Category: Featured Stories

Hi! My name is DojaLi, and I’m a white chocolate parti miniature schnauzer, who has been living in Fairfield, CT since my “Gotcha Day” on June 12, 2020. I live in a house with my human dad, Luis, and five other family members. And if I had to choose my favorite person, it would have to be my dad, Luis… but only during the day because he’s home, of course. Grandma is my favorite at night-time!

Speaking of family, one unique thing about mine is that I also still see my other puppy siblings, despite none of us having the same human parents. I’m one of a litter of five brothers and sisters, who were all at Central Park Puppies together. The human who took home the first of my siblings purposely left her information for whoever ended up with the rest of us. Isn’t that cool?!? As it turns out, all of my siblings’ furever parents followed up and now talk almost daily in their “schnauzer sibling” Instagram chat group. They all got on a video chat to sing us happy birthday in April, and even though we all don’t live in the same State, my siblings and our parents just got together this past June for a playdate picnic in - where else? - Central Park!

We’ve all grown so much since we were last together! When I was first delivered to my new fur-ever home, my dad says I was as small as a kitten but hopped around like a bunny. He says it was really cute, but that I would also bunny hop around over his feet while he was walking, because I thought they were toys. Admittedly, this is something I still do - but at least I’m bigger and more visible now, so I’m not as easy to step on or kick by accident.

That said, my personality has grown with me, too! My family describes me as a sweetheart, but also rambunctious and very energetic. My human mom and dad laugh a lot because of my antics and call me “Zoomy”. If they wind me up enough, I’ll start darting back and forth between the living room and the kitchen as fast as I can, and I’m so quick that I’ll end up sliding under the chairs and tables.

They also say I’m feisty and that my sass is like a human’s because I’m known to roll my eyes, give side-eyes, and I’ll even put my paw on your hand to stop it when I get tired of you touching or petting me. Also, I love tearing up paper, tissues, and socks, which I get in trouble for, of course. However, it’s the fact that I don’t even try to hide it and just tear things up in front of them, or just far enough out of reach to where they have to get up and come stop me, that adds to my sassy reputation.

But I don’t destroy things I like! My favorite toys are a lamb chops toy my family gave me when they first got me, and a Rosé bottle toy that I still keep in pristine condition on my bed. It’s the toys I don’t care for as much that aren’t so lucky and get torn up pretty quickly.

My dad says that if I were a human, he thinks I would be a Rockstar because, combined with my sass and rebellious love for destroying things in front of authority figures, I also have a wide variety of vocal ranges! He says he’s heard me hit notes in my howls, spanning from Ariana Grande to Ozzy Osbourne.

I love having a family that loves me and who supports my sassy Rockstar lifestyle, and who lets me visit my siblings. I guess it’s safe to say I’m one lucky schnauzer…and yes, the paw I just put on your hand means I’m now tired of this interview!

Hi, my name is Minnie! I am a Maltese, who lives with my human mom, Rachel and her fiancé, who is my human dad. I was delivered to them in Charlotte, NC in March of this year, but we just moved to Norfolk, VA over Memorial Day weekend. Needless to say, it’s been a wild first few months for me, but for my human parents, this has been an even longer journey

After 16.5 years of happy memories, mom lost her childhood Maltese puppy in February 2020. She began searching for a new Maltese puppy to create new happy memories with, but when quarantine lockdowns shut everything down, that search became extremely challenging. They were on the waiting lists of two different breeders for eight months with no luck. Thankfully, my mom found Central Park Puppies on Instagram and, after hearing some really positive reviews, she contacted them to ask if they could let her know when they were getting any Maltese puppies.

Soon after, at 11:00 PM on a Monday night, Central Park Puppies messaged my mom to tell her I had been born, and they sent her some pictures and a video of me being all cute, running around. Mom says I was ‘irresistible’. Apparently, dad suggested that she sleep on it, but mom knew I was ‘the one’ and made the decision right then and there. And then plans were made for my safe delivery to meet my fur-ever family for the very first time. I agree with my mom when she says that moment was ‘perfect!’ When the nice drivers brought me out of the van, I ran straight to my new mom, jumped in her arms, and started kissing her. After an emotionally draining year-long search during the pandemic, mom just broke down crying with me in her arms, as I helped lick away her tears.

