Freddie, Standard Poodle (3 y/o), Bedford & Carmine St., New York, NY • “He just got groomed on Friday – this is his pre-Passover grooming. He’s the fifth or sixth Poodle in my family. He was named for Freddie Mercury – a little bit of flair. I found people who are good at grooming Poodles – he gets hand-scissored. My mom has a whole book on Poodle grooming techniques that I’ve gone through. He enjoys sleeping in the tub because he likes the coldness. I have some of those push-top Tupperware, and he figured out how to open those up and help himself to some cookies. He’ll also smack my laptop shut, rest his head in front of my iPad, and knock a paw into my Kindle. He will block the technology that I’m ignoring him for.”

Voodoo, Chihuahua/Rat Terrier mix (4 y/o), Broome & Thompson St., New York, NY • “My ex-girlfriend bought her off of Craigslist, and she was going to put her back on Craigslist, so I said I’d buy the dog from her. She’s hyper and very active – at home she literally runs up and down the hallway and then takes a nap. My favorite part about having a dog is always feeling loved, and never really being alone. She’s a lot of fun.” 

Dallas, Labrador Retriever (2 y/o), Prince & Lafayette St., New York, NY • “My mom named him – she was a Cowboys fan. He loves everyone, and he’s high energy. He’s the sweetest boy, but he eats everything in our apartment. He eats all our hats. He was my mom’s dog, and then she passed. He reminds me of her everyday – I think she’s in there somewhere. And he loves me unconditionally.”

Maxine, mix (8 y/o), Spring & Mulberry St., New York, NY • “She belonged to a man in Colorado, and then he died, so I was the recipient of her. We’re both getting old, so maybe we’ll kick the bucket together. She’s a wonderful dog – she’s just very sweet and warm. She likes to walk down the street and pee on everything. First time she saw me, she wanted to bite my face off.”

Koda, German Shepherd, Thompson & Prince St., New York, NY • “You happened upon the most beautiful dog in town. He’s smarter than the average dog. He’s not aggressive – he won’t initiate with another dog, but he’ll react to a dog and stand his ground. He also won’t take snacks.”

Odin, French Bulldog (3 y/o), 48th & 1st Ave., New York, NY • “He wants you to pet him so bad. He finds benches and people-watches, and then when he finds people that show him any sort of attention, he gets excited. He kind of hits the part of the heart that you forget exists because he’s so innocent. Frenchies are different – they’re not like dog dogs, they’re like toddlers, but forever. They wanna be loved, they wanna be snuggled, they wanna be in your life. What you’re doing right now, just your interaction – it’s not even about the food, it’s the fact that your interacting with him will make his whole day.”

Lylee, Pomsky (5 y/o), Honey Locust Park, New York, NY • “We’re Indian, so she’s a vegetarian. No chicken.” 

Louie, Italian Greyhound (3 y/o), 57th & 1st Ave., New York, NY • “He has, like, six good rotating outfits. When he first meets someone, he likes to sniff around, but if he’s at home, he’s very playful. He jumps on the furniture like it’s a playground. He’s just my best friend – he sits and watches TV with me. Having him has given me someone to care for and think about more than myself. Even if I bring him to my friend’s apartment, I’m packing a bag, so I feel like I have a kid. You learn some lessons.”

Mitzi, mix (14 y/o), 62nd & 1st Ave., New York, NY • “She’s wonderful, but she goes crazy for treats. I love everything about her. She sleeps with me. I don’t know if she’s changed my life, she just makes me happy. If I don’t watch her, she’ll steal my food. She’s my seventh dog. When I went to get her, since I’m not young, I said I want a medium-sized dog, medium age. And that’s what I got.” A rescue via @bideawee

Goose, Labrador Retriever (3 y/o), 74th & 1st Ave., New York, NY • “He’s mellow and the sweetest dog. He runs around all the time. He’ll always get into food no matter what – you can’t keep your food on the table. Gotta seal the trash can. I love the companionship and bond, and he's super loyal. He swims all the time – he goes down to Bethany Beach every summer and swims.”

Duke, mix (9 y/o), 63rd & 1st Ave., New York, NY • “I think he was found walking the streets. He doesn’t like strangers or other dogs, but around the house he just wants to cuddle and eat. He loves to go for long walks and loves fetch. He’s such a sweet dog, it’s sad to think that I don’t know what happened to him. They brought him to the city shelter, and then they moved him to a shelter in South Jersey which tries to get dogs like him who aren’t doing well in shelters out. He was adopted out twice from them, and I was the third – I’ve had him for seven years now.” @itty_bitty_duke_of_york

Su, Siberian Husky (1 y/o), 83rd & East End Ave., New York, NY • “He’s really jumpy. He really likes to chase the cat, but my cat is even more sassy, so he’ll slap him back. I got this scramble from a store once, and I put it very high on the counter, but he jumped over and got it down.” @babididu_homezoo

Angie, Labradoodle (14 y/o), Carl Schurz Park, New York, NY • “She’s sick – she’s got melanoma inside her mouth. She’s getting a vaccine, and we’re debating whether to do radiation. She’s not moving as quickly as she used to, but she still gets around. She’s a little aloof, like a supermodel. She plays golf with me – her short game is good. She got her name from The Rolling Stones song. She’s the best company. She’s lovable, loyal, and always happy to see us. We got her when our kids went off to school – we were empty nesters. She’s just brought joy and love into the house.”

Pippa, Rough Collie (4 y/o), Prince & Mott St., New York, NY • “She’s nervous right now – she’s from the suburbs, so she’s trying to figure out what to do. But she’s mellow and very friendly. Collies are excellent family dogs – they love kids, they’re very affectionate. People are afraid of the fur, but we love the fur. Our dogs are like our whole world. Basically the entire house’s art is dog art of some sort. We have a lot of photographs and various signs about ‘hug your Collie.’ All the cheesy stuff.”

Smoky, Black Mouth Cur (1.5 y/o), Prince & Greene St., New York, NY • “He’s really, really friendly. With other dogs, if he meets them, they’re cool. But on the street, he’ll kind of go after them, so we’re working on that with some reactivity training. He’s a sweet dog; really playful, super loyal. I was in Tennessee for my 30th, and we were going hiking. We were passing a gas station, and we saw a dog off to the side. I got out, and he came right between my legs and hung out there. He wasn’t microchipped, and the local shelter was too full to take him. Animal control’s suggestion was to take him back to where we found him and leave him, and we were like, f*ck no. So he took the 11-hour car ride back with us. I have a lot of problems with anxiety and social stuff, so it’s really nice to just have a dog around. He’s my best friend.” 

Mirfy, mix (9 y/o), 6th & Avenue A, New York, NY • “You met him the other day. You can take more pictures of him if you want. He’s loving his newfound fame, so thank you.” @instamirf

Maya, English Bulldog (7 y/o), 7th & 1st Ave., New York, NY • “She’s the first Bulldog I’ve walked – I’ve been walking her for almost a year now. She’s very temperamental. She reads people before she decides to say hi, so she’ll check your body language. She mostly chases birds, squirrels. She chased a rat one time – thankfully it got away. She’s a favorite of mine, and honestly, the day gets kind of easier when I get to walk her. It takes a special amount of patience to put up with her. I’m not gonna lie, she makes me pay attention more. With Maya, it’s attention at all times.”