Some pets don’t just make their owners smile—they end up making everyone else smile too, as this week’s headlines showed.
Whether it was a piano-playing cat or a doggy escape artist breaking free at a local shelter, animals once again found ways to surprise and delight, including a few belonging to Newsweek readers who earned their spot in this week’s Pet of the Week.
Think your pet deserves their moment in the spotlight? Follow the instructions at the end of this story on how to submit your pet for consideration.
Winner
A determined 12-year-old dog melted our hearts after showing he had no plans to slow down despite rupturing a disc in his spine.
Owner Gregg Wexler adopted Sammy, a Chiweenie, when he was 7 months old. But at age 3, tragedy struck when Sammy was playing in the yard. Wexler told Newsweek he heard a “blood-curdling scream” and found Sammy dragging his rear around the yard.
“Possibly the injury came from intervertebral disk disease, or he hit a divot made by an animal in the lawn,” Wexler said. “To this day, he is not able to walk normally inside the house, out in the backyard and needs use of his wheelchair off the property.”
Wexler said Sammy “doesn’t know” he is disabled, constantly showing he has one speed: fast. In the video, Sammy chased a lure at a pet expo in New Jersey, using his wheelchair to reach top speed.
Sammy has become a local celebrity, with people flocking to him for photos and asking about his story, but Wexler doesn’t mind. He loves how Sammy’s story has become an inspiration.
Finalists
This week’s first finalist is Hami, a 9-year-old tuexdo cat. Owner James Billingsley adopted Hami when she was a kitten, hoping she would keep his older feline company.
“I raised Hami with nothing but unconditional love and positive reinforcement,” he told Newsweek, which turned her into an assertive cat.
Hami has grown into a confident cat who knows what she wants, and as he had several cats over the years, Billingsley found Hami to be “special in her own way.” She will call for him to pay attention to her, sometimes for hours, but he finds it adorable. She is her 10-pound fur baby of pure, unconditional love.
Next up, we have one stylish pup who looks magazine cover-worthy. Owner Michelle Omar shared with Newsweek photos of her dog rocking sunglasses at home.
After putting the sunglasses on, the dog sat on the couch and posed for pictures, like he’s done a million times before.
“He is the coolest dog ever and the son I never had,” she said. “He’s comical and curious and he loves to love. I couldn’t imagine life with lout my doodle boy, Mr. Coop-man.”
Last, but not least, is a black cat named Shadow, who has us wanting to keep our New Year’s resolutions.
Owner Jen Dubrow told Newsweek that her 18-month-old cat jumped aboard the Pilates train. Well, almost. Shadow was instantly drawn to a Pilates mat after being rescued by Jen. She found Shadow and her sister near her home, abandoned. They were starving and weighed one-third the average weight.
Now, sticking to a healthy lifestyle, Shadow “adopted” the Pilates mat. Dubrow said she uses it all the time as a tunnel, a hideout, a sleep pad, or a scratching pad.
If you think your pet could be next week’s Newsweek “Pet of the Week,” send us your funny and heartwarming videos and pictures of your pet, along with a bit about them, to life@newsweek.com, and they could appear in our “Pet of the Week” lineup.
