Dog Who Smiles and Sneezes at the Same Time When Happy Wins Pet of the Week

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This week we've loved a dog's reaction to wearing shoes for the first time and seen a Pomeranian's cunning strategy to get a "morning tea."

We've also put together our favorite pets from readers for our Newsweek Pet of the Week line-up.

If you want your pet to be in next week's Pet of the Week, follow the instructions at the end of this story to get involved.

Winner

Pepper the dog
Pepper the dog, this week's Pet of the Week winner, showing off her best smile. Cindy Broders

This week's Pet of the Week winner is 3-year-old Pepper, a sheepadoodle who smiles and sneezes when she is happy.

Pepper lives in Bellevue, Iowa, with owner Cindy Broders who adopted from a nearby kennel.

"She is a mini sheepadoodle and is half sheep dog and half poodle," Broders told Newsweek.

"Her best trait is her sweet demeanor and beautiful smile," she said. "When she is happy, she smiles and sneezes at the same time."

In a hilarious video, Pepper shows off her trademark smile. A friendly pup, she often greets all the dogs in the neighborhood on her walks.

"She has always smiled," said Broders. "Sometimes she does it when she is a bit nervous but when she's really happy she jumps up and down and smiles!"

Finalists

Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo the dog kicking back and relaxing. Marlene Jones

Our first finalist this week is Scooby Doo who lives with owner Marlene Jones in Morganton, North Carolina.

Just like his cartoon namesake, Scooby Doo's favorite thing to do is eat and play with his canine friends.

"He is my shadow and loves to jump in my lap and get back scratches," Jones told Newsweek.

Scooby even seems to know the tune to the famous cartoon. "I always sang the Scooby-Doo where are you to him since I got him and he will come running wagging his tail," said his owner.

Jesse and Amy
Cat Jesse and canine best friend Amy. Jude Kondra

Next up this week is Jesse the cat and her canine friend black Labrador Amy.

"Amy was adopted from a South Carolina kill shelter when she was two years old," owner Jude Kondra told Newsweek.

She and Kondra's cat Wink were the best of friends, and when Wink died last year, Amy struggled to cope.

"Amy kept looking for her friend," Kondra said. There was no cat in the house until one day the owner saw a call on social media asking for someone to take on an elderly cat.

The owner recalled: "They were about to surrender this 14-year-old beautiful boy to a shelter. I dusted off the cat box, introduced Jesse to Amy and they seemed to get along from the first minute."

Now the best of friends, the two have rarely been apart in the last two years.

Doomy the dog
Pictures of Doomy the dog. Mr. Doom was adopted by Deborah Jaffe’s daughter while she was stationed in South Korea with the Air Force. Deborah Jaffe

Last but not least this week is the beloved rescue dog Mr. Doom, also known as Doomy.

Fostered and adopted by Deborah Jaffe's daughter while she was stationed in South Korea with the Air Force, she found him at the base shelter.

"He was abused, neglected, and abandoned, and was in very poor condition when he was rescued. My daughter fostered him and nursed him back to health," Jaffe told Newsweek.

When Jaffe's daughter was transferred, she wasn't able to take Doomy with her, and so he came to live with Jaffe in New Jersey.

Now happy and thriving, Doomy is living his best life—often enjoying walks in the rural wilderness and exploring the outdoors.

"He has been a loyal and loving companion and friend for our entire family," said Jaffe. "He's definitely a special boy, because despite all of the suffering he's had to endure he's still very sweet, happy, and lovable."

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.

About the writer

Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years she has specialized in viral trends and internet news, with a particular focus on animals, human interest stories, health, and lifestyle. Alice joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously wrote for The Observer, Independent, Dazed Digital and Gizmodo. Languages: English. You can get in touch with Alice by emailing alice.gibbs@newsweek.com.


Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more