A dog who was a pampered only child before his owner brought home twin daughters is still determined to be the baby of the house.
Molly Wickenden, 27, is the owner of cavapoo Paolo, as well as being mom to twin baby girls: Lily and Florence.
“The girls were actually born 11 weeks early weighing 2.5 and 2.8 pounds and spent their first 54 days of life on the NICU ward,” Wickenden told Newsweek, “but thankfully they are home now and thriving.”
She and her partner, Joe, are now preparing to celebrate their first Christmas as parents, and a sweet video of Wickenden spending time with her daughter beside a twinkling Christmas tree has gone viral—but not for the reason you might expect.
In the clip, shared to her TikTok @mollywickenden_ on December 12 which has almost half a million views, Wickenden and baby Lily smile at each other as the new mom lovingly holds her daughter on her lap.
But Paolo has the ultimate spot on mom, as he rests on Wickenden’s chest and cuddles into her,, resting his head on her shoulder.
Wickenden wrote across the video: “POV: Your mum bought home two new babies but you will NEVER give up your favorite spot on her shoulder. NEVER.”
TikTok @mollywickenden_
And she assured the pup in the caption: “Don’t worry Paolo, the shoulder is yours forever my little parrot.”
Wickenden told Newsweek Paolo is “the loveliest little dog, and has to be on top of me at all times—as you can see from the video.”
TikTok users loved the clip, with hundreds commenting on the video, one writing: “I love when new moms still baby their fur baby.”
“Baby probably doesn’t recognize you without the dog on your shoulder when sitting,” another joked, while one put it: “Paolo said he was there first!”
Molly Wickenden
Wickenden told Newsweek Paolo has adjusted well to the twins’ arrival, and is friendly toward the babies.
While the Cavapoo breed is not officially recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC), its mixes—the toy poodle and cavalier King Charles spaniel—are both described by the AKC as being affectionate toward family and excellent with small children, making them popular family pets.
“He loves to give them kisses, insists on always drinking their dirty bath water when I’m not looking, and has started sleeping under their cot,” Wickenden said.
“He must just like to be close to them.”
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