West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
SUPPORT THE RAG

Search the site

No Result
View All Result
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
SUPPORT THE RAG

Pupper West Side: Hobie’s Story is the Stuff of Dickensian Literature

September 17, 2019 | 12:45 PM
in COLUMNS
7

Name: Hobie

Age: 3 years old

Breed: Well, I took one of those doggy DNA tests and it said I am 50% Chihuahua, 20% Australian Cattle Dog, and the rest is a mix of small dog genes.

Profile/history: My dads agreed that they both wanted a dog. They took a very responsible approach to dog ownership – saving up and finding a nice home. Once they were in a good place, they worked with Waggytail Rescue. I used to live in Houston, but then Hurricane Harvey came through two years ago and I was rescued and evacuated with other pups. Waggytail Rescue adopted me into their program and they held an adoption event at Madison Square Garden which is where I finally found my dads! What a Dickensian story, right? Rags to riches. Going on a long journey to escape a hard life and finding a new start elsewhere. It’s positively Victorian!

Daily routine: I’m up at 7 a.m. for my morning walk around Central Park. I like to start the day with some reflective “me” time. Afterward it’s a hearty breakfast which provides the fuel I need for an afternoon of lounging, playing with toys, and putting pen to paper for my memoir. My working title is “Hobie: A Life”. I work hard writing and rewriting all week and then, when the weekend arrives, I take literary inspiration from nature. My Dads and I spend lots of time hiking in Westchester and Maine. My favorite hiking spot is Mount Megunticook in Maine. This summer I had the chance to do some scrambling there and to sit in a waterfall, which was lovely.

Loves: Hiking, ice cubes, broccoli and carrots, and attention from strangers. Like most great literary minds – I have a love-hate relationship with my writing.

Does not love: Getting my nails trimmed – arrrggghhh! Also cats with their mercurial dispositions and their tendency to take a swipe at my nose.

Favorite store/business on the UWS: Little Creatures on Columbus and W 88th and Book Culture on Columbus. I like perusing the classics at the bookstore and occasionally picking up new read like “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee or “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Favorite treat: I’m always asking “please Dad, can I have some more” ice cubes, that is. Love ’em. Cronch, cronch, CRONCH!

Favorite park spot: I enjoy spending time on the grassy knoll near Gothic Bridge in Central Park, watching pigeons and squirrels.

Tell us about some of your favorite authors and books: I would definitely recommend Virginia Woolf’s book “Flush” because it’s very dog-centric. The story is an imaginative biography of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s cocker spaniel and it’s often considered a modernist take on city life as witnessed through the eyes of a dog. Of course, I’m also a Dickens devotee because I like characters with big personalities and I feel I can relate to those who come from humble origins and arrive to start a new life in the big city. For me, the perfect evening finds me tucked into bed with a good book, lots of soft blankets, a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Read all our Pupper West Side interviews here!

If West Side Rag readers are interested in becoming pet owners, we encourage you to consider adopting or volunteering to be a foster parent with one of the many sheltersand nonprofits based in and around New York City. These include but aren’t limited to: Muddy Paws Rescue; Animal Lighthouse Rescue; Animal Care Centers of NYC; NYC ASPCA; Humane Society of New York; Bideawee; Social Tees; and Animal Haven.

Share this article:
SUPPORT THE RAG
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

7 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Linda
Linda
5 years ago

Great story and very beautiful lad!

0
Reply
DorothyT
DorothyT
5 years ago

Dear Hobie — Please tell your dads to break up the ice cubes into small pieces. Chewing on a regular sized ice cube can break teeth. Another ice cube treat in hot weather is to rub them along your body. Heaven!

0
Reply
UWSSurfer
UWSSurfer
5 years ago

Hobie has eyes that melt you and what a profile! I’m glad that Hobie and his 2 Dads all found each other – a true Love Story.

0
Reply
Robin
Robin
5 years ago

Totally entertaining and perfect bedtime reading👋🏼🐶
Hobie sounds like a great pupper and I’m looking forward to reading his memoir. Sounds like he and his Dad’s were really lucky to find one another.

0
Reply
Patricia Murray
Patricia Murray
5 years ago

I love a well read dog! Hobie, you sound fabulous!

0
Reply
Jan Lewisohn
Jan Lewisohn
5 years ago

Why are we being forced to love dogs? They waste so much water (cleaning sidewalks). And toxic paint (re-painting everything they pee on). They kill plants and trees. And the owners don’t control them. Lots of people are fed-up with dogs in restaurants, etc etc etc.

0
Reply
Teddy
Teddy
5 years ago
Reply to  Jan Lewisohn

Jan,

If you choose to click on an article and read it, how is that forcing you to love dogs? As for allowing dogs in outside areas of restaurants, it is legal. https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2016/pr013-16.page
If you or anyone else doesn’t want to dine at restaurant that allows dogs, just don’t do it; it is not mandatory. And if you didn’t dislike dogs so much, you would be definitely healthier and maybe happier! https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health-benefits/index.html

As for the adorable Hobie, a big congrats to his dads for doing the right thing and adopting a dog in need,and giving a great UWS life!

Lovely story!

0
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

Don’t Miss the Gorilla: Walking Like You Belong on the Upper West Side
COLUMNS

Don’t Miss the Gorilla: Walking Like You Belong on the Upper West Side

July 19, 2025 | 6:08 AM
UWS Weekend: Great Things To Do in the Neighborhood
COLUMNS

UWS Weekend: Great Things to Do In (and Around) the Neighborhood

July 18, 2025 | 8:34 AM
Previous Post

Real Estate Update: Manhattan Is On Sale!

Next Post

66th Street Tower Will Have Extra Review Over ‘Mechanical Void’

this week's events image
Next Post
New Project Set to Become Upper West Side’s Tallest Building

66th Street Tower Will Have Extra Review Over 'Mechanical Void'

Central Park’s ‘Monumental Women’ Receive Community Board Thumbs-Up After Historians Question Design

Central Park's 'Monumental Women' Receive Community Board Thumbs-Up After Historians Question Design

Stabbing on 81st Street Leaves One Man in Critical Condition

Stabbing on 81st Street Leaves One Man in Critical Condition

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT US
  • WSR SHOP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.