By A. Campbell

Hi there! I’m Luca, a ten-year-old Australian Shepherd with a big smile and lots of playful energy for everyone I meet. Each morning, you’ll find me taking an hour-long walk through Central Park. I like to explore some of the lesser known areas around the Reservoir and the Ramble. The Central Park Conservancy Garden on the east side is a beautiful place to sit and think. In the fall, you’re surrounded by beds of gorgeous, multicolored chrysanthemums and in the Spring you can wander beneath pink, white, and purple blossoming trees.

While I’m always very well treated by my loving parents, they really pull out all the stops on my birthday. My birthday was a couple months ago and I was delighted to lay eyes on my favorite kind of birthday cake – a home-cooked steak. I never eat the entire steak in one sitting, seeing as that would lead to a serious stomach ache, but it makes for a good photo, don’t you think?

As I get older, my parents have been taking me downtown to Water4Dogs in Tribeca where I participate in hydrotherapy exercises to strengthen my muscles while simultaneously going easy on my joints. I’ll gently wade into the heated pool and take my place on the underwater treadmill for an aquatic walk. I love it! My favorite thing to do is swim.

In fact, I often get to swim up north in the beautiful fresh waters of the Adirondack Region. One special note about me is that I’m a certified professional dog copilot. (Or I would be, if there were such a thing.) My Dad is a pilot and we have a seaplane that we’ll fly up to the Adirondacks for camping, hiking, swimming, and skiing. In my capacity as co-pilot, I’ll oversee the pre-flight checklist with Dad – checking the fluids and pressures, making sure the engine is in good shape and that the vibration hasn’t loosened any critical parts. Once we’ve conducted a full pre-flight inspection, we’ll hop into the four-seater plane and take off on another adventure. You’ll find me riding in the back, safely strapped into my harness and resting on my comfy bed. I like to take inspiration from Snoopy’s alter ego, the World War I Flying Ace.

When it’s time for landing, we’ll locate a quiet little island in the middle of one of the lakes and glide in on the water. After beaching the airplane and tying it down, we’ll get out our gear and set up camp. I might wander around the island and smell some new things while my parents prepare dinner. Between the excitement of life on the Upper West Side, hiking, camping, and flying private, it’s a pretty dreamy existence, I have to admit.

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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 at @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.