Why My Dog Loves NYC
“That dog doesn’t belong here. It should be upstate hunting.”
I stared, wide-eyed, in shock that this total stranger had just approached me with this greeting. After he gave me his two cents, he kept walking in the other direction before I could even defend myself. “Actually he loves the city…” I tried to reply but trailed off when I realized the gruff old man didn’t care what I had to say.
Standing on a street corner in Queens, I looked down at my dog, Jonathan, as I tried to process what had just happened. Did Jonathan look depressed and miserable? He glanced up at me with his big brown puppy eyes and booped my hand to let me know he was there. His tail continued to wag, as it seems to be in constant motion, reminding me that he had no clue what that man had just sad.
Jonathan is a mutt of hounds — mostly half foxhound and half Treeing Walker Coonhound with a sprinkle of beagle, to be exact. I knew exactly why that old guy said that to me; dogs that look like Jonathan are known as hunting dogs. Every single breed in Jonathan’s DNA is used for a different type of prey, and you usually only see these dogs in the rural country of the United States where they can chase critters to their hearts’ desires.
Although Jonathan was a rescue from rural Florida, he adapted to the city life shockingly well. I knew the “risks” of bringing a scent hound into our city apartment, and I was prepared to give him everything he needed for what he was genetically predisposed to do. However, he surprised us and was entirely open to what New York City had to offer and adjusted within a few months.
In a town where little Yorkies and French Bulldogs rule the dog-owning populace, I think it is totally possible to have a floppy hound dog and still have him fit right in. Of course, it ultimately comes down to the individual dog and its needs. Like with humans, the city isn’t for everyone. Regardless, I fully believe that New York City has fulfilled all of Jonathan’s failed-hunting-dog needs in ways many people may not consider.
New York City isn’t Times Square. Our block is tree-lined and quiet: a blissful oasis of a neighborhood compared to the epicenter that many picture at the mention of the Big Apple. New York City is amazing because you can take the subway three stops and emerge onto a street that feels like a completely different world. With that said, of course my dog wouldn’t do well trying to take a walk through midtown; I myself can barely handle it. However, he does love trotting around the peaceful, low-key streets of Astoria, taking in every square inch of sniff he can.
The every day hustle and bustle is a dream for a sniffing dog, with the landscape constantly changing as someone (or something) walks by. Often times, he will sniff the same trees twice on our loop around the block because there is a whole new set of smells for him after just a few minutes. Our neighborhood in particular is known for its diverse selection of food and restaurants. My favorite thing is when Jonathan sniffs the air as we pass the Greek food truck on the corner. He not only is taking in the smells of meat on a grill but likely the smells of every other restaurant down the block, from dumplings to fresh baked bread.
I am convinced Jonathan can smell which of his “friends” walked down our street during the day, even if that friend is a squirrel hiding in the branches above him. Jonathan doesn’t have much of a prey drive, if any, so he doesn’t have the need for chasing small animals constantly looming over him. He considers the neighborhood alleycats his best pals, and even though the sentiment isn’t returned, he will stop in front of the same alley gate every day to see if a specific cat is there. If she is, he will wag his tail faster and cry of happiness as she sits on the trashcan and stares back. It’s a routine.
Sniffing for small critters and chasing prey certainly does make many dogs happy, especially a bunch that look like Jonathan. However, if you asked me “what is Jonathan’s favorite thing to do?” I would say making friends. If he was a human, he would be a full-fledged extrovert. I can see his body language completely change and light up when he gets to say hello to another dog — or another human. He is such a social dog that loves everyone and everything that crosses his path. I send him to daycare periodically not to deplete his energy but because it makes him so happy to be around other dogs. Frankly, if we lived in a rural area, he wouldn’t have this. There wouldn’t be a new friend to meet on every block, and I genuinely worry he would be sad if he didn’t get to be as social as he is here.
Besides, Jonathan was supposed to be a hunting dog. He was found in the woods abandoned by a backyard breeder that was reproducing dogs to use as a hunting tool. It’s an all too common story when you adopt a hound that was once a stray. When Hurricane Michael hit Florida in 2018, this person picked up and evacuated, leaving Jonathan and his siblings behind because they didn’t see them as family. They must have thought it would just be easier to let them die. What if the hurricane didn’t hit Florida and Jonathan stayed to grow up with this person? Judging solely by how flippantly he was left behind, one can guess that his life wouldn’t have been so good. Isn’t it for the best that he ended up loved and happy in a city?
The biggest reason why my dog loves New York City, though, is because his humans love it. We love all the adventures we can take him on in different neighborhoods and parks. We love coordinating dog play dates with the people who live right next door. It’s a city that brings me endless happiness, and dogs certainly are intuitive to their humans’ emotions.
So, next time a disgruntled old man decides to tell me that my dog doesn’t belong here, or asks me why my dog doesn’t hunt, I’m just going to say “He’s trained to hunt assholes… looks like he just found one.”
