From a dog who was finally adopted after 683 days of being in a shelter to a kitten who left people in stitches after getting anesthetic, we’ve seen lots of heartwarming and funny pet content this week.
But we’ve also been collecting our favorite reader submissions for Newsweek’s Pet of the Week, and this week’s winner has a particularly unexpected talent for music.
If you think your pet could be our Pet of the Week, be sure to follow the instructions at the end of this story to get involved.
Winner
Eric and Olive enjoy some music together.
Eric Weil
This week’s Pet of the Week is 5-year-old goldendoodle Olive who has an unusual talent—she loves to sing along with her owner’s music.
In a heartwarming video, owner Eric Weil shared the moment Olive joined in while he played his instrument. He told Newsweek: “[She] likes singing to harmonica.”
The way dogs react to music has long fascinated researchers. A 2024 study by researchers in Italy aimed to investigate if dogs can recognize relative pitch—a must-have when it comes to musicality.
The team trained 16 dogs of various breeds, ages and sexes to associate specific note sequences with different target locations. While some struggled, a few dogs were able to accurately identify ascending and descending notes even when they were put into different patterns.
This suggests that these dogs were not simply memorizing exact pitches but were recognizing the relationship between them, which shows that some dogs may have some musical perception.
While Olive, who “sings” along with a harmonica, may not be consciously recognizing musical structures, her enthusiasm for harmonizing suggests an intuitive engagement with pitch and tone, much like the exceptional dogs in the study.
Finalists
Chihuahua Gru shows off his sunglasses.
Mark Troell
Our first finalist this week is Gru, a 5-yar-old Chihuahua who has been described as the “perfect companion.”
Exceptionally well-trained, Gru stays calm and quiet, even in busy stores, making him an ideal shopping buddy.
“Everybody loves him at Walmart and everywhere my wife takes him. It’s her dog, very well trained, doesn’t bark in the store. A perfect dog,” owner Mark Troell told Newsweek.
Dachshund Maizy was recently adopted by her new family.
Michele Sibert-Murray
Next up this week is Maizy, a beautiful miniature dachshund who found her forever home earlier this month when she went to live with owner Michele Sibert-Murray.
While she is still settling in, Maizy has quickly become part of the family.
“We are spending lots of time training & teaching her good weenie behaviors and having her get to know our family of cats,” Sibert-Murray told Newsweek.
Despite her small size, Maizy has a big personality. She’s curious, lively, and always eager to explore, making her the perfect companion.
Playful Australian Shepherd Dexter is seen.
Joni Pilmaier
Last but not least this week is Dexter, an Australian Shepherd who is described as his owner’s “shadow.”
“His favorite things to play are frisbee, ball, playing in the sprinkler system when it pops on and alerting us to visitors,” owner Joni Pilmaier told Newsweek. “His favorite things to help with feeding the birds, licking my toes and following me everywhere around the house!”
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.