I loved my new family right away! They had all my toys, food, and my bed ready for me to live like a queen! Mom says I have elevated their happiness levels immensely. She often describes me as an affectionate and pampered pooch, which I happen to agree with. However, she also says I’m a little mischievous because, no matter what they do to secure it, I always manage to escape from my crate at night, and she’ll wake up to find me curled up, sleeping in ball right next to their bed. Dad even jokes that I must have hidden opposable thumbs, but I’ll never tell my secrets! Oh, and I like to play hide and seek, too. Just the other day, they were looking and calling me for almost twenty minutes, before I casually walked out of the closet I was hiding in. I had a great time, but for some reason, mom and dad don’t seem to like the game too much. I do a lot of other silly things that make them laugh too though; like when they put out my wee-wee pad and, like a good little girl, I know to go straight over to it and go to the bathroom right NEXT to it on the floor. After all, I wouldn’t want to ruin those nice pads they bought for me!

As both a mommy’s and daddy’s girl, I can’t imagine a better life. Mom works from home, so I get to snuggle up with her all day, and then when dad gets home from work, I know it’s play time! At the end of the day, we’re just a happy little family, and I’m so glad that I get to be the Maltese puppy who mom and dad can create many years of new happy memories with.

Hello, my name is Luka! I am a nine-month old Shitzu, who has been living with my human mom, Delphy, in the Bronx, NY since she brought me home six months ago. It’s just me and mom in the house, but we go to visit her boyfriend and his two older dogs a lot. Although I try so hard to get those dogs to keep up with me, they usually just lay there and get annoyed with my puppy energy. At least mom still loves me! In fact, it’s a pretty interesting story of how Delphy and I found each other.

Mom battles depression and anxiety, and one day she was having a really hard time. She was crying all day and praying for something happy to happen to her. At first, she went to check out a different dog at another pet store, but the dog looked really sick and unhealthy. Mom left feeling defeated and lost. Then, she opened up her Instagram and that’s when she saw ME! The moment she saw my post from Central Park Puppies, she knew I was the answer she had been praying so hard for. She didn’t care about the price or any of the details. She just knew I was meant to be her new puppy. When I first arrived at my new fur-ever home, I had so much fun exploring and running around the place during the day, but at night I was having some pretty bad nightmares. I also followed mom around everywhere and would cry when she left me – even if she was just in the shower for a few minutes. I didn’t like or trust anyone else at first either – only mom. Now, I’m a lot better with her parents though, after I got to know them a little more. Mom describes me as playful, energetic, and very loving … she also says I’m picky, annoying, and says I’m a biter, but I like the first three words she used to describe me the best. One of mom’s favorite things about me is how I instinctively respond to her on her bad days, when her anxiety is really high.

When mom cries, I run over and give her kisses on her hands and face, and I lay down with her until she feels better. She calls me her angel because of how I make her feel better! Some of the things I like to do for fun are playing, going on walks where I stop and smell everything along the way, and I have a tendency to bite when I’m bored or if I don’t know someone. I also like when mom plays fetch with me with my favorite red ball, and I like watching TV with her and even by myself. When my mom has things to do around the house, like homework, she’ll put on the TV for me, and I’ll just sit on her bed and watch my shows until she’s free to play with me again. Oh, and I also have serious FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), so I listen in on human conversations all the time and try to help with the chores around the house – anything to be a part of the action. For example, if Delphy and her mom are talking in the kitchen, I’ll stop whatever I’m doing and go over to listen in to what they’re talking about. And if Delphy is cleaning the house, I help her out by grabbing the spray bottles and rags and running under the bed with them! Mom and I both know that underneath the bed is also where I go when I know I’m in trouble, too. Some of the things I’m most afraid of are people I don’t know, other dogs who get too excited around me, and the scariest of all – the sound of paper bags! Those scary things aside, I have to admit that I’m a pretty spoiled pup, living here in the Bronx with mom! I pretty much get my way and almost anything I want. Speaking of which, one of my favorite TV shows is coming on, so I have to run. But thanks for listening to my story!

