As you may already know by now, one of Sid’s favorite things ever is his treasured Wigzi treat ball. Each day, when I eat lunch, Sid gets a treat ball stuffed with a couple crunchy treats and dab of peanut butter.

(Sid and his glow-in-the-dark Wigzi circa 2014)

The only downside to the Wigzi is that even though it is pretty durable, after several months-worth of chomping sessions, it eventually starts coming apart at the seam. Based on Sid’s daily usage, the lifespan of the Wigzi was about 2-3 months.

About a year and a half ago, I discovered that the Wigzi was sadly being discontinued. How could this happen to Sid’s FAVORITE THING ON EARTH?! I searched every online and brick-and-mortar retailer I could but most were already out of stock. However I lucked out at Drs. Foster and Smith, who still had half a dozen left. So I did what any sensible pug dad would do: I ordered every single one of ’em!

Things had been just fine for many months until our stockpile started to dwindle. I emailed the owner of the Wigzi company and he mentioned some kind of deal with Kong that had been in the works. It sounded like the patent for the toy had been sold to the Kong folks. Well, I waited and waited, while Sid’s last Wigzi ball slowly started to show signs of its imminent demise.

But as fate would have it, as soon as the last Wigzi could hold peanut butter no more, I found Kong had released their “Widgets” pocket ball, which is exactly the same thing as the Wigzi, only it was offered in a different assortment of bright colors!

Of course Sid couldn’t care less who made the ball, as long as it was delivered to him at high noon stuffed with goodies!

And in true pug fashion, every time he cleans the last morsel out of the pockets he brings the ball over to me, plunks it down at my feet, looks up at me with an expression that says “OK, I’m back for my free refill”.

* SQUISH *

* KOOOSH *

* SLURP *

Oh, Hi. Sorry, did you say something? I was just busy working on my mid-day Wigzi. I think there’s still a smidge of peanut butter left inside.

* QUEEEEEEK *

* SQUOOSH *

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”…

In response to the heat wave that is practically turning everyone’s home into a sweat lodge, Sid and I thought we’d do something fun to take your minds off the oppressive heat.

Something cool…

That’s getting close but not quite COOL enough.

How about THIS COOL?

Whoah. I don’t  know about you but the hair on my arms just stood up.

Sid told me he wants everyone to feel as cool as he feels each and every day so he’s inviting two lucky winners to “BE COOL LIKE SID”.

The two winners will each receive a package of prizes (paw-selected by Sid himself) guaranteed to increase the coolness factor of any dog. Sorry humans, Sid considers us a lost cause.

• Your very own Wigzi Stuff n’ Throw (Sid’s favorite!)
• A plush potato (Also Sid’s favorite – he has many favorites)
• A print of my watercolor sketch of Sid in his aviator hat and scarf.

To enter the give-away, please leave a comment on this post with your name and favorite way to keep cool during the summer.

Sid will pick the two lucky names out of his aviator hat next Friday July 26th.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

Since the summer solstice occurred this past weekend, along with the superb Supermoon, Sid and I felt it was time for a new masthead for summer.

The previous masthead photo had been taken when it was like 10 degrees outside and Sid had been wearing no less than 2 layers of fleece. It was definitely time for a change.

We swung over to the park for a little summer masthead photo session.

Ever the seasoned professional, Sid nailed the poses right away and we were back home in no time. As per his contract, Sid received three belly rubs and one Wigzi ball stuffed with treats and peanut butter. Although now it seems he wants to renegotiate in order to include refills.

“Yo! I need a refill!”

Well, maybe he’s not quite “in love” but he’s without doubt “deeply obsessed”. However, have no fear, Miss T-Buttz and other lady-pugs out there, the object of Sid’s desire is not another pug – it’s his little red Wigzi ball.

The main reason he totes it around everywhere is because each day at lunch time the Wigzi’s pockets are stuffed with treats and peanut butter by yours truly. This pug-distraction technique affords me the opportunity to eat my own lunch without uncomfortable staring, sneezing, and loud-sitting on the part of Sid.

However, even when the ball is clearly empty – and trust me, Sid gets EVERY MINUTE MORSEL – he still carries it around. His optimism amazes me. I guess he thinks the ball may somehow spontaneously sprout more peanut-buttery goodness and he does NOT want to miss that moment.

Sid and the little red ball are practically inseparable.

I guess the lesson here is if you are looking to catch Sid’s eye, you might want to try stuffing your ears with peanut butter. Although don’t be surprised if he FOLLOWS YOU EVERYWHERE, FOREVER!

Hey all friends (furry and non-furry) –

Happy New Year!

Sorry I’ve been a little absent from blogging lately. I’d love to say that I’ve just been spending the days playing with my Wigzi but I have actually been busy unpacking and settling into my new home.

Yep, I’m officially a “Chicagoan” now. So far all I know is that Chicago is freakin’ cold and although there’s lots of cool new stuff to sniff and I live a block away from a HUGE park, the major problem is that I HAVEN’T SEEN ANOTHER PUG YET!!!

What gives?! Am I the only pug in Chicago? I mean, when I was crashing with my grandpugrents, I didn’t see any other pugs either, but that was the ‘burbs where every family has a pack of labradors or golden retrievers or aged yorkies (e.g. my cousin, Elly, who hates me for no reason. Oh right, I did eat all her food. Twice.)

Well, I did meet a few neighborhood non-pug dogs and they actually seemed cool. We did some sniff circles and all was right with the world. Though it’s hard to relate sometimes – I mean, you can’t really talk about how it stinks getting your nose flap cleaned out, or how your tail just isn’t as curly as it used to be…*sigh*.

I think I just need to THINK POSITIVE.

On the plus side, I’ve been told that I might be able to change the name of the blog back to PLANET COOL SID (which is the best name ever, right?) because I don’t live in Park Slope anymore. I think my masthead needs some more carrots, too…my belly could also use a few right about now.