The students and staff of St. Luke’s School have a celebrity in their midst, only he isn’t human. St. Luke’s knows this V.I.P(uppy) as the four-month-old Clumber Spaniel named Pudge, Dr. Carter’s newest (and fluffiest) addition to her family. The wider world, however, knows Pudge by his internet handle @worldofpudge on both instagram and tiktok.
Pudge’s TikTok account is wildly successful. He has around 23,800 followers and around 1.1 million likes. Pudge has multiple TikTok videos with views well in the hundreds of thousands! On Instagram, Pudge has around 13,300 followers. His Instagram page is a mixture of posts and reels, most of which have reached views in the tens of thousands. Both accounts are run by Polly Carter, Dr. Carter’s daughter. On both platforms, Pudge can be seen galavanting around the fields of St. Luke’s, playing with his siblings and cousins (of both the human and canine species), or giving some major sass in the form of huffs or barks. His most popular video, a TikTok that reached 2.7 million views, sports the text “Spend a calm Sunday in bed with Pudge”. In the video, Pudge plays with Ms. Carter, sassily snorts at her for withholding his bone, and comically falls off the bed. The video has 435,000 likes and 834 comments, most of which are along the lines of: “AHHH HES so cuteeee” and “Bro I’m gonna cry he’s so cute.” Pudge responded to that last comment, (of course through his manager, Polly) with comedic flair, telling the commenter: “No more tears. Pudge is here. *hands tissue.”
According to Statistica, 35% of the roughly one million registered pet owners worldwide have created an Instagram or TikTok account for their pet. Only a small portion of those accounts are successful, and it’s safe to say that Pudge’s are two of the few. Pudge has yet to turn a year old, and his immediate internet success is a rarity that supports his claim to the title of St. Luke’s resident celebrity.
Pudge’s fame has even extended beyond social media. Currently, Pudge is a quarter finalist in the online America’s Favorite Pet competition. He is described as a Clumber Spaniel “living life with giant ears and zero impulse control. [His] bff is [his] dad, a 60 yr-old empty nest lawyer.”
Pudge’s appeal is widespread, and it’s no wonder he shot to fame so quickly after starting his accounts. One can only wonder where Pudge will go from here. His follower and like counts, respectively, are growing by the day. Hopefully, when Pudge amasses 1 million followers (an inevitable event), he will remember St. Luke’s fondly as the place and people that started it all.