I also respond to ‘Master Bruce’, as my dad likes to call me in his best Alfred-voice, from Batman. I am a Golden Retriever who has been living in the New Hyde Park Village area in Long Island, NY since December 2020, with my human dad, Jonathan, and my grandparents (Jonathan’s parents). I’m still pretty new to the area and to my family, but my dad says his favorite memory of me, so far, was the first time it snowed only two or three weeks after he brought me home.

Jonathan made sure I was all bundled up in this new jacket he bought me. He wasn’t sure if I would like it or not, but let me tell you, the very first time I saw snow, I was running and rolling all around, playing, and it was the first time my dad saw me just being myself. After I was tired out, I just laid there in a pile of snow and watched people go by. I was so happy that day and my dad says the look I gave him was the ultimate high for him.

On days when it’s not snowing outside, I love eating grass, picking up sticks and random things with my mouth that puppies probably shouldn’t EVER have in their mouths. My dad will tell you that I could have a bowl of food in front of me, but if there’s an interesting leaf on the ground, I’ll probably put that in my mouth instead. I also love to people watch whenever I can. I’ll sit out there, alert and holding my position like a British soldier, and then I’ll wait until everyone is gone before I go back to my toys or to eating something I shouldn’t. Otherwise, you could describe my personality as easygoing and chill. My dad says I’m like the mellow guy that you would assume is from California - laid back and going with the flow. A lot of people get surprised at how mellow I am for a Golden Retriever, to the point where, early on, Jonathan even thought something was wrong with me and was worried he wasn’t feeding me enough because of how low-key I was acting. Now he knows that it’s just me being lazy, like I am 99% of the time. But once there’s snow on the ground or if you want to play and run around with me, I can turn a switch and keep up with the best of them.

I do some pretty quirky things too, like this unique little hop and skip that leaves fun prints in the snow. I also have a special puppy dance that I will only perform for my grandpa – who is probably my favorite person in the whole entire world. I won’t do my dance for anyone else. I do this really funny repeated sideways-thrusting move with my volcano toy too, which always makes everybody laugh, but for some reason my dad suggested I shouldn’t perfom that dance move in public.

I guess I don’t always fully understand human ‘norms’, but if I were a human, my dad says I would be that old man, who sits outside the local coffee shop all day long with his pals, saying hi to everyone I meet, people watching, and just hanging out and enjoying life. It’s a pretty spot-on description if you ask me, especially if that coffee shop is in a place that has a lot of snow! Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go watch somebody walking by our driveway.”

I’m a beautiful Wheaten Terrier, who has been been living with my human mom, Luz, her husband, and their two sons, ages seven and nine, in Deerpark, NY, since the end of 2020. I was born on October 25, 2020 and Central Park Puppies posted a picture of me in December. My human family needed a small, kid friendly dog with a relaxed temperament, which is exactly what I am! But it almost didn’t happen at first, because they were actually searching for Mini Goldendoodles at the time. Luckily, my human mom, Luz saw my picture and description when they were driving back home from visiting family in Rochester, and she called in right away!

I was safely delivered to my new home on December 30. I guess you could say that day was a late holiday gift for all of us. So far, things have been going great! We’re still trying to get on the same page with some of commands and tricks my new human family wants me to learn, but I’m hopeful we can at least work a few of those out. I have already learned my name and also to ring the bell near the door when I need to use the bathroom outside. I really do love my new family though, and the youngest boy is my favorite, because I know that every afternoon at three o’clock, I get to run out to the backyard when he gets home from school, so we play together! Clumsy, silly, playful, stubborn…yup, that’s me. My family also thinks it’s funny that I sleep like a human, on my side, in fetal position, with my paws on my face. I also like to bury my face in the couch and in the snow, while sticking my bum out. I sometimes get in trouble for digging in the yard, and for eating stuff outside that I shouldn’t be eating, and then not listening to mom when she tells me to stop.

