Sid and I hope you all had a nice Halloween and that your treat bounties were plentiful. Sid did enter the South Andersonville Neighborhood Association’s dog costume contest again this year but the weather was really lousy. It was rainy and cold so most dogs were soaking wet and shivering. I think Sid’s lion mane came in handy as it kept the water off his face and kept his head toasty! We didn’t win any of the prizes but I think Sid enjoyed parading around with the other costumed pets.

Fall is in full effect here in Chicago and despite the lousy weather on Halloween day every other day has been exceptionally gorgeous. We took a trip to a park that is about a mile away from our apartment and flanks the Chicago River. It’s the aptly named “River Park”.

I love that retro-looking sign!

Sid had a great time running through the fallen leaves and sniffing all those fragrant Autumn scents.

Although he was able to get pretty close to the river there was a fence that prevented him from taking a dip.

River Park is filled with trees of all sizes. Many of them were lovely shades of orange and red. Have the leaves started changing color where you live?

We’re going to try to get over to River Park at least once a week to see all the trees change color this month!

Happy Friday everyone! OHMYGOSH, I have a crazy story to share with you today.

So my Dad just got back from an African safari and he got to see an actual lion in the wild!

He said this lion was very tiny, but had a stocky body and a flat-face. He said it was very pug-like!

Even though the lion looked fierce, he said this one was actually really chilled-out, and even let my Dad rub his belly. I can’t believe lions like belly rubs just like us pugs do! Pretty crazy, right?

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!

Today we are celebrating Sid’s 10th Birthday!!! As we mentioned in our last post, Sid and I went on a camping adventure over the weekend so we were on the road for his official Birthday on Sunday. We had a great time hiking and camping and will tell you all about just as soon as I sift through the few hundred photos we took! Since we were away from home I postponed the dispensing of Sid’s Birthday cake until today…so here it is in all it’s goopy, chewy, crunchy glory:

I packed it with Sid’s favorite ingredients: apples, peanut butter, clementine oranges, and (as many of you had predicted) baby carrots.

You should have heard the screeching going on while I was making the cake. At one point Sid slipped on his own drool.

OK Sid, this is it. Get Ready…Get Set…GO!!!

He went straight in for the apples – the peanut butter layers didn’t slow down his chewing one bit!

Now on to all the snacks dabbled along the perimeter!

And now to lick up any remnants! A pug leaves no trace behind.

Folks, that whole cake was gone in about 2 minutes. Based on the way he just burped in my face, I think he liked it!