This week, a Guinness World Records–holding dog blew us away with a new trick, while a woman drove over 330 miles to adopt a cat that had been returned to a shelter.
Besides these stories of online fame, we've been collecting our favorite pictures and videos of Newsweek readers' pets for our Pet of the Week.
If you want your pet to be part of next week's lineup, follow the instructions at the end of this story.
The Winner
This week's Pet of the Week is Jack, a 1-year-old cat who appeared one day near his owner's mailbox.
"I heard a tiny persistent meow," Jenelle Hardwick, who lives in California, told Newsweek. She immediately fell for him and brought him inside.
A ginger kitten, Jack quickly found his feet—but his personality might not be what you expect. In fact, he acts more like a dog.
"He always thought he is a puppy because I treated him like a puppy," Hardwick said.
She quickly made sure Jack was leash-trained, and before long they were walking around the neighborhood together. He even knows tricks, like rolling over.
The Finalists
Our first finalist is Hannibal, an English bulldog who lives with his family in New York.
"We got Hannibal when he was 2 years old, and the woman was retiring him from the show ring due to having cherry eyes," Nancy Scheidt told Newsweek.
Cherry eye is a common condition in English bulldogs and other brachycephalic short-faced dog breeds. It occurs when the tear gland in the dog's third eyelid becomes inflamed and protrudes from its normal position.
Hannibal, who turns 12 next month, loves car rides and going to the flea market in his doggie stroller.
"He is a regular there, which puts smiles on kids' and adults' faces alike," Scheidt said. "He gets lots of petting and even some hugs from complete strangers."
Next up is Sprocket and Rosie, who have recently welcomed their first litter of puppies.
"They're naturals when it comes to this parenting thing," owner Evie Allred told Newsweek. "I captured them peeking in on the littles and even caught them sharing a smooch."
The pair had four puppies, two girls named Judy and Janey and two boys named Astro and Elroy.
"You guessed it," Allred said. "We named them all after the Jetsons."
Our next finalist is Wiggle, a tuxedo cat who came into his owner's life last year.
"[He] showed up in July 2023 on my back porch half dead, weighing just 7.5 ounces," owner Joey Justiss told Newsweek. "He is now a happy and thriving 8-plus pounds."
Now fully settled in at his new home, Wiggle loves to snuggle and stretch out among his toys.
"The universe sent me this bundle of joy," Justiss said.
Last but not least this week is Diesel, whom his owner describes as an "unconventional but loveable Pomeranian."
Diesel lives in Alberta, Canada, with owner Amber Goodman, who rescued him from the Edmonton Humane Society.
His favorite things include car rides, swimming, frogs and spending time with other dogs.
"He happily greets everyone he meets and is very social on account he was trained by the Humane Society's obedience classes," Goodman told Newsweek.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
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