For fun, I like to play fetch with frisbees and balls, I like to walk, and I do this funny bunny hop when I run. My favorite treat is a big dog bone that I will often chew on for two or more hours straight. If I could change anything about my life it would be not having to wait for my parents to finish working BEFORE they take me out for walks. I’m 11:00 minutes in...

I’m a Toy Poodle, who has been living my best life in the Bronx, NY with my human mom, Cristina and her boyfriend, since they first brought me home almost a year and a half ago. While I may be living the good life now, those first few days were like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You see, my mom, Cristina, had been looking at Central Park Puppies for a while, but wasn’t seeing a lot of Poodles available at the time.

My mom always wanted a Poodle because she loves her beautiful curly hair, and she wanted a dog with curly hair just like hers. One day, she and her boyfriend decided to just go ‘look’ at puppies – knowing they didn’t have the money to afford buying puppy at that time. My mom tells me that they went to another store first but didn’t like how the dogs were being cared for there, so they left and walked over to where I was at Central Park Puppies. When Cristina first saw me, her eyes lit up and she said right away, “I have to take him!”. She played and cuddled with me, but her boyfriend told her that they should think it over and that they could come back at another time to see if I was still there. Cristina agreed at first and made it all the way out into the car, but then quickly said “No, I have to get him” and she ran back inside to take me home. That was such a happy moment!

I was only two months old at the time and although they recommended to my mom that I be kept inside until I get all the rest of my vaccines, she was so overjoyed and excited to have me in her life that she brought me all over the Bronx to show me off to her family! I loved every minute of being the center of attention…but by that night, I started feeling very sick. My mom rushed me to the vet, where I stayed for a little over two days. I was so sick that the vet told my mom at one point that my chance of surviving was fifty-fifty. She was devastated. She cried and cried and checked up on me every chance she could. Luckily (hence my name!) I made a full recovery and when my mom came to pick me up – remember, after only three days since she first brought me home - she burst into tears. I jumped in her arms, and we kissed and cuddled as if we had been family for years. We both knew in that moment that I had found my furever home! Ever since then, I really have been living my best life.

I love to go to the park and on long walks to get some fresh air. When I’m inside I like looking through the windows to see what’s going on outside, playing with my toys, and I especially love playing with plastic water bottles because of that funny crinkly sound they make. I like to cuddle with, play with, and greet EVERYONE I meet, too! Apparently, some people aren’t really into that, so my mom tries to stop me from jumping on and licking strangers. I really don’t see the problem with wanting to say hello to everyone, but what can I say? Humans can be silly like that.

I think if I were a human, I would be very chill like my mom, socialize with a lot of people, and I would OBVIOUSLY focus a lot on this beautiful coat of curly hair I have - just like my mom. After all, even as a puppy, I take the time to wash my curls after every bathroom break, to make sure my fur looks clean and perfect all the time – I need to live up to my ‘Mr. Boujee Guy’ nickname, of course! Plus, one of the biggest advantages of being a pup, instead of a human, is that my mom says I bring light into the dark parts of her life, because I’m always waiting when she gets home, and always so happy to see her. When she sees me, all the stresses of her day and from work just melt away and it cheers her up. Knowing that she’s as happy to see me when she gets home as I am to see her, I guess you could say I AM pretty ‘Lucky’ after all! ;)

I’m a high-energy French Bulldog who has been living in The Bronx, NY for the past year and a couple of months. I live with my human mom, Yaritza, her husband, her mom and dad, and my five-year-old Pomeranian brother, named Bobby. I love my family but, if I had to pick a favorite, everyone would tell you it’s Yaritza’s dad. I have a box of toys and every day when he gets home, I make sure to take them ALL out so he and I can play together!

Speaking of ‘playing’, I LOVE PLAYING! My family will tell you that I’m the happiest and most energetic dog you will ever meet. My mom has to take me to the park almost every day and take me for multiple walks – a few more than my lazy brother Bobby gets, who becomes tired quickly and would rather nap. Not me, though! I’m a big ball of energy from sun-up to sundown and never get tired, even since I was a little puppy.

