Thank you for all the well-wishes on Sid’s 12th Birthday.

His “cake” this year was more of a sculpture of mini towers of apples and carrots (two of his favorite snacks).

He kept a focused watch on me the whole time I was assembling it. Yes, sir, I’m making your cake as fast as I possibly can. Sheesh!

I was pretty impressed that he sat in his bed and waited for the “ok” signal before chowing down. This is not an easy feat for a treat-crazed gremlin!

Ready, set, GO!

Sid ate the cake so fast I don’t think he even took a breath the whole time.

Here is one happy (and spoiled) pug! Maybe we should have cakes more often.

Today, my favorite little creature in all the world, Siddhartha Lamont Sanchez Demski, turns 12 years old! He’s still very spry for an older gentleman. Here’s to many more years of treats, belly rubs, and ridiculous adventures together!

Love always,
Dad

xoxo

Hello everyone! We interrupt our Have Pug, Will Travel recap because today is the best day of year here at Pug Slope because it’s Sid’s Birthday! Woo hoo!

I can’t believe my little guy is turning ELEVEN today! Instead of the typical apple-based cake I’ve made for him in the past, I assembled three mini towers consisting of a crunchy treat foundation, banana walls, peanut butter ceiling, and strawberry roof.

Sid could barely contain his excitement as I was making it. There was lots of scrambling around beneath my feet, screeching & whining, and even a few barks to ensure I was putting things together as fast as possible.

Needless to say he wolfed it down in a matter of minutes and then promptly passed out in his bed. He’s a pug, what more can I say!

Before he zonked out, he said to make sure if you have a pup to give them an extra treat (or five) today to celebrate!

And so Sid’s Birthday month continues on…

Since he was turning the big 1-0 this year, I thought it’d be okay go a little overboard with regard to Sid’s Birthday present. At Pug Slope, we don’t mess around. When we decide to go big, we GO BIG. Literally.

Somehow as soon as the monolith entered our apartment, Sid knew it was for him. Maybe the cute graphic of the dog wearing a bowtie on the side of the box was a give-away. Or perhaps it is the fact that the majority of the letters and packages that arrive at Pug Slope HQ are inevitably for Sid.

Not caring who it came from, what it was doing here, or who it was actually for, Sid was determined to get that giant box open.

Once he got the enormous box open he pulled out the BIG gift…

He immediately hopped into the new bed, started spinning around and circles while digging at the pillow and bolsters to break it in. He’s very particular when it comes to his bed. Like most pugs, he’s crazy about bolsters, too, and this bed has the plushest bolsters I’ve ever seen!

So Sid, do you approve of this ridiculously luxurious new bed?

WOO HOO!

I’ll take that as a yes.

Wait, hang on a minute. What is going on here? Do you mean to tell me I could have saved myself some money and replaced your bed with a box from the recycle bin?! Oh brother.

(Continued from Part I)

The grounds around our camping cabin were so dark and quiet that both Sid and I slept like rocks. Actually more like pug loaves. That is, until Sid’s internal clock kicked in and the thought of breakfast overtook his brain. I think he may have eaten breakfast at 5 am though it was too dark to tell. The sun hadn’t even thought about rising yet. After his breakfast and quick run into the cold pre-dawn morning for a bio break, he plunked right back onto my sleeping bag until the sun finally decided to show its bright face.

RISE AND SHINE, CAMPERS!

Sid was raring to go! We picked up my Mom at the Turkey Run Inn, and set a course for Trail 4. The weather was much warmer than the day before and the sun was shining brightly. It was certainly an ideal day to enjoy nature!

Trail 4 was not only very scenic and serene, but was also fairly easy on the legs. The end of Trail 4 connected up with a section of Trail 3 which is one of the most rugged trails at Turkey Run. Long sections of it wind through narrow canyons formed by the small but quick-moving creek below. It can be tricky navigating through the canyons and most first-timers end up half-soaked, caked in mud, and wondering if they are actually still on the trail. Sid didn’t seem to mind if he was on or off the trail, just as long as he was able to stroll through the water, and GET WET!

After a snack and a little relaxing, my Dad joined up with us and we headed to another trail – Trail 6. It also follows a creek, but the banks are much wider so it is a lot easier to navigate.

Even though the trails along along the banks were wide and flat, Sid spent most of his time hopping over logs, crawling on top of boulders, and wading right through the water.

And of course, he couldn’t resist one more pose on a rock! A true outdoorsman, I mean outdoorspug.

Then we hopped in the car for the trip back home. Sid was passed out (half-way out of his travel bag no less) the whole ride home. Guess all that fresh air and hiking wore him out.

We had so much fun at Turkey Run we’re going to go again in the Spring!

As I mentioned a week or so ago, Sid’s 10th Birthday fell on a weekend and I wanted to do something special with him to celebrate this momentous milestone. I rented a car, popped Sid into his carrier, loaded up our gear into the trunk, and cranked up some tunes as we peeled out of our alley and hit the highway.

“WOO HOO! ROAD TRIP!”

We set our course for Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. Even though he can’t read a map, Sid is still the best co-pilot ever.

My family has been coming to Turkey Run for many years, but this was Sid’s first time there. The Turkey Run Inn, where we usually stay, doesn’t allow dogs so we opted for a camping cabin at Up the Creek which is right up the road from the park. It was definitely on the rustic side but certainly a step up from a tent.

After we dropped off our gear at the cabin, we strolled over to the Inn to meet up with my parents who were joining us for the weekend.

Time to hit the trails! Turkey Run has the best trails (including the infamous “Trail 3”). The more rugged trails can get pretty challenging though they often end up being the most fun (or you end up soaked in water and lose a shoe in a mud pit – which has happened to us before!). Since this was Sid’s first time doing this sort of thing, we kept it simple the first day and began with one of the less-intense trails.

Even though the trail we were on wasn’t classified as “rugged”, there were still some challenging obstacles. Sid was very proud of himself for conquering this pile of boulders.

We took a little break near a small lake that looked especially mysterious due to the lighting and the cool moist air that made everything misty.

Sid was a little hiking machine! Look at him go!

We took another break at one of the covered bridges. There are tons of covered bridges all over the county and they have a festival every year devoted to all the covered bridges. Sid said he’d prefer a baby carrot festival.

And then some more hiking!

We ended our trek at the suspension bridge and Sid took a little dip in Sugar Creek to cool off (and to single-handedly ensure none of the pebbles beneath the water were treats in disguise).

After our hiking, we had some dinner back at the cabin and tried to start a fire in the firepit next to our cabin. Unfortunately my camping skills weren’t quite up to snuff and the campfire was a bust. Instead, we just chilled out in our cabin, listened to some music, and ate some snacks. Once it got really dark, we hit the hay to rest up for our next day!

To be continued in Part II…

Hiya Pug Slopers!

Sid here with you today to close out the week. Thank you so much for all the Birthday wishes! I hope every one of you was able to celebrate with me and have a baby carrot.

And SPEAKING OF BABY CARROTS, I’ve got a story for you.

So just the other day I got up to get a drink a water and when I came back to my bed, there was a package sitting there with my name on it!

It came all the way from the home of Donald and Daisy! I couldn’t contain my excitement so I started ripping open the package.

I could not believe what was inside. It sounded like this toy was designed specifically for me!

I asked my personal chef (a.k.a. Dad) to fill it up ASAP with some b.c.’s and seal it off with some peanut butter!

You can probably guess what happened next…

Thank you so much Donald and Daisy, and their parents, Tim and Christy! What a thoughtful Birthday present. I love it!