Pupper West Side: Mathilde is a Norfolk Terrier with French Ancestry and A Nose for Croissants

By A. Campbell

Bonjour! Je m’appelle Mathilde – or Mati, for short! I’m a two-year-old Norfolk terrier with a tongue that is, perhaps, a bit too large for my mouth which is why you’ll often find me doing a blep. Perhaps it’s not tres chic to always be showing a little bit of pink tongue but people seem to find it adorable anyway.

I come from French ancestry and am fluent in French and English. In fact, my Mom was born in Versailles — the town, not the castle — and so we travel abroad from time to time. When I’m in France, I might spend a few days in Paris indulging in the pleasures of cafe life – sipping espresso in the mornings and a champagne aperitif in the evenings. Perhaps I’ll do a little shopping while meandering along the streets of the Rive Gauche.

But of course, my favorite place to be is home amongst friends and neighbors on the Upper West Side. I’m simply bubbling over with terrier energy, so in the mornings I persistently inform Mom that I’m ready to go outside so that we can enjoy off-leash hours in Central Park. “Dépêche toi, Mama! Hurry up!” Once we’re out the door, we’ll head toward the Great Lawn where we often run into some Belgian friends who always have treats on hand.

Once I’ve chased enough squirrels to work up a big appetite, we like to walk down toward Lincoln Center and stop into Breads Bakery. The Upper West Side has several wonderful bakeries but I must say that the croissant at Breads is magnifique! Light and buttery with a flaky exterior and a mouthwateringly soft interior, Breads’ croissant is, without a doubt, my favorite. They were also voted best baguette in the city! Et voila! On Sundays when the weather is warm, I love to find a sunny chair outside on the patio at Cafe Luxembourg where I’ll meet my friend Roxy for a glass of rosé and some people watching.

When I’m not partaking in the pleasures of cafe life, you’ll find me hard at work within a fintech startup company. In fact, I am pleased to report that I’ve recently taken up a new position as the firm’s receptionist and office manager. I take my responsibilities as greeter, office security, morale-booster, and resident crumb detective very seriously. I commute to the office one day a week to take conference calls with the executive team and ensure everyone is performing at peak productivity levels. Though I have noticed that productivity tends to lessen in correlation with my weekly visits to the office…but that’s probably just a fluke, right?

Aren’t we lucky to call Central Park and Riverside Park our backyards? And I must say, the fall foliage this year is extraordinaire! Everywhere you turn there are stunning red, orange, and yellow leaves to admire. If you haven’t yet indulged in a long, leisurely (and may I say, very French) stroll through the parks, I recommend you do so tout suite! À bientôt, fellow Pupper West Siders!

Read all of our Pupper West Side interviews here!

If you think your pup deserves a shot at neighborhood fame, we encourage you to reach out to Audrey at pupperwestsideuws@gmail.com to be considered for a future profile on West Side Rag and follow your fellow Pupper West Sider’s adventures on Instagram @pupper_west_side_uws If 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; Badass Brooklyn Animal Rescue and Animal Haven.