To celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, Sid and I decided to venture into some uncharted territory. Well, uncharted for him anyway. We hoofed it over to the El station, he hopped into his tomato-red travel bag, and we zipped off on the El train down to Lincoln Park.

The sun was bright and the air was warm, so I came prepared with some ice cold water and a small dish so Sid could frequently rehydrate his pug mug throughout our excursion. We exited the train at Diversey and walked East towards the lakefront. By the time we got to the North Pond, Sid and I were both ready for an H2O break and a good ol’ fashioned sit.

We found a nice shady spot where Sid immediately became best friends with his little water dish. We relaxed by the North Pond and watched the birds and other wildlife go about their daily affairs.

After our batteries had recharged we completed the circle around the whole pond, through all the interesting native gardens near the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. In those wonderful gardens we saw lots of songbirds, butterflies, ducks and ducklings, and even a turtle!

The heat was getting to Sid by that point so we started heading back to the El station. Instead of taking the direct route down Diversey, we leisurely zig-zagged down the shady tree-lined side streets. All of a sudden we came upon this wonderfully ornate mansion on Wrightwood Avenue.

My photo doesn’t really capture it well as I couldn’t get the whole facade in the frame as the home is massive. It is known as the Francis J. Dewes House, was built in 1896 for its namesake, and is a registered Chicago landmark. The house next door, which is also from the 1890’s and is a registered Chicago Landmark, was built by Francis’s brother, August Dewes. It is also very ornate and the mansard roof was spectacular.

About a block away from the El station, we took a little break in a shady patch of grass. Sid gulped down the remaining drops of our cool water supply and then proceeded to flop onto his side for a belly rub! It was really funny. He got plenty of “awwws” from passersby.

We had a great day! Hope to have another adventure like this again soon.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. Friday was perfect pug weather – sunny, but with a refreshing cool breeze. I got done with work a little early, so in the afternoon Sid and I ventured east to the lake.

Sid must have smelled the sand and surf because as soon as we got a block away he started getting really frisky and started pulling me down the sidewalk which is out of character for him.

Our first glimpse of Lake Michigan occurred at our usual spot, Foster Beach. But the water level was much higher than normal and the entire “dog beach” section of the beach was under water! You see, the area BEHIND the fence is where the dog beach is normally found.

Sid was still just as excited to play in the sand on the outskirts of the dog beach as he would have on the proper dog beach. He had a riot romping up and down the little dunes.

We then headed north along the concrete retaining wall. A few huge waves crashed right near us spraying us with mist – Sid could not conceal his excitement.

“OMG WAVES ARE THE COOLEST! WAAAAAAAAAA!”

If you’ve been following Pug Slope for a while, you know bodies of water of any size – from tiny puddles to massive lakes – have a mesmerizing effect on Sid. He kept intently staring at the waves bobbing and rolling as we strolled along the edge of the walkway.

Soon, we reached the next beach, Osterman Beach.

Sid had a great time running through the larger sand dunes where the grass met the sand. He was channeling his inner-puppy. I had a hard time keeping up with him!

We had so much fun and plan to get to the beach more this summer!

Hi friends!

I went on a huge walk the other day to some uncharted territories and came upon a creature I’d never seen before!

A LAMASSU!

NAMED JEFF!

When I first saw him, I was a intimidated by his size, and all those mixed up animal parts (I didn’t know if should bark at him, run away from him, or beg him for treats) but eventually I mustered up the courage to get closer for a photo op. Jeff was a pretty friendly dude and explained to me that a Lamassu is a hybrid animal consisting of the body of a bull, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a human (complete with lumberjack beard).

Anyway, it got me thinking about what other animal parts I’d like to acquire to turn myself into a SUPER HYBRID. I definitely think wings would be cool – though I think I’d go with hummingbird wings. It would take squirrel-chasing to a whole new level. I’d go with the head of something with a much bigger mouth – like a whale. That way I could gulp down my food with one bite. I think it might be cool to also get some long front arms – like from a chimpanzee. That way I could reach snacks from all those hiding placing much easier!

If you could swap some parts with another animal what would you choose and why?

Hiya Pug Slopers! My, aren’t you looking lovely/handsome today.

I went for an awesome walk yesterday after dinner and wanted to tell you about it. I love going for walks as the sun is setting because (some days) the colors of the sky are incredible!

It’s still pretty dang cold outside – which is why I’ve got TWO layers on – but the wonderful golden hues help keep my mind off my chilly toes. I know some of you guys and gals wear boots but not this pug. Trust me, my dad has tried. I like my tootsies naked.

When is your favorite time to go for a walk?

This weekend, we were lucky to have an entire weekend of fantastic fall weather. Yellow and orange leaves slowly tumbled to the ground via unseasonably warm breezes. Even an alley with electric wires and garbage bins can look amazing this time of year.

Sid and I took a nice long late-afternoon stroll eastward. There’s a cute path in Andersonville that winds along the train tracks. We’ve walked this path many times before but this day it happened to be stocked with an array of carved pumpkins. Sid was interested.

Somehow Sid managed to NOT eat any pumpkins. I couldn’t believe it. He sure gave each one a thorough going-over with his super sniffer though.

After wandering through puddles of dappled sunlight courtesy of the beautiful old trees that line the streets of Lakewood-Balmoral, we ended up at the lakefront. The water was exceptionally high that day and the Foster Dog Beach was about 1/8th its usual size!

Soon, the sun started getting lower in the sky and everything became golden. I love Autumn.

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

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?