Over the past few days I’ve noticed a shift in the light coming into Pug Slope HQ. We have a large window that faces pretty much due East, and, after living here just over a year now, it’s quite incredible to see the position of the sun in the sky change so dramatically throughout the seasons.

I understand that the tilt of the Earth’s axis causes this effect as we whiz around the sun each year, but it just didn’t “hit home” until I could see how noticeable the light changes in my apartment. In winter the sunlight comes so much more from the South. However, now it’s arc is slowly moving Northward and the sun appears higher in the sky. This makes the nerve center of Pug Slope (the dining room, which is where my home office is located) very bright and sunny in the morning and throughout much of the day.

Sid seems to also enjoy the extra sun we’ve been getting inside and has been hopping from sunny spot to sunny spot.

Sid’s been working on his impressions lately (yeah, that’s what happens when you are stuck inside all winter!) and the first one he’s trying to get under his belt is Popeye.

The likeness is uncanny, isn’t it? I suggested he replace the Wigzi ball with a pipe to complete the look. He agreed as long as the pipe was filled with peanut butter. He also said he’s willing to start eating spinach – although I could have predicted that.

He tells me next up on his list is Marlon Brando from “The Godfather”…

I have a travelled many light years to reach your planet. I come in search of treats.

GIVE ME YOUR TREATS!

If you happened to stop by Pug Slope HQ on Monday, this is what you would have seen:

Now, it’s not usual for Sid to be chillin’ in his bed most of  the day. While I work from home, he usually is catching his much-needed Z’s (being cute and demanding treats is exhausting work, people!). But on Monday, he was sitting in this position, fully awake, the whole day.

Here’s the reason:

Meet “KC”. At the time this photo was taken, we didn’t know that was her name. Let me back up a bit.

The day started out pretty normal. While Sid and I were out for our morning walk, a frisky, friendly black pup ran up to greet Sid. The odd thing was that there was no human accompanying her and she had no collar, harness, or leash attached to her. The city streets are certainly not a safe place for a dog to roam around like that so I plucked Sid into my arms and wrapped Sid’s leash around her neck to prevent her from darting into the street.

As you can tell from the photo, KC ended up accompanying us back to Pug Slope HQ. Then began the hunt to find her family. Lucky for her, the local vet found she had a microchip and had been adopted from a local dog rescue called PAWS Chicago. Unfortunately, the phone number that came up on the microchip was out of date and was disconnected (*). I posted on craigslist and a Facebook group called Lost Dogs Illinois. I also ran into a local dog walker who pretty much knows every dog in the neighborhood by name – she said KC looked familiar but she wasn’t sure who her owner was. I also put up a few signs around the neighborhood on my way to pick up some carryout lunch (trying to multi-task!). While I tried to get some actual work done during the day, KC whined in the kitchen and Sid sulked in his bed and gave me the stink eye. I think he was afraid KC was going to be a permanent resident of Pug Slope HQ. After a few hours of constant whining and barking from KC and no response to my lost dog posts, I was starting to share Sid’s fears.

Near the end of the work day, I got an email reply from my craigslist posting. Was it really KC’s parents? I wanted to be sure she was being returned to her proper home and not some weirdo. The friendly folks at PAWS Chicago were actually able to verify that the people that had contacted me were in fact KC’s real parents. So KC ended up getting home just in time for her dinner! Turns out she only lives 3 blocks away and had escaped from her yard that morning.

Sid was relieved. So was I.

(*) If your pet has a microchip, please be sure to keep that information up to date!

Don’t you just love when the days start getting longer? Although it’s still pretty dang cold out here (no warm temps on the horizon either), it just seems much more bearable when the sun is still out during Sid’s post-dinner walk.

We hope you had a good Valentine’s Day weekend. As you can see above, Sid got spoiled on Valentine’s Day with an enormous new split antler.

Most of his other antlers have been chewed down to little stubs so I figured it was about time he got a new one. Luckily this one is like four times longer than the previous ones so I’m hoping it will last longer.

His favorite time to chew is right before bed. I guess it’s how he winds down before going to sleep since he can’t read a book or do yoga or something. Do any of your dogs also like antlers? When is their favorite time to chew?

If you’re ever in need of someone to lead an expedition to uncharted territories in search of exotic scents and treats, I’m your man.

I am Siddhartha Lamont, Polar Explorer. At your service.

I don’t come cheap. My reward is the awesome thrill that comes only from conquering harsh conditions and surviving adventures in exotic locales.* Don’t settle with sub-par explorers, hire the best: Siddartha Lamont, Polar Explorer Par Excellence!

(* I do also accept payment in the form of baby carrots.)