Prince William and Kate Middleton were once very close to their dog Lupo and baby Prince George's nanny, but will Prince William and Kate Middleton ditch the dog and nanny before their upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand this spring?

The black cocker spaniel Lupo was a 2011 Christmas present from Kate Middleton's parents, and was made famous when he was included in "one of the two official photographs after George's birth," Vanity Fair reported.

But on Monday, it was the Duchess of Cambridge's brother James who was spotted walking Lupo through London.

Design & Trend reports that Kate's dog was placed at her parents' doorstep in late December, because there were "fears he could upset the royal corgis" at Kensington Palace.

"When you have a young couple, like the royal couple, before they have children, the dog becomes the center of their universe. They treat it like their child," Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Center at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass., told GoodMorningAmerica.com. "You can see how the dog becomes the center of their universe, totally spoiled, but that sets the stage for him having his nose get out of joint when their baby comes and disrupts his harmony."

However, Kate ditching the dog may come as a surprise, as shortly after baby Prince George's birth, Prince William said that Lupo was "coping all right, actually," with the arrival of the newborn, Design & Trend reports.

Perhaps Kate put Lupo in her brother's care in preparation for her absence when she leaves London for an upcoming tour with Prince William and George to Australia and New Zealand this spring.

Who else isn't making it on the tour? Prince George's nanny.

Baby George's 71-year-old current nanny, Jessie Webb, had "come out of retirement" to care for the young royal, under the condition that her contract would only last three months. Webb, who had taken care of William when he was a child, is coming towards the end of those three months. According to The Daily Mail, Kate and William are said to be "keen to retain her services" and are now "discreetly" looking for a new nanny for their trip upcoming tour.