From a dog desperate to play with his neighbor to a shelter cat getting adopted by a 78-year-old man, this week’s headlines captured our hearts. But the week wouldn’t be complete without our readers’ favorite submissions.
Think your pet deserves to be featured? Read through to find out how to enter your furry companions to Newsweek’s Pet of the Week.
Winner
This week’s winner can’t help but get us in the groovy mood. Keanu Mathieu, a 4-year-old golden doodle, is obsessed with music. His owners, Bex and Ibes, can barely walk with him through downtown without being stopped as he begs for them to enjoy live music.
“We end up caving to his demands of seeing all his ‘friends,'” his owner, Bex, told Newsweek. “So we’ll sit on the outdoor patios, or the yards of venues with firepits, stages, etc. and let him get a few songs in, make his rounds to get his head rubs and kisses, grab a few rogue scraps that his ‘friends’ just ‘happen to accidentally drop’ and show everyone some love.”
A 15-minute walk can easily turn into an hour or more, but they don’t mind. They enjoy the music and won’t pull him along. He’ll let them know when it is time to move on.
Keanu has been a musical pup ever since they first brought him home, Bex said. His older sibling, Bugsy Malone, also bounces around to music with him. Viewers can follow their adventures on Instagram at @thatcutekeanu or @bugofwoodstock.
Finalists
Our first finalist is doggy siblings adopted from Stronger Together Animal Rescue, a U.K. charity focused on rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming cats and dogs from Cyprus.
Owner Nick and family first adopted Daisy, a pointer and beagle mix, in November 2022. In May 2024, they added Sky to the family. Sky’s DNA result came back as a mix of beagle and Segugio Italiano. Now, the two rescue dogs are best friends.
“We can’t believe how lucky we are, considering their tough starts in life,” Nick told Newsweek. They are so gentle and loving. The two of them are inseparable, definitely sisters from different mothers.”
Next up is Lori Moore’s rescue cat, Ewok, who received his Star Wars-inspired name because he looked like a baby Ewok when he was born.
Moore found Ewok’s left eye hanging out of its socket one morning when he was just six months old, she told Newsweek. The vet suspected it happened when playing with another cat, or he scratched his eye out. She rushed him to the emergency vet for surgery, which seemed like forever. But the next day, he went home with orders not to run, play, or jump. That did not last long.
“After a while, I let him out [of my room], giving him his vet’s orders,” she said. “He was lying on the bed and I was reading a book. The next thing I know, he got the zoomies.”
He sprinted around the room, jumping to the top of her drawers and then onto the mirror. Ewok showed her that he “wasn’t going to let his disability be a disability.” Moore said the now 5-year-old has been zooming ever since.
Last, but not least, is a small dog owned by Tammi Deza with a face that will melt your heart. Meet Romey.
Romey is a 15-year-old Chihuahua mix. Our hearts are melting at his giant eyes and his bottom teeth sticking out as he gets within inches of the camera. His front paws rest on the couch as he asks for attention from Deza.
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.
