Dog’s Adorable Nighttime Routine With ‘Her Little Blankie’ Melts Hearts

A pampered dog’s “nighttime routine” has gone viral as hundreds of animal lovers’ hearts melted watching the pup get ready for bed.

Louise Smith-Elvy, 37, shared a video of her Staffordshire bull terrier, Ava, settling in for the night in a TikTok clip that has racked up more than 222,000 views since being uploaded on June 20.

In the video, Ava relaxes on an armchair with a fluffy blanket, as Smith-Elvy’s husband, Callum Elvy, gets up to bring a pouffe footstool over to the sofa. And she immediately gives him the side-eye.

Just as Elvy is about to put his feet up, Ava leaps from the armchair, takes her blanket in her mouth, and settles in on the pouffe between her two owners. Smith-Elvy laughs and Elvy sighs: “Every time.”

Smith-Elvy told Newsweek that Ava’s nighttime routine started after the couple’s sons, 11 and 7, took up the sitting room each afternoon with the virtual reality set they got for Christmas.

“But at 7.30 p.m., the kids go to bed so it’s me and my husband’s time for the TV and chill. So, the moment we move the pouffe, that’s her cue to come sit in between us for some love and strokes,” she said.

Smith-Elvy added: “She loves her blanket, too, and that goes everywhere in the house with her. We call the blanket her ‘boyfriend’.”

TikTok users flocked to the video, with hundreds commenting on the sweet clip that they can’t cope with how cute it is.

“Oh my God stop! She brings her little blankie,” one user wrote, with another commenter adding it is “such an honor to be trusted and loved by these creatures.”

“Oh it’s cuddle time,” another posted, with one writing: “How cute! What a smashing dog!”

“She says scoot over I’m coming in,” another commented. “Precious girl.”

Smith-Elvy, who lives in Dover, U.K., said her “long-legged Staffy” is a very friendly dog but because of her breed, “we have had people pick their dogs up or cross over the road, and had kids being pulled by the parents to the other side of the pavement.”

Multiple dog breeds are banned or restricted in England, including bullies like the pit bull terrier and American XL. Staffordshire bull terriers, like Ava, are not banned, but can look similar to banned breeds.

In the United States, Staffordshire bull terriers were 73rd in the list of the most popular dog breeds of 2023, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). Some states have breed-specific legislation on certain dogs, including the pit bull.

Ava has just turned 2 years old, and has been part of the family since she was a puppy, with Smith-Elvy recalling training her from day one.

The mum-of-two, who works as a post woman, said she “loves to show how amazing these bully breeds are in the right hands. They are amazing and beautiful dogs.”

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.