopted nine abandoned ducklings.

Fred, a 10-year-old Labrador, has proudly taken on the role of adoptive parent to nine ducklings abandoned by their mother. His owner Jeremy Goldsmith told BBC Essex: “We brought the ducklings into the house as they are too young to fend for themselves, and Fred just took them under his paw – rather than his wing. He’s got a lovely nature and has grown up around rescued animals.” What a babe. 

3. This incredibly rare tree kangaroo who now lives in the UK.

Sangria the tree kangaroo made her debut at Chester Zoo this week. Tree kangaroos are on the brink of extinction due to hunting and habitat loss, and just 23 are cared for by zoos in Europe. So Sangria is pretty damn special. She will live alongside the UK’s only dusky pademelons – a rare species of miniature wallaby.

4. This pooch bringing all the cows to the yard. 

You. Are. Welcome.

5. Bailey who REALLY wants her ball.

HuffPost reader Phil Breading from Exeter in Devon sent a snap of his French Bulldog Bailey who “really, really wanted her ball”. Phil says it’s hard to resist the cuteness of her face, although she’s “not so cute when she’s staring at me at 6am demanding attention”. Fair.

Plus a BONUS heartwarming story. This butterfly species is being reintroduced to England.

The chequered skipper became extinct in England in 1976 due to woodland management. In more positive news, the butterfly breed is now being reintroduced into the wild in England in the hopes that they’ll thrive once again. Butterfly Conservation, which runs the project, told the BBC it was an “important milestone for conservation”. Welcome home, little fella(s).