Dog day morning as ‘Little Whitey’ runs all around on the West Side

Villagers may have noticed a small white flash with a dirty underbelly and paws darting around the streets on Tuesday morning. A 1-year-old American Eskimo dog, it had been rescued by Tracy Sides of West Village Dog Owners Group near their dog run on Gansevoort St. on Monday evening. A bike messenger had first noticed the dog on W. 17th St. and followed it into the Meat Market. Laura Morrison, a Horatio St. resident, took the diminutive stray in overnight while efforts were made to find its owner or a new home. However, Tuesday morning around 8 a.m., the peppy pup hopped over a pile of things by her door and shot onto the street. An hour later, this newspaper noticed the white wagger in Hudson Sq. running north on West St. along the St. John’s Building. With some whistling, The Villager got the dog to come back and coaxed him halfway to the paper’s office near Canal St. — yet, never thinking to try to leash the dog with a belt. At Spring St. the dog took off running again, heading east. Morrison said he returned to her building at 10 a.m., but the doorman didn’t let him in. Around 4 p.m., “Little Whitey” was found back in Hudson Sq. near Pier 40’s dog run, where a dog owner finally corralled him. “This little guy’s got a lot of energy,” Morrison said.