NOT-SO RUFF RIDE: Franco Barbara totes Charlie with him on his daily commute. (Astrid Stawiarz)
To the delight of a certain breed of New York pet lover, the state recently overturned a ban on the practice of burying human ashes with their four-legged soul mates in pet cemeteries. While not every pet parent plans on staying side-by-side with their beloved animals for all eternity, many do vow to be joined until death do they part — no matter where their day may take them.
When Sarah Donze heads out for a mani-pedi in the West Village, she’s never without her 3-year-old Chihuahua Hudson. She’s been taking him to the same salon for so long that, “the owners love him, and greet him with outstretched arms,” she insists.
Erica Stein, who lives in the West Village, recently brought one of her dogs, a 1-year-old Chihuahua named Mr. Cosmo Kramer, to a more somber event: a friend’s funeral. Stein felt that her friend who had passed away would value his presence. “She loved my cat,” says Stein. “I knew she’d have loved to meet my dogs.”
Stein’s two pups, her other 1 1/2-year-old Chihuahua and therapy dog is named Sir Chester Sundae Latte Coco Puff, also accompany her to medical appointments.
“At the dentist, Chester lies across my chest quietly while I’m having my teeth worked on,” says Stein.
She explains: “I used to drag people around with me to do things I didn’t enjoy. But after my fiancé and I broke up, my dogs stepped up to the plate. They make me feel happy, comfortable and at ease.”
Stella Panzarino of Brooklyn knows the feeling. When her father passed away, she brought her 10-year-old long-haired Chihuahua Chico with her to the funeral home each time she had to make arrangements.
“Having Chico there with me provided a big source of comfort,” she says.
Others, like Franco Barbara of Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, can’t imagine their daily commute without their pup.
He and his 10-year-old Pekinese, Charlie, travel together to his job in Times Square — a one-hour trip each way on the D train.
“I bring him in a big, roomy bag,” says Barbara. “He’s been known to hop out, especially when he smells another dog owner.”
Sometimes, having a four-legged friend on the job itself can offer a professional advantage. Felicia M., who asked not to be named, often brings her Chihuahua, Tommi T., to property showings because he serves as an ice breaker.
“I was showing an apartment to a couple, and Tommi just fell in love with the husband’s feet, and proceeded to follow him around licking his toes,” says Felicia. Needless to say, they took the apartment.
Robin Sayers loves to bring her dog to the movies with her. The duo goes during off-hours when the theater isn’t filled, and sits in the back.
While the sneak-in usually goes off without a hitch, there was one recent hiccup.
“We were seeing ‘The Artist,’ and when the dog [in the movie] started barking mine started growling back! Thankfully he quieted down so we could finish the movie.”