By A. Campbell

Well, hello! I’m Pablo, a five-year-old mini Beagle. People often assume I’m a puppy, but don’t be fooled by my baby face and big eyes — I’ve just got lots of young dog energy. If you ask me, New York City life is the fountain of youth. There’s so much to do, countless people to meet, and myriad smells to sniff.

I’m very regimented and each morning I wake up at 6:30am hungry for breakfast. At 7:00am, Mom and I set off toward Central Park so that we can take advantage of off-leash hours and enjoy at least an hour of playtime with my best mates – sometimes we’re even there for two hours! I’ve cultivated a large group of canine companions including Ruby, Lyla, Finn, Scotty, Mochi, Pepper, and Lola, among others.

Brain stimulation and mental health are very important for pups, so continuous behavioral education has really benefited me. Mom quickly discovered that standard dog puzzles were too simple for me, so my parents started training me when I was two months old. Because I’ve been such a steadfast and dedicated student, I can now perform a variety of tricks including sit, down, roll, spin, play dead, high five, paw shake (“how do you do?”), be pretty (“that’s easy”), circle, stay, leave it (“but I’m interested in it…”), drop it (“why though?!?”), stop it (“hmmmph!”) and give kisses (“smooch!”).

Here’s a hot tip! My favorite day to visit the park is on a Monday morning. Want to know why? It’s the best time for treasure hunting picnic leftovers. People flock to the park on Saturdays and Sundays and by Monday morning a clever scavenger can find all sorts of treats hidden in the grass. My Beagle hunting instincts kick into overdrive on those days and nothing can distract me from my goal of sneaking a forbidden bite of bagel or cupcake or pizza.

Aside from the Central Park buffet, one of my favorite Upper West Side eateries is Vin Sur Vingt on W. 84th Street. We’ll sit outside and do some people watching while my parents snack on cheese and olives, bread, and wine. But every so often the mouthwatering scents will cause my naughty Beagle instincts to takeover and I’ll make a sneak attack for the food. Raawwwwwrrr!!

After a full day of playing with friends, strolling through the park, and dining al fresco, I’ll start to get sleepy. Like I said, I’m a regimented pup so bedtime is at 8:30pm sharp. Mom says I’m a professional snoozer. I used to sleep with my parents, but apparently my snoring was preventing them from getting a solid night’s rest. So Mom decided it was time for me to have my own bed on the other side of the apartment. All it takes is a little ear massage to get me purring like a cat. I’ll get drowsy and start to drift off to dreamland. Feeling a bit of that sleepiness right now, as a matter of fact…

Oh, but wait! Before I drift off, I want to remind the Pupper West Side community that today is election day. Get out there and cast your votes because your vote matters!

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.