Yesterday, we did some further experiments in the endless quest to keep a pug cool during the sweltering days of summer.

METHOD 1: COOLING HARNESS – Now this is how you keep cool in style. Sid received this sharp-looking harness from our fellow pug-blogger friend, Christy. It was handmade by her and fits Sid like a well-tailored suit. The main part of the harness is made out of a water-absorbing ShamWow-esque material. You just get the harness nice and wet with cold water, wring it out, and then slip in on. The harness stays nice and cool and the moisture also allows the breezes to provide some cooling action (since dogs don’t produce sweat on their bodies). Sid wore his on his walk and kept cool the whole time. We also stuck to routes along tree-lined streets that provide much-needed shade.

METHOD 2: TUB OF COOL WATER – After some failed attempts by Sid to jump into the tub while I was taking a shower (wish I could have got a photo of that somehow), I put him in the tub by himself with a few inches a cool water. I doused his back and belly using a small bucket. The cool water seemed to help quite a bit, but pretty soon he was counteracting the cooling of the water and working up a sweat by splashing water everywhere like a maniac (he has a strange obsession with water as you might recall).

METHOD 3: BAG OF FROZEN PEAS UNDER A BLANKET – In retrospect, probably the worst idea for a food-crazed pug. He wouldn’t leave the bag alone and furiously kept digging until he unearthed it.

***

CONCLUSION: I need to get the A/C unit up from the basement and get it into a window – pronto!

I’m not a huge fan of the term “velcro dog” but when it comes to pugs, it’s a pretty apt description. Sid almost always joins me in whatever room I happen to be in. Cleaning/organizing the house becomes quite comical as I am usually mad-dashing around from room to room and Sid is tip-tip-tipping around behind me like a little snorting shadow.

He even joins me in the bathroom.

I suppose I can’t fault him for it. Whenever he goes to the bathroom, I’m right there beside him. I suppose he’s just being polite and returning the favor.

I know Sid just told you about an adventure he recently went on in our neighborhood, but I guess it’s been his lucky week because he got to go on yet another one. The weather was just perfect so we took a little stroll over to Lincoln Square which is about a 10-minute walk from Pug Slope HQ.

Lincoln Square is home to a lot of interesting independent shops including Merz Apothecary which is over 100 years old. Merz has all kinds of fascinating stuff including fancy soaps, perfumes, bath supplies, homeopathic treatments, moisturizers, and even moustache wax (which was a necessity back when I was sporting the handlebar!). Many of the items are imported from Europe or other parts of the world, thus making their selection way more interesting than a CVS or Walgreens.

Aside from the apothecary, Lincoln Square also has a book store, a vintage guitar store, lots of stores geared to kids, a small movie theatre, gift shops, and lots of little places to get a bite to eat or wet your whistle.

We sat down to relax for a bit at Giddings Plaza which is a pleasant outdoor space with benches, shade trees, and a fountain. There’s almost always people hanging out here and often kids will be running around or drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. In the summer they have free live music in the plaza.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah….I’m standing by the fountain. Now gimme my baby carrot.”

Before we left Sid wanted to get a photo by the El tracks. If you’re not familiar with Chicago, the “El” is the local name for the subway system here, although “subway” isn’t the best term because most of the system is elevated (thus the nickname). Sid actually got to ride on the El train last month when he had to go to the vet for his dental.

Siddhartha Lamont: Urban Pug

Hi there, everyone!

I hope you all had an awesome weekend. I want to tell you about this cool place in my ‘hood that I got to check out last week.

My Aunt Anna (who, along with Uncle Andrew, watches me when my dad goes out of town) has this cool job where she designs spots around town where new plants, trees, and paths are going to go. She was working just around the corner from Pug Slope H.Q. the other day so I wandered over to check out the construction site and to offer my opinion on the best plants to install for pugs to pee on. Plus I heard she was in charge of telling some huge digging things what to do so I was dying to see that, too. Anywho, here’s a shot of the site.

The flat areas are going to be transformed into a walking path for humans (and dogs) and those big boulder thingees will serve as benches for sitting and relaxing. Pretty neat, eh? The benches were very nice, but, like, I’m a rebel so I just laid down and had a rest right in the dirt! I can’t be tamed.

I can’t wait until the plants arrive – there will be so many new smells!

Sid and I have been avoiding the computer as much as possible in an attempt to take advantage of the pleasant weather we’ve been having lately. After enduring this past winter, which seemed to go on forever, we have been savoring the sunshine as often as possible.

I’m still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it’s already June. It seems like just a few weeks ago we were donning the puffy coats and fleece and bracing for a walk in the polar vortex. Well, anyway – I hope that helps explain why we’ve been a bit absent on the blog lately (and have been a bit lax visiting other blogs).

…

This weekend, Sid went on a rampage. It all started with the arrival of an enormous box with his name on it.

Yep, the UPS delivery person arrived with a gargantuan package from Sid’s favorite online vendor, Mr. Chewy. I’m pretty sure Sid doesn’t know how to read (he does know some basic spelling though, like T-R-E-A-T, S-N-A-C-K, and V-E-T) so I’m always impressed how he can instantly detect a cardboard box that contains dog food, treats, and nylabones. I suspect Mr. Chewy sprays their boxes with some kind of scent that drives dogs wild (Eau d’ Beggin’ Strips?). Or perhaps the shape and/or color of the logo on the side of the box was designed to stimulate the dog brain. Who knows. In any event as soon as the box was opened, he leapt inside and starting going nuts.

Stand back, people, I’m goin’ in…

The rampage continued on over to his toy bin where he extracted every plush toy and distributed them around the entire apartment. It’s kind of like how Disneyland is intentionally laid out so there is always a garbage can within reach. Sid applied that same concept to Pug Slope HQ, only that at any given moment he wanted to assure he’d be only a paws-length away from a plush toy.

At least he decided to have a little rest after his rampage – while I was left to clean up the war path.

Good day to you, Pug Slopers!

Boy, I’m feeling great today! I hope you all are, too.

The sun is shining, it has FINALLY starting to warm up around here (Hello, it’s almost JUNE for crying out loud!), and I’ve been sporting my favorite bandana: the black one. Yes, it’s true, I’m a bad boy. I don’t know why but my dad just laughed right now.

Anywho, I hope you all have a great weekend. Hopefully there’s some good weather in the forecast wherever you may be. So now it’s time to turn up the tunes, strut like you’re the coolest pug/human alive, and indulge in delicious treats. You with me?