Couple Shares Viral Nighttime Routine for Their Dogs — and Receives Backlash for Putting Them in Pajamas (Exclusive)

• Emma Moriarty and her husband Corey are parents to three beautiful dogs, all of whom they've had since they were 8 weeks old
• Recently, the couple moved into the first home they’d ever owned after living in apartments and had a spare room they didn’t know what to do with
• After thinking it over, it dawned on them: They could convert it into a room for their dogs and cats. From there, they detailed a nighttime routine for their pets

When Emma Moriarty and her husband Corey moved into their house — the first home they’d ever owned after living in apartments — they had a spare room they didn’t know what to do with. After thinking it over, it dawned on them: They could convert it into a room for their dogs and cats.

Emma, 28, and Corey, 30, who live in Palm Beach, Fla., are parents to three beautiful dogs, all of whom they've had since they were 8 weeks old: Blue, a 6-year-old Siberian Husky; Titan, a 4-year-old Siberian Husky; and Maverick, a 1-year-old Golden Retriever. They’re also expecting another Golden Retriever, Bauer, at the end of March.

"We wanted to give the dogs their own special place in the house, just for them," the couple, who run an Instagram page for their dogs called imbluethesiberian, tell PEOPLE exclusively. "We also wanted to do something special as a family every night, so we started a routine that grew into what everyone sees on social media today."

Each night, the couple follows the same bedtime routine for their pets. The routine usually takes about 20 minutes and always starts with getting the dogs ready for bed, during which they pick out the dogs' PJs for the night. "They have a decent selection to choose from!" Emma adds, noting that most of them are from Chewy.

"Once they’re in their PJs, we get them settled in their own beds and bring over either one of their favorite stuffed animals or blankets for them to cuddle with," Corey adds. "Once they’re settled, we turn on their favorite show, Bluey, on their TV. After the show is on and the dogs are watching, we grab them a bedtime treat from their treat wall to snack on."

"We usually give them dental treats, Whimzees from Wellness, or other long-lasting chewables during bedtime to help them settle," they continue.

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Since the dogs like to follow Emma and Corey everywhere, they explain that it was fairly easy to train them to follow the nighttime routine. They started going upstairs each night to begin the routine, and the dogs would follow, knowing treats would be waiting.

They add that, since dogs are creatures of habit, every night around bedtime, the dogs are always looking at them and waiting for the routine to start.

"If we are ever late for the routine, we usually get a look from one of them, primarily Blue," they say.

"One of the benefits we found with their routine is that it helps the dogs mentally settle down at the end of the day," they add. "We found that with three high-energy dogs and a constantly changing day, it gives them consistency at night. Whenever we start the routine, the dogs know it’s time for bed and can start to settle down for the night."

But not every night goes as smoothly as the couple hopes when it comes to bedtime.

They explain that Blue has a habit of throwing tantrums and having meltdowns at bedtime because he loves sleeping on the top bunk. One night, when they went in to start the routine, their kitten Zeus had stolen the top bunk. Blue had a full-blown Husky meltdown when he saw that Zeus had taken his spot.

"Any steps that get added to our routine will most likely happen by chance or accident, as we love our current routine!" the couple says. "We don’t want to overcomplicate the routine or add too many steps, as it’s all about spending time with the dogs and being together as a family."

As content creators, Emma and Corey share how they try to post every aspect of their lives. Recently, they’ve made an effort to reshape their content to include more of themselves and their relationship with the dogs as a family, and this routine fits perfectly into that.

Since sharing their dogs' nighttime schedule, the videos have gone viral, amassing thousands of likes and comments.

"We were happy to see how many people enjoyed the bedtime routine!" they say. "We were also definitely surprised by the number of mixed reactions, but then again, it is social media, and it’s a melting pot of opinions."

"We were shocked by the number of people who took issue with the dogs in the PJs," they add. "We had numerous comments expressing concern for the dogs in regard to overheating in clothing due to their double coats. Something that isn’t often seen by our audience is the comfort our dogs get from being in the PJs. Similar to a thunder shirt, it helps keep them calm and comfortable while they are settling down."

But when it comes to the pajamas, Emma and Corey have a confession: the dogs don’t actually sleep in them.

"The PJs are for what we call ‘Wind Down Time,’" they say. "We don’t leave the PJs on the dogs overnight because we can’t monitor their comfort or if they start overheating. We usually let the dogs stay in them through the routine, and then once we’re done with ‘Wind Down Time,’ we take them off and head downstairs to get ready for bed ourselves."

"We hope that all dogs are treated with the love and care we try to show our dogs," they add. "It may not be a typical bedtime routine, but we want people to spoil their dogs and treat them special in any way they can to give them the best life!"