Papito the Papillon Dog Who Loves Floating on the Lake Wins Pet of the Week
From a winter-born puppy's delightful reaction to the springtime sun to one woman's amazing rescue effort to save kittens trapped in a super tiny space, this week we've seen plenty of adorable pet stories.
But as well as endearing viral video stories, we've been putting together our top picks from reader pet submissions.
If you think your pet has a hilarious personality or incredible backstory, we want to hear about them and they could even be our next Newsweek Pet of the Week. Remember to scroll to the end of this story to find out how to get involved.
Winner
This week our Newsweek Pet of the Week is Papito the Papillon. Three years old, he lives in Alabama with his owner Jessica Pierce and feline roommate Betty Lou Purrkins.
Submitted by Jessica's mom Diana Aubut, Papito is a real character and he has plenty of fans.
"He goes to work with my daughter, Jessica, everyday where he greets people walking in the door and loves everybody," Diana told Newsweek. "Almost every office has a bed for him to relax on and treats in their desk drawers."
When he isn't at the office, Papito loves to kick back at the lake: "He loves to go to the lake and either hang out on his own float or share a float with someone else," said Diana.
A Papillon breed, also known as a continental toy spaniel, Papito is small in size at only 7 pounds—but his personality makes up for his stature.
"Papito comes over and hangs out with my border collies and acts like he weighs 70 pounds instead of the 7 pounds he actually weighs," said Diana. "He also lives by the motto 'If it fits, I sits,' including on my back while I was fixing a lower cabinet, or someone's legs on the ottoman.
"He is definitely one of a kind," she said.
Finalists
Our finalists this week comprise a whole gang. Phoebe the shih tzu and Rexie and Snow Angel the Pomeranians live in Irving, Texas with their owners Rusty and Cherry Morse.
The oldest of the bunch is Phoebe, who Rusty said offers him lots of emotional support: "She calms me and my wife if we are stressed or worried," he told Newsweek.
Younger at just two years old, Snow Angel loves to play: "She will immediately jump and join us doing our walking and she enjoys running with my wife," said Rusty.
The most recent addition to the gang is Rexie Spam—a six-month-old Pomeranian: "He is still in the process of learning his own tricks," said Rusty. "He will lay in your lap flat, even if you're doing some work on the computer."
Next up this week is fantastic feline Gabby. A 16-year-old adopted shelter cat, she has lived with owner Vickie Engelhardt in Colorado since 2008.
"Her favorite things are napping, playing hard and sitting on my lap," Engelhardt told Newsweek. "My favorite thing about her is her large personality."
Gabby also lives with feline friend Maddie, who is half her size: "It's Gabby who rules," said Engelhardt.
Last but not least is six-month-old Panda the Maltipoo. Born in September 2022, she lives in Albuquerque with owner Sonyia Hartwell.
"She is sweet and loving as well as quite the scamp," Hartwell told Newsweek. "Her favorite things are sticks from the yard, plastic bags from the grocery store and her squeaky rubber dog toy."
Full of beans, when she isn't playing around the yard, Panda enjoys relaxing on her favorite blanket and drinking out of her owner's fountain.
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.
