Talkative Senior Rescue Dog Pixie Wins Pet of the Week

Celebrating furry, feathered, and sometimes even woolly animal friends, Newsweek‘s Pet of the Week is a space for us to celebrate pets, their personalities and how much their humans love them.

We’re always looking for our next Pet of the Week stars, and if you’ve caught your pet on camera doing something funny or unusual, or you want to tell us how special they are, remember to follow the instructions at the end of this story to submit your pet.

Winner

This week’s Pet of the Week is Pixie, a senior dog that has an unusual habit—she loves to talk.

Owner Beth Reisberg told Newsweek that Pixie is “quite talkative,” sharing a video of the 10-year-old dog howling and chatting.

“You know, you’ll never be invited anywhere, you’re too noisy,” jokes Reisberg in the video.

Barking, growling, whining, howling, sighing, and groaning are all ways that dogs communicate with their humans.

Some dogs are more vocal than others due to breed tendencies or individual personalities. While sometimes your pet might be trying to tell you something—for example that they are excited or even uncomfortable, other times it may just be a part of who they are.

“She is a stray that was probably abandoned due to a cancerous mammary growth removed prior to adoption,” Reisberg explained. “She no longer has cancer and has joined my family of two senior Shi Tzu and a black cat.”

Finalists

Our first finalists are Ashke and Spotty, two cats who live with owner Sarah Smith.

Tabby Ashke is almost 5 years old and quickly made herself an essential part of her owner’s life.

“She taught herself to recognize the signs I was about to have one of my non-epileptic seizures and devised her own way to alert me,” Smith told Newsweek.

When she recognizes a seizure coming she’ll bite her owner’s ankles and meow.

Meanwhile, Spotty is 2 years old and came to Smith when his owner couldn’t care for him anymore.

“Between the two of them, there is never a lack of reasons to laugh. They chase and wrestle with each other and their toys, which includes articles of my clothing for Spotty,” Smith said.

Next up this week is 11-year-old Cockapoo Fozzy.

His owner Jennifer Henry told Newsweek: “He is the center of my husband’s and my life.”

Fozzy has epilepsy and sometimes suffers seizures, but has managed to figure out how to manage them.

“He is very smart, for he knows when a seizure is about to happen cause he comes to one of us in a hurry,” Henry said. “We know the signs do we hold him and tall to him until it passes.”

Last, but not least, is Tubby, a dog who has an amazing difference—22 toes.

“He was born deaf so he is the perfect dog at Mardi Gras, parades and get togethers,” owner Natalie Sloan told Newsweek. “He loves people and animals and enjoys life.”

When he isn’t heading to the Mardi Gras parade, Tubby loves playing on the trampoline and hanging out with his Siamese cat friend.

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.