We would like to thank you all for the positive thoughts and good pug juju you sent to Sid regarding his hind leg and back. He’s doing much better now and his pug saunter is almost back to 100 percent. He’s got a few more laser therapy sessions at the vet lined up so we’re keeping our fingers/paws crossed.

I know we just finished up reporting on our HPWT trip that culminated with a stop in Holland, MI, so it’s only fitting that we went back there just a few days after I wrote that last post! This time my friend Anna (affectionately known as “Aunt Anna” to Sid) and her young son came along on our adventure.

Holland is about a three-hour drive from Chicago and midway through our journey we stopped for lunch at Panera. Anna and her son ate inside while Sid and I got our lunch to go and ate outside in the rear hatch of our rented Toyota Rav4.

“Hold up!” you might be saying right now. Yes, I did say “ate outside”, and yes our adventure was taking place in the middle of winter. Well, let me explain. Somehow on this late January day the sun was shining brightly, the sky was cloudless, and the outside temperature was almost 60 degrees! It definitely felt surreal but certainly made our dining al fresco experience extremely enjoyable. Sid even got to indulge in some potato chips which he normally would never get.

We arrived in Holland and our first stop was the music store R.I.T. Music. You see, one of the intentions of this trip was so I could buy a guitar amp I had seen at the shop when Sid and I passed through Holland on our HPWT trip last September. Mission Accomplished! We then took a stroll down the main drag, 8th Street. Well, the three humans strolled; the pug rolled.

Yes, this happened to be the day that Sid’s back leg stopped working properly, almost immediately upon arrival at our destination. After an attempt to carry him left me with a tingling arm in under fifteen minutes, Anna thoughfully suggested we prop Sid up in the vacant stroller her son had been riding in earlier.

Being carted around like royalty came natural to Sid and although I had now become “that guy that pushes his pug around in a children’s stroller” the smiles he put on the faces of passersby made it all worthwhile.

We got some delicious sorbet and ice cream at Kilwin’s and that’s when Sid laid into me and Anna with his classic guilt-trip stare.

Like a sucker, I fell hard for it and soon the little furball was lapping away at my ice cream. Within minutes both Sid and Anna’s son were under the spell of a massive sugar rush!

We checked out a few more shops on 8th Street and then hopped in the car and rode over to Windmill Island Gardens. In the winter there isn’t really anything happening in the garden department, but the grounds are open, and free, and THERE IS A HUGE DUTCH WINDMILL! How could we resist?!

The sun was setting by this point and the sight of the pink and purple clouds reflecting off the canals was magical.

If you ever are passing through western Michigan, be sure to stop by Holland. It’s pug-approved!

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!

This weekend, Sid and I took a road trip to visit our friends “Aunt” Anna and “Uncle” Andrew at Delmonte Lake up in Wisconsin. We had taken a trip up there a couple months ago and Sid had taken a refreshing dip in the lake. The weather was quite a bit cooler this time around, so unfortunately, swimming was out of the question. Instead we opted for a ride around the lake on a “surf bike” with Anna.

As you can see, the surf bike is basically two surfboards fused together with bicycle seats and pedals to power the propellers below. It’s actually a lot more stable than I had expected. Sid was a bit reluctant to board at first, but once he got his “lake legs” he had no trouble keeping his balance.

See, he even laid down for part of the excursion. And there weren’t even any treats on board!

After the aquatic adventure, the humans played some poker while Sid kept an eye on the poker chips. He quickly lost interest though when he realized the chips were not edible. He did however get ample amounts of baby carrots which lifted his spirits.

It was a really nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the windy city. Thank you to Anna and Andrew for such a fun time!

While I was away this past weekend, Sid got to enjoy a staycation at home with his special guests / pug caretakers extraordinaire, Aunt Anna and Uncle Andrew. The overall report was generally good and although A & A had to deal with Sid’s mopey/stubborn side, they also got to experience his sweet/cuddly side.

Here’s a few photos that Aunt Anna took during her weekend at PugSlope HQ:

Look how low I’ll go for a baby carrot!

Mr. Grumpy-face McGee

LOOK AT HOW PATIENTLY I’M SITTING HERE! NOW MAKE WITH THE BABY CARROTS!

Oh, that? It’s just my SUPER AWESOMELY DELICIOUS CHEW-CHEW-CHEWABLE DEER ANTLER, that’s all.

Thank you to A & A for taking such great care of my loveable, difficult, cuddly, hilarious, grouchy little dude.