After winding up in a shelter in December 2021, this dog has spent the last two years hoping that one day he will find his forever home. Finally, his wish has come true this holiday season as he’s been adopted just in time for Christmas.
The lovable pit bull mix found his world turned upside down when he ended up in a shelter just four days before Christmas in 2021, as his owner sadly died. The staff at Associated Human Societies (AHS) in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, were devastated for the poor pup, who would no longer be enjoying scraps of turkey or opening presents with his owner.
Despite his heartbreaking experience, Mack continued smiling and brightening people’s days at the shelter. Sandy Hickman, the media coordinator for the AHS Popcorn Park Shelter, told Newsweek that “to know Mack is to love him.”
Staff spent the subsequent two years trying to find a home for Mack so he could live the rest of his years in peace and happiness. It may have taken longer than planned, but that day finally came in November 2023, and this Christmas looks a whole lot brighter for Mack.
Mack the pit bull mix at an adoption event before his adoption in November 2023. Mack wound up in a New Jersey shelter on December 21, 2021 when his owner sadly passed away. Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter
Hickman continued: “Mack was very big, happy, and healthy when he came to our shelter. He received lots of attention from our staff and volunteers who walked him and spent time with him on a regular basis. He attended several adoption events as well.
“His adopter loved him immediately, and she came in several times to spend time with him so she could get to know him prior to taking him home for good.”
While Mack’s story ends on a happier note, that isn’t true for every shelter animal. With an estimated 6.3 million companion animals winding up in shelters across the country each year, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believes that only 4.1 million of those eventually get adopted.
With such an influx of animals in need of a home, around 3.1 million are thought to be dogs, there’s little surprise that shelters are struggling to cope with the intake. As Newsweek has previously reported, many shelters are way over capacity and seeing a substantial drop in adoptions. It’s thought that this is in part due to expensive living costs and unethical breeding.
After seeing one of their long-term residents finally find a home, the shelter shared pictures of Mack smiling gleefully on Facebook, showing that he’s now “living his very best life.” The post warmed many hearts and generated more than 1,600 reactions and 170 comments in a matter of days.
While so many people were delighted by the news that Mack has a home for the holidays, the shelter has many more dogs waiting for their day to come.
Mack is a pit bull mix who had to wait two years before finding a forever home. Mack received plenty of interest while at the shelter, but not enough to finally get adopted until November 2023. Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter
“All three of our AHS shelters in New Jersey have so many wonderful dogs like Mack, who have been waiting for so long to be noticed,” Hickman said. “Mack is one of so many pit bull-types in shelters and we feel that there is a stigma attached to the breed, which negatively impacts their chances for adoption.
“They are all unique in their own way and we ask that potential adopters keep an open mind, meet the ones that are a little older or a little shy. You would be surprised at what you find when you spend some time with a shelter dog outside of the kennel environment and not judge them based solely on age or breed.”
Among the delighted comments on the post, one Facebook user wrote: “OMG awesome news! Happy life Mack!”
Another person responded: “So happy for Mack.”
While one person commented: “I love these adoption stories. You can just see the happiness on the dog’s face.”
Do you have any amazing rescue or adoption stories you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
A Mississippi woman has found herself with a new frequent guest after the local tomcat began making regular appearances in her home via the doggy door.
Stephanie had observed the elusive tomcat wandering around her neighborhood for approximately a year, often spotted loitering in her carport. However, it wasn’t until the end of October that she realized the feline intruder had made himself at home indoors, too.
“I noticed cat prints on my fridge around the 27th October, but officially saw him on the 31st,” she told Newsweek.
Pictures of the stray tomcat that has made himself a frequent fixture at a home in Mississippi. “I’m starting to think my dog was in on it too,” the homeowner joked. VintageBlazers/Reddit
“I’m starting to think my dog was in on it too because she was way too comfortable with him from the start,” Stephanie laughed. Her dog, it seems, had no qualms about the uninvited guest in the house.
The unnamed black and white tomcat keeps making himself at home, even sitting on top of Stephanie’s knee and curling up near her dog.
