Yes, It’s Monday, So Here’s Amal Clooney and a Puppy to Make It Better

Amal’s husband—some guy named George—got her the furry friend as a 46th birthday present earlier this month.

Amal and George Clooney and their puppy Nelson
(Image credit: The Mega Agency)

Amal Clooney turned 46 on February 3, and it appears her birthday gift is a very good, good boy named Nelson. Amal’s husband George apparently gifted her with the pup for her birthday, and they took the St. Bernard on a sunny outing in the South of France, Nelson snuggled in his mom’s arms while his dad took charge of his leash.

Amal and George Clooney and their puppy Nelson

George gave Amal the best gift for her recent 46th birthday, and his name is Nelson

(Image credit: The Mega Agency)

The Clooneys are known for both their philanthropy and their love of animals, and Nelson is perhaps the only creature who could take folks’ eyes off of the dazzling Clooneys as they strolled through the streets. For the walk, Amal wore a brown dress, black boots, and oversized sunglasses; George wore a classic black jacket and blue jeans.

Entertainment Tonight reports that Nelson isn’t the first St. Bernard the Clooneys have welcomed into their family. “The delightful pup will be joining the ranks of the family’s beloved pooch Rosie, named in honor of George’s late aunt Rosemary,” the outlet writes. (Rosemary Clooney was a beloved singer and actress.) 

Amal and George Clooney and their puppy Nelson

If this photo doesn't make you smile...

(Image credit: The Mega Agency)

In addition to Rosie and Nelson, the Clooneys also have Millie, a basset hound, and Louie, a cocker spaniel. Before he met Amal, George loves animals so much that he even had a pet pig named Max, who died in 2006.

George and Amal’s coterie of fur children also have a human brother and sister, twins Alexander and Ella, who are six years old. “When you have twins and you’re raising [them at] the same time, the same way, and they’re completely different human beings, you realize how little say you have in who they are,” George told Michael Strahan on Good Morning America. “You try to give them some boundaries and you try to give them things that you believe in, but they’re just different.”

Alexander and Ella are very much individuals, he added: “They come out with an opinion, and it’s amazing to watch how different my kids’ personalities are,” he said.

Amal Clooney and George Clooney

The Clooney family is apparently now making a home in the South of France, in addition to their Lake Como property

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Amal Clooney at an event

George and Amal will celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary this year

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Daily Mail reports that the Clooneys were seen walking through the streets of Contingac in the South of France, where they are now apparently permanently living, “no longer spending time at their £10 million Thameside mansion in Sonning, Berkshire,” the outlet writes. Life in the Cote d’Azur seems sweet, as they are now living at the 18th century Domaine du Canadel and have been for several months, enjoying days like the one pictured, where George and Amal visited an art gallery and were joined by friends for lunch on the terrace of the gourmet Picotte restaurant, The Daily Mail reports.

“Their idyllic French estate includes a 25-acre vineyard, a pool, tennis court, boules pitch, olive grove, and ornamental lake,” the outlet writes. “It is also just a 25-minute drive from Chateau Miraval, the winery which George’s close friend and fellow actor Brad Pitt bought with Angelina Jolie while they were still married.”

As for the Clooneys’ famed Lake Como property in Italy? After George bought Villa Oleandra in 2002, parts of his film Ocean’s Twelve were shot there; the family spends most summers at the property, “which boasts a basketball court, movie theater, and a garage full of vintage motorbikes,” The Daily Mail writes. “It has hosted a string of stars, including Jennifer Aniston and Matt Damon, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.” As to recent reports that the Clooneys were selling the property? Not true, the outlet asserts. 

Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.