Pupper West Side: Hobie’s Story is the Stuff of Dickensian Literature
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.
Great story and very beautiful lad!
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!
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.
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.
I love a well read dog! Hobie, you sound fabulous!
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.
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!