Though Stephanie remains uncertain about how to handle the situation, she’s considering some proactive steps. “I mean honestly, I’m not sure what I will do,” she said. “[I’ll] definitely get him neutered and any vaccines, and flea and tick prevention. He seems trusting, but it’s a different game when the cat carrier comes out, so we will see.”
While trying to figure out her next steps, she took to Reddit‘s r/cats community to ask for advice.
“So this big guy has figured out my dog door and has been squatting in my house,” she said on Reddit, alongside two pictures of the adorable culprit. “He’s clearly being fed and is adorable, but I don’t want him hanging in my house.”
“I reached out to Reddit because, well, I’m a big Redditor, so why not,” she explained. “I’ve never dealt with this, and the great thing about the internet is I know someone else has. Responses have been very helpful and also funny and cute.”
The post quickly gained attention, accumulating more than 9,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments from people sharing their feline visitor experiences and offering suggestions for what she can do next.
“First thing I’d do is have words with the dog. The whole ‘protect the house’ things seems to have fallen off his radar,” joked Reddit user Meatrocket_Wargasm. While user Bryllant said it was just time for Stephanie to accept that she had a cat now: “Congratulations, you have been selected by an awesome cat.”
“You’re a guest in his home now,” agreed dxing2.
St2826 advised: “[The first] step is to take him to your vet to see if he is chipped, if not you could then get him neutered so he doesn’t spray your house—it will also be so good for him, no more fighting over the ladies and lots of health benefits.
“You could set him up with a nice little house of his own outside and feed him there in the hope he won’t come inside your house?” she added. “A doggy door with a chip so only pooch can get inside? But your best option would be to accept you have been chosen and let him live a happy comfy life with you.”
With the help of online strangers, Stephanie is determined to find a harmonious solution for herself and her new feline friend, who has gained a place in hearts all over the internet.
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.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
NEW YORK—Thanking the pathetic individual for helping end a scourge to the city’s streets, the City of New York announced Friday that Timothy Waller, a very sad man, had adopted all 500,000 of its feral cats. “Mr. Waller has gone above and beyond in helping to stem the tide of stray felines by offering to put up the entire half-million-strong street-cat population in his garden-level studio apartment,” said Mayor Eric Adams, who lauded the friendless man for coming to the rescue of the pack of stray and diseased cats by welcoming them into his “crushingly lonely existence.” “We owe a debt of gratitude to this pitiful New Yorker for believing—really honestly believing—that these cats might finally fill the gaping hole left in his life by the lack of any fulfilling relationships or romantic prospects whatsoever. He’ll immediately begin taking up responsibility for feeding and playing with them, which should be no problem, since he’s told us he has nothing better to do with his life. God, it just breaks your heart.” When pressed for comment, Waller insisted that the additional cats actually came at the perfect time given that he’d been looking for friends for the 200,000 other strays he already had.
Scientists Find Dolphins Only Other Mammal That Jet Ski For Pleasure
Perhaps you feel that 2022 was, generally speaking, kind of a rough year. Fortunately, it was an all-time best year in at least two areas: anime (read that list here) and video games. The pandemic pushed release dates back on a whole legion of titles, and 2022 felt like the year when the floodgates burst open. Between long-awaited sequels and surprising dark horses, 2022 delivered so many incredible games that it was often impossible to keep up. And though that often felt frustrating—especially as a game reporter—when you step back, that’s a pretty great problem to have.
So many brilliant games were released this year that any top 10 list will inevitably leave out some truly remarkable titles. Any other year, and these games would’ve been shoo-ins. As it is, an “honorable mentions” section is absolutely required. So shout out to: Neon White, Triangle Strategy, Norco, Citizen Sleeper, Splatoon 3, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope, Pentiment, Tunic, Marvel Snap, and probably 259 more incredible games.
10. God Of War: Ragnarök
(Santa Monica Studios)
Look, this is blindingly uncool in a gaming list such as this, but I’ll make a confession: I haven’t played God Of War: Ragnarök. I am one person, with one person’s limited amounts of time and money. If a certain studio is seeing this article and would like to help me change this, please be my guest. But that’s why it’s low on the list.
