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Paris Hilton’s love of animals is being passed down to her two children.
“I’ve been an animal lover my entire life, and I think it’s so important to really instill that into your children,” the multi-hyphenate star, 44, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview.
Hilton, who is a mom to son Phoenix Barron and daughter London Marilyn with husband Carter Reum, says her kids have “been around animals since they were born.”
“They love them so much, and they’re so gentle with them, and so kind and so loving,” she continues, adding that introducing children to animals “really teaches them love, responsibility and empathy, as well as being kind and how to take care of something.”
“I love that my kids love animals just as much as me,” says Hilton, who recently released her new children’s television show, Paris & Pups.
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Hilton is a longtime animal lover, with a special appreciation for dogs. Her first was Tinkerbell, a teacup Chihuahua that appeared alongside the star on The Simple Life.
“Tinkerbell was my first love, and just my best friend, my sister, my sidekick, my family — my everything,” Hilton recalls of the animal that died in 2015 at the age of 14.
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The “Stars Are Blind” singer now looks back at pet ownership as something that prepared her for motherhood. “My dogs are my first babies before I had kids,” she says.
“They have brought so much happiness into my life, and they bring so much love to your life,” Hilton adds of her pets.
Paris Hilton/Instagram
Hilton and Reum, 44, welcomed son Phoenix in January 2023. Daughter London followed less than a year later in November.
According to Hilton, life as a mom to two is flying by. “Oh my God, they’re growing up so fast. They’re both so tall and so smart,” she tells PEOPLE.
The Parívie founder highlights that Phoenix is “the best big brother” because “he loves his little sister so much and is so cute with her and so protective, always watching after her.
“And the feeling is mutual with London,” Hilton adds, because she “adores him and looks up to him so much.”
“They are best friends,” the proud mom states, further explaining that the sibling pair are “inseparable” and “always together.”
