Millions of social media viewers have fallen head over heels for a tiny dog refusing to go to sleep after a long day of playing.
Clarke, a long-haired miniature dachshund, lives in Washington state with his owners, Chloe Pietropaolo and Cletus LoRusso, and like most dogs he is the boss of the house.
“Clarke is such a character,” Pietropaolo, 30, told Newsweek. “Of course, we think everything he does is adorable and funny.”
And viewers agreed, as a video of Clarke shared to Pietropaolo’s TikTok account, @clarketheween, on August 25 has exploded in popularity, with over 1.6 million likes and 9 million views.
It shows Pietropaolo, 30, tugging a dog toy with Clarke while also stroking his head between his eyes. As Clarke begins dropping off, he starts letting go of the toy and becomes extremely relaxed, growling in a way that sounds like a cat’s purr.
But all of a sudden, he wakes up and seems furious that Pietropaolo was trying to send him to sleep. His growls become louder, and he jumps up at her.
TikTok @clarketheween
She wrote in a caption: “POV you realize Mom is trying to put you to sleep after playing for the last hour.”
Pietropaolo told Newsweek: “Clarke and I were playing for a long time, and I had to start calming him down to get ready for work.
“I always run my finger up his nose and head before bed or to calm him down, and he loves it. I had my husband stand behind me to take a cute video for our family. It just so happened that this time Clarke was not having it and wanted to keep playing.”
She and her husband, game developer LoRusso, 32, “thought his reaction was hilarious and decided to post it on our TikTok page.”
And TikTok users loved it, with hundreds commenting on the sweet clip, including one who joked: “I will not succumb to your witchcraft!”
Another wrote: “He was drifting, then like wait no!”
“The way he revved up after realizing,” another said, and as one user put it: “That baby was purring for a second.”
Pietropaolo, who works as a paralegal, “still can’t believe he went viral.”
“He is our whole world, so the fact that over 9 million people—and counting—have gotten to see him and laugh with us is amazing. In our eyes, he will live on forever now, and that’s incredible.”
TikTok @clarketheween
Dachshunds are a popular choice for a family pet, and Pietropaolo and LoRusso did a lot of research before deciding the breed was perfect for them. When they met Clarke, it was “love at first sight.”
Known for their affection toward their family, dachshunds are described as having a big, endearing personality. But as shown in the video, they can be very stubborn.
In 2023, dachshunds like Clarke made No. 6 on the list of the American Kennel Club’s most popular dog breeds.
The pup is now a year old and has plenty of “quirks,” Pietropaolo said, including being “obsessed with laundry,” specifically socks.
“He will steal them any chance he gets. Packing is very difficult…your socks will always end up missing [or] stolen by Clarke.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
