Name: Pumpkin

Age: 2 years old.

Breed: Pitbull mixed with some small terrier breed.

Profile/history: Mom adopted me when I was just a small puppy from Animal Haven Rescue. She walked in and mine was the first cage by the front desk. I licked her hand and that was it – she decided I was the one! The lovely staff at Animal Haven told her that a homeless man had dropped me off. Mom thinks that I probably lived with him for a while when I was a very young puppy before he decided that he likely couldn’t take care of me and decided to drop me off at the shelter.

Daily routine: We’re early risers! Mom is retired now, so we get to spend lots of time together. We’ll get up around 7:30 a.m. and head to the Great Hill in Central Park near West 101st Street. Neither rain nor snow will prevent us from going to see our friends. It’s always a delight to see lots of other dogs during off-leash hours and catch up on neighborhood news. Later on, Mom and I might run some errands or catch up on local news by perusing the West Side Rag.

Loves: I love meeting people and like to think of myself as a goodwill ambassador for Central Park. I’ve been in countless photos with tourists who have asked to take pictures with me!

Does not love: Being told what to do. Hrrmph. I’m a bit stubborn.

Favorite store/business on the UWS: I’m more of an outside pup, but I enjoy walking down the streets and saying hello to everyone eating brunch or dinner on outside restaurant patios.

Favorite treat: I’ll eat anything! The first time Mom fed me, she put my food down on the floor, blinked, and it was gone so quickly, she second guessed whether she’d ever fed me at all! Ha!

Favorite park spot: The Great Hill in Central Park.

What are your favorite nature-centric spots around the Upper West Side? I love wandering the path that circles The Pool in Central Park. It’s very calming — we’ll see ducks and snowy egrets sometimes. It’s quite spectacular. Mom and I love to sit together on the benches. If you continue walking east, there’s also a nice little forest glade that gets so overgrown in the summertime that you can’t even tell you’re still in the city. It’s cool and quiet in there and its’ a nice place to take a walk and reflect.

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 shelters and 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.