Josh Rheaume Explains How His Dog, Lucy, Went Viral on TikTok for Being an Amazing Help With His Newborn Twins

When Josh and Kelly Rheaume learned that they were upgrading from a furry baby to a real baby – twins, nonetheless – they weren’t entirely sure how their dog, Lucy, would react. The chocolate lab, a 7-year-old rescue, has always been their No. 1 priority, but that was about to change with the incoming twins. 

Instead of ignoring their dog in lieu of the newborns, the Rheaume family decided to include their dog as much as possible while raising their children. What started out as teaching Lucy party tricks had turned into teaching Lucy new tricks related to parenting – such as fetching a clean diaper whenever needed. 

In an effort to share the adorable, loving, and heartwarming relationship his dog has with his newborns, Josh Rheaume decided to start posting some of their moments together on TikTok. In less than two months, the Rheaume family has already accumulated 100,000 followers and more than 2.3 million likes.

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Josh Rheaume explained Lucy’s story in a TikTok post earlier this month. She was born on Valentine’s Day with the rest of her litter outside in -38°C (about -36°F) weather. She was the only dog of the litter to survive. Around that same time, Josh found himself in the hospital after suffering an anxiety attack. 

Six months later, Lucy found a home with the Rheaume family at a much-needed time in their life. Josh had just learned that he had lost his job due to layoffs and, at the same time, his wife Kelly had gained a job. “And I knew right then, she needed me and I needed her,” Josh said of his adorable pup, Lucy. 

Now that the couple have twins in the home, they’re finding ways to include their pup in the normal, everyday activities that parenthood welcomes. Instead of fetching beer from the fridge for daddy, Lucy was fetching milk in the fridge for the twins. When it was time to change a diaper, Lucy fetched the diaper.

Lucy even learned how to fetch certain toys and deliver them to the babies, while also learning to clean up toys that are laying around – placing them in their bin. While they initially had no idea how Lucy would react to the twins, it turns out she now has two new best friends and they’re just one big happy family. 

Lucy Isn’t Just Popular on TikTok – She’s a Star in Real Life, Too!

In an interview with TODAY, Josh Rheaume spoke about how popular their family has gotten on TikTok over the past two months and how Lucy is constantly getting recognized out in public. The family of five currently live in Capreal, Ontario, which is a small town about 270 miles north of Toronto, Canada.

“When we go out, I always have the window down and I always leave the truck running. I’ll come (back) over and she’ll have five or six people around her giving her treats and giving her hugs,” said Josh – adding that neighbors often bring her toys and treats, for no reason other than to give Lucy some love. 

For anyone else that wants to start training their dog to do similar tricks, Josh has two primary pieces of advice – stay patient and engage in positive reinforcement. By building a strong bond with your pet, they’ll slowly start to listen and follow directions. It takes some time, but it’s worth the effort – as you can see.

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“A bond is really important, being close to your dog first and foremost. They want to do well for us. Give them the patience they need and, you know, reinforcing that positivity once they’re able to achieve what you want them to achieve,” Josh continued. We look forward to more videos of the adorable family!