Adorable golden retriever goes viral for cuddling sad passengers on the train
It's anything but a dog's life for social media superstars Hugo and Huxley. The pampered pair are two of Britain's top pet influencers, raking in more than £100,000 a year for their owner Ursula Aitchison. Hugo, nine, and four-year-old Huxley have more than 340,000 followers on Instagram, where Ursula posts updates of their adventures.
One video that went viral, with 21 million views, shows Huxley making friends with fellow passengers on a train by gently placing his paw on them to cheer them up. Ursula, 34, said: "They make people happy and I have even had people reduced to happy tears.
Huxley and Hugo cheer millions of people up with videos online
Huxley the golden retriever went viral for cuddling strangers on a train"I think that people can see in the images and videos that I post how much joy you can get from the simplicity of owning a pet.
"The boys appreciate just living in the moment and take such joy out of the small things in life, like going on a walk and being outside."
The pair's rise to stardom started when Ursula, an animal photographer, realised her own dogs were so much more relaxed in front of the camera than the animals she was working with on photo shoots.
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She says: "I was photographing people and their dogs, and I used Huxley as a muse and practised with him.
"Compared to the dogs I was photographing, he was really good at staying still and taking direction, so I put him forward to an agency."
Since then, the golden retrievers, who live with Ursula and her 12-year-old son Max in the Cotswolds, have starred in ad campaigns for top brands including Hunter wellies, New Look, Dyson, Tesco and P&O Ferries.
And Ursula is in no doubt that Hugo and Huxley love their model life.
She says: "From the moment they wake up their tails are wagging. You can't have a bad day when you start like that."
Story time
The little Gecko travelled 3,000 miles in a punnet of strawberries
The lizard was finally discovered when a shopper unpacked her groceriesThis tiny Egyptian gecko gave a shopper a surprise when she found him nestled inside a punnet of strawberries.
The stowaway had travelled more than 3,000 miles before ending up on the shelves of a South Manchester supermarket.
Nikata Moran, 29, spotted the lizard staring back at her as she unpacked her groceries at home. "I couldn't believe it," she said. "I just can't get over the journey it had, ending up in my kitchen."
Apart from missing a chunk of its tail, which should grow back, the creature was otherwise unharmed by its adventure and will be rehomed by the RSPCA.
Star of the week
A Man Called Otto stars the fluffy cat called Smeagol (Variety via Getty Images)
Tom Hanks loves the furry feline in real life too (Variety via Getty Images)Screen legend Tom Hanks' latest co-star is a super-fluffy cat called Smeagol. Tom's new film A Man Called Otto sees him play a grumpy old man who cares only for his cat.
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And the pair seem pretty close in real life too - here they are sporting matching ties at a special screening of the movie.
Did you know?
Are you guilty of overfeeding your pooch? A new survey from Burns Pet Nutrition has found that 28 percent of us admit feeding our dogs leftovers such as chips, nuggets, burgers and even pizza.
One in five regularly feed our pets from the table. It's no wonder more than half of UK dogs are now classed as overweight or obese.
Vet and founder, John Burns, said: "Obesity is one of the biggest killers in dogs. Owners may think they are being kind by spoiling their pets but in reality, they could be killing them with kindness."
Daily Mirror's Pet ClubHere are Burns' top tips for helping your dog maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise your dog regularly - we all lead busy lives but it's your responsibility to make sure your pet can run off energy at least once a day
Monitor portion sizes, so before you fill their bowl to the brim check exactly how much you should be serving
Cut back on treats and only give when they are well earned
Regularly weigh your dog so that you can change habits before problems set in
Pet pic
Idris the Labradoodle has a heart of gold and knows just what to doLabradoodle Idris brings joy to teenagers with autism, older people, college students and even Amazon workers in his role as a therapy dog.
Owner Louise Franklin, from Bridgend, never had any plans for him to be used as an emotional support animal, but during lockdown she realised his caring nature could help others.
She said: "He was just a family pet and then I could see the effect that he had on people. I don't think it's the fact that he's trained, I feel like it's his nature rather than anything else."
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