However, enough friends and colleagues whom I deeply respect have gushed about the merits of this game that having a list without it feels downright negligent. Whether it surpasses God Of War (2018), which is deemed by many as one of the best games ever made, is more of an object of contention. Still, if you can make a sequel under such pressure that delivers an emotional story and fun combat while holding its own against such a hallowed predecessor, that seems like a hell of an accomplishment to me.
9. Trombone Champ
(Holy Wow)
When poking around other Best of 2022 articles, I did not see a single list which graced itself with Trombone Champ, and I think that’s a goddamn shame. Trombone Champ is as fun to play as it is to watch videos of. In fact, it’s a rare moment when something made by one person gives the internet so much joy. Trombone Champ accomplished this feat. The game simply oozes humor and charm. Never has failing in a rhythm game been this much fun, or this funny. Plus, the game has updated itself to allow you to make and share custom songs, which is a stroke of genius. I never knew seeing the “Sephiroth” theme played on MIDI trombone would make me this happy. It makes the cut because of the joy it has brought to all of us.
8. Vampire Survivors
(Poncle)
I can’t name another game like Vampire Survivors, where so much happens while you, the player, physically do so little. It has all the growth-and-grind aspects of a roguelike (think Hades) while having all the chill “sit back and see what happens” vibes of a wind-up toy you just watch go across your floor—but for half an hour. And it does all this while being addictive as hell. To know someone who’s into Vampire Survivors is to know someone who sat down on their couch for one round and didn’t get up again for another three to five hours. What I’m trying to say is, it’s innovative as hell.
7. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
(Studio MDHR)
Five years after the notoriously difficult platformer’s original release, Cuphead fans had a hell of a year. For one, we got the premiere of The Cuphead Show! on Netflix, which is actually pretty good! But more preciously, we finally got the release of Cuphead‘s long-awaited DLC, The Delicious Last Course (get it?). Turns out, Cuphead is still really hard! The Delicious Last Course thrives because it delivers everything we loved about the original game, just more of it, and with enough freshness (MISS CHALICE!) to keep it feeling exciting and new.
6. Xenoblade Chronicles 3
(Monolith Soft)
The Xenoblade Chronicles series continues to feel like this somewhat-hidden gem, continually obscured in large-scale gaming discussions by the God Of Wars and Elden Rings and even the Persona 5s of the world. But a gem it remains. If you want to explore a beautiful, sprawling, well-thought-out world under a glorious digital sun, all while digging into a story whose darkness will break your heart, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is for you. The combat is interesting, as well—it strikes a middle ground between a turn-based RPG and a hands-on action game. Don’t worry about playing 1 and 2. While there are details and characters that players of previous installments will recognize and enjoy, 3 can be enjoyed in its own right.
If you are of a certain age, or close enough to a certain age that you have osmosis’d pop culture loves from your friends, you likely have a soft spot for Turtles in Time. Turtles in Time was an NES and regular-ol’ arcade game from the early ’90s, and the cabinets remained hallowed ground at any arcade throughout the decade. You picked your favorite Ninja Turtle and battled through beat ’em up levels to stop Shredder’s evil plans. It was a joy. It was a staple. It was something I never thought I would experience a fresh version of—until Shredder’s Revenge released.
Shredder’s Revenge packs in all the nostalgic points while still feeling fresh. You don’t have to have ever set eyes on Turtles in Time, or even know anything about TMNT, in order to understand the delights of Shredder’s Revenge. It’s the best possible version of a ’90s-callback beat ’em up. You can team up with so many friends. You can make the combat as simple or as intricate and combo-heavy as you’d like. You can play as April. Cowabunga, indeed.
4. The Case of the Golden Idol
(Color Gray Games)
To intrigue those who might not otherwise play The Case of the Golden Idol, it’s often compared to another indie mystery-solving darling, The Curse of the Obra Dinn. I greedily devoured The Case of the Golden Idol in two sittings, and I will tell you it’s one of the most unique and striking gaming experiences I’ve ever had. You’re given a freeze frame (more or less) of a moment in time and asked to piece together what happened. The mysteries get steadily harder and more complicated, with even some code work involved. Butcracking each puzzle makes you feel like a genius, and watching the threads of the story slowly weave together is incredibly satisfying. If you like a puzzle game and/or a mystery, you should absolutely play this game.
