Golden Retriever Who Loves to Hunt Socks Wins Pet of the Week

This week we’ve laughed at a “dramatic” labradoodle who refused to go to bed and saw 29 rescued dogs get a second chance after being recovered from a dog fighting ring in South Carolina.

We’ve also been getting readers’ pictures and videos of their pets for our weekly Newsweek Pet of the Week lineup.

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

The Winner

Golden retriever Pecorella loves to hunt socks.

Fotis

This week’s Pet of the Week is Pecorella, a 22-month-old golden retriever who lives in Switzerland with owner Fotis.

Full of playful puppy energy, despite being almost 2 years old, Pecorella loves to show her natural instincts and was recently caught on camera treating a sock like wildfowl.

“Fair game!” Fotis joked.

The clever pup understands three languages—English, Greek and Italian—and loves playing with socks and toys.

“She is great to learn new things, and she consistently uses her bark as a ‘come-on’ message,” Fotis told Newsweek. “She can play dog basketball, dog football, retrieve and put her 20-plus toys back into the basket.”

The Finalists

Snow isn’t totally sure he is a cat.

Bridget Abernathy

Our first finalist this week is Snow—a cat who doesn’t know he’s a cat.

Owner Bridget Abernathy told Newsweek he acts more like a canine or a human most of the time. “When we call him, he comes running to us like a dog and jumps on our laps. Then he rolls over and wants to be held like a baby,” she said.

Despite Snow’s active personality and slight misunderstanding of his species, he lives with fellow feline Samantha, who oozes cat energy.

“Samantha, our other cat, takes every known stereotype about cats to the limit,” Abernathy said. “Gotta love pet personalities.”

Zipper Hercules is training to become a psychiatric service dog to help those with anxiety.

Jennifer Smith

Next up is Zipper Hercules, named for the zipper-like line down his face.

Owner Jennifer Smith told Newsweek: “He’s in training to become a psychiatric service dog for panic attacks and anxiety. It’s definitely a work in progress, as right now he loves to bark and chew everything, but I’m trying to break him of these habits.”

Still just a puppy, he is part dachshund, part Chihuahua.

“He loves to play and to cuddle while he sleeps. He enjoys chasing the cats around—they play back—and playing with his cousin, Nova, who is my roommate’s dog,” said Smith.

A French bulldog and Boston terrier mix, Grogu loves to play.

Kara Dickman

Last but not least is Grogu, a French bulldog and Boston terrier mix who lives with owner Kara Dickman.

“He’s only 1 year old and ironically has the same date of birth as one of his owners,” Dickman told Newsweek.

A happy pup, he loves to pay in the sun and snuggle under blankets.

“He is just a happy boy who loves to play, go to the dog park and eat treats,” Dickman said. “This Frenchton has stolen our hearts.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.