My mom, Yaritza, says that she reached out to Central Park Puppies looking for a French Bulldog and that when they called her back and sent her pictures of me, she immediately fell in love with how little and playful I was. And when she came to meet me, the first thing I did was grab a toy, so that we could play together. Even in the many home movies my mom has of me, I’m always playing – in every single one of them! Unfortunately, sometimes my high energy and playfulness get me into trouble when I chew on certain things that apparently are ‘not toys’; like the time I chewed on Yaritza’s dad’s bar in the living room so much that ALL of the bottles came crashing down and broke on the floor.

My Pomeranian brother, Bobby, was another chewing victim when my mom first brought me home. I know chewing on your siblings sounds bad but, in my defense, it was just his fur that I liked to chew on. Have you ever tasted the fluffy long hair of a Pomeranian? It’s delicious! But I digress. I have been made aware that ‘chewing on Bobby’s fur is off limits’, which, to my surprise, has improved our relationship a lot and Bobby and I are best buds now.

Aside from the occasional sound of hair dryers, which I am absolutely terrified of, I have to say that my life as a French Bulldog in the Bronx with my family is pretty great! I play all the time, go to the park, on walks, play with my mom’s dad when he gets home, and I even love to jump up on top of my mom and dad when they are watching TV, so that I can cuddle up and watch their shows with them.

Plus, on my birthdays, I get extra special treatment! On my last birthday, my mom surprised me by decorating a part of the house, getting me a cake, and even inviting a few of my puppy pals over to play together. It was the best day EVER … and yes, I ate the whole cake! Eating is probably my second favorite thing next to playing, but luckily, I stay active enough to run it all off. On that note, I just got a sudden urge to go play. Thanks for listening!”

All of the other dogs were playing, barking, and running around, while I sat there in the corner looking sad and being my usual lazy and tired self. Then, Ella walked in. She saw me sitting all alone and I could tell that she fell in love with me right away. I figured if she loved me for just being tired and lazy, that this was definitely the perfect human for me. Granted, we had to convince Ella’s parents to say ‘yes’ first, but with both of us giving them our best sad puppy eyes begging, it didn’t take long until we were on our way to my new home!

When we got there and I ran in the door, I was greeted by my two new doggy siblings, Dante and Ginger. I’m a chill dog who gets along with everybody, so we became BFFs from the start and love playing and getting into trouble together. I often join in the fun when they start barking, but I’m the only one who stops when Ella tells us too, so I don’t get in as much trouble as they do.

Overall, being a pup in New York is pretty awesome. I love going to the local parks to play fetch with Ella and my siblings, being lazy in the sun in the summer, and playing in the snow in the winter are some of my favorite things to do. Also, every Saturday night, me and mom have a date to watch Pit Bulls and Parolees on TV together. Sometimes I forget that it’s just a TV and I end up trying to play with the other dogs on the show. But she just laughs and lets me do my thing - that’s why she’s my favorite!

If you ask my mom about my personality, Ella tells everyone that I’m smart and funny. She thinks I’m smart because I can do lots of cool tricks, like play dead, close the door, sit, stay, give paw, and roll over – but really, she was just a great teacher! She also tells people I’m funny because apparently, I snore a lot, make silly faces, and because my only two moods are either high bursts of energy or being really tired, I have a tendency to fall asleep with my mouth open, while sitting up, or even in the middle of chewing on a toy. What can I say? A pup’s gotta sleep when a pup’s gotta sleep.

My mom says that if I was a human, I would probably just sleep a lot, and run to the park and eat every chance I could get. But that’s pretty much what I do now anyway – minus all those annoying human responsibilities. So, I think I’ll just stick to living the good life, being a silly, cute and lazy pup here in New York with my mom, Ella, and my siblings, Dante and Ginger. Plus, my family always says that getting me has made life so much better – and I just so happen to feel the same way about them …”