Hot tip: this is a fun game to play co-op with one other person. I think three would devolve into “too many cooks” territory, but having someone to bounce theories off of in the real world is a delight.
3. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
(Game Freak)
As someone who has been a Pokémon fan more-or-less since Gen 1 (I took a break as a “Cool Teenager”), I was part of an ever-growing chorus which was begging Game Freak to change up the tried-and-true formula a bit. Legends: Arceus was the first time in 25 years where Game Freak really shook things up, and the result is one of the best Pokémon games ever made.
For me, part of the reason Scarlet and Violet was a disappointment at launch (other than the glitches) was that it did not build on the best innovations Legends: Arceus crafted. We were finally allowed to catch a Pokémon by simply sneaking up and throwing a Poké Ball at it. We were introduced to a reinvented perspective of Pokémon Trainer-dom which made the average player actually want to catch multiples of the same species and made poking around feel less tedious. And for the first time ever, there was the possibility for wild Pokémon to hurt you, because they are wild freaking animals. This latter innovation was a brilliant extension upon Legends: Arceus‘s notably darker tone, which had a stink of intentionally uncomfortable colonialism to it. Hell, this game even has a robust ecosystem of fun side-quests.
No, Legends: Arceus isn’t technically a true open world game like Scarlet and Violet are, but that didn’t keep me from feeling a greater sense of adventure than I have felt in a Pokémon game since maybe Gen 2 or 3. Compared with Scarlet and Violet, I now wonder if “survey games” are going to be my most anticipated Pokémon releases from now on, should they choose to continue this route. And I hope they do. Just … add a Hard Mode, please.
2. Stray
(Annapurna Interactive)
Even before Stray released, it was already an internet phenomenon. “CAT GAME!” we all screamed. “IT’S CAT GAME! CAT GAME BRINGS JOY.”
Indie developer BlueTwelve Studio had the brilliant idea of creating an entire game around a cat strolling around dystopian underground cyber-cities—ones that often reminded me of Final Fantasy VII. As an excellent flourish, these cities would be inhabited by cute, quirky robots with faces like old, old Macintoshes. But as with all brilliant ideas, this one would be hard to pull off. What makes Stray so special is that it pulls it off. Beautifully.
Yes, Stray has a dedicated “meow” button, and that is incredibly joyful and important. But what makes it so impressive is that you’re wandering around these landscapes doing normal cat shit—scratching walls, leaping into boxes, knocking everything over—and that progresses you through the game. There’s a suspension of disbelief needed for whether a cat would do these things in such a calculated manner, but Stray managed to truly capture the feeling of embodying a cat. And they proceeded to build an emotional, engaging game around that cat. That is a feat.
1. Elden Ring
(Bandai Namco)
I know it’s entirely unoriginal to say Elden Ring is the best game of the year. But the reason everyone and their cool grandmas are putting Elden Ring at the top of their lists is because, quite simply, it’s one of the greatest games ever made. Even I, someone who got 150 hours in and threw in the towel (for now), have to admit that.
FromSoft found a way to make their notoriously hard games work for everyone: by giving you a world big enough so that when you hit a wall, there’s always something else to do. This works brilliantly because the sense of wonder this game gives you is only rivaled by Breath of the Wild, in my opinion. Everywhere you go is distinct and wondrous. You want to poke around everywhere. Though I’d argue, perhaps to a chorus of boos from the internet, that Elden Ring is maybe too big.
There’s a whole laundry list of brilliant touches that make Elden Ring work like a goddamn miracle. Counterbalancing a very dark, grim world and ambient storytelling with the likes of giant Turtle Popes and warrior jars is the kind of absurdism I love unendingly. Allowing players to build a sense of community through in-game messages was genius enough, but then we also got memorable moments like Let Me Solo Her, which united us all.
I miss my Tarnished and her Wolverine claws. Elden Ring‘s gravity is impossible to deny.
