As soon as Sid and I heard about the Anti-Cruelty Society‘s Canine Cruise, we signed up immediately. I’m a sucker for boats, especially those that are half-filled with creatures of the furry variety.

It had been a few years since Sid and I had been off dry land, but luckily all his sailing apparel still fit.

As soon as we got in line for boarding, we saw a group of some other pugs, and the pugnetic forces quickly pulled us all together.

Those are two of Sid’s new friends, Violet and Timmy. Attempts to get all three pugs in the same photo looking in the same direction were made but proved to be futile.

It turned out that Sid and Violet had met once before, at the pug pool party last summer. As soon as the cameras came out they both started turning on the charm and tried to top each other’s posing prowess (photo below from Violet’s instagram: @violet_pug).

The boat was filled with pups of all shapes and sizes, from tiny terriers to lumbering labradoodles. Sid and I sat with our new pug friends and their human companions. By the time we were ready to set sail, our pug trio grew to a quartet with the addition of another new pug friend, Chloe. She was looking stylish and staying dry in her little blue raincoat. And it even matched the chairs on the boat – way to coordinate!

The weather had turned pretty chilly and dreary as we lifted anchor, but it was certainly nice to be outside with all the pups, casually floating along the Chicago River.

Along our tour, both humans and dogs received snacks and beverages which made the ride much more enjoyable. According to Sid, anything can be improved with treats.

We had a really fun time and would like to thank the Anti-Cruelty Society and Mercury Cruises for putting together such a fun event. Sid can’t wait to set sail again!

Hi there, my dearest denizens of Pug Slope!

I hadn’t had a chance to catch my breath from my last few adventures when I was hit smack in the nose-flap with another round.

First off, I got to kick up my paws at Osterman Beach again.

This unusually-cool June weather has been PERFECT for pug adventures. The sun may have been shining brightly but the temps weren’t too high there was a nice breeze to keep me from overheating. I also brought along my trusty rusty water dish for mid-adventure refreshment. And then when I was done gulping down all the water flipped my dish over and used it to make sand castles. At least that’s what I attempted to do.

I had heard tales of tantalizing discarded hot-dog tid-bits and pizza crusts lurking in the tall grasses that border the sand but my search wasn’t very fruitful. Er, wasn’t very hot-dog-ful. Or crusty. Still, it was fun to smell all those great beach scents and to squish the sand between my toes.

So, not only did I get to go to the beach, BUT I ALSO GOT TO GO ON…

(make sure you are sitting down, folks)…

A BOAT!!!

And not just any boat, but A BOAT FILLED WITH DOGS!!!

I’m sorry to tease you with just one photo, which was taken by one of the other pug’s parent, but my human still hasn’t pulled our photos from the camera. I’ll tell you all about the boat ride in my next post.
Until then, eat treats and prosper.

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.

How about those thunderstorms?!?!

If you live anywhere near the midwest you know what I’m talking about. We had some intense rainfall and thunderstorms the past few days. The plants around our neighborhood were certainly happy and it seems like anything green and leaved has doubled in size. The pug, however, wasn’t super thrilled about the rain and we had a couple walks where we both ended up drenched and miserable. Although once the rains stopped we were greeted with a gorgeous morning of fresh air, blue skies, and soft breezes.

There were also lots of sweet puddles throughout Winnemac Park which I think in Sid’s mind made up for all the trauma he experienced trying to poop while getting soaked the night before.

Did anyone else go play in some puddles today?

Guys, I think Sid forgot how a bed works.

He seemed pretty comfortable in this position, although I would think putting one’s WHOLE body in the bed might be a tad more comfortable. But what do I know.

Are there any other pugs out there that also prefer this half-in half-out approach to napping?

Hey Slope-o-philes!

Sid here today closing out this week. I hope everyone has something fun going on this weekend!

So guys, the other day on my walk I got this peculiar feeling. A feeling like I was being watched.

Has that ever happened to you? And I don’t mean that usual weird feeling of your human watching you while you poop. I’d already instructed my dad long ago to look away while I do my business so I can have a little privacy. This was something different.

I don’t know, I just had this funny feeling of eyes peering at me. I just can’t figure out why. Hmm…

P.S. How do you like my NEW MASTHEAD?! It has been a while since I changed it and I had such a fun day at the beach last Friday I thought I’d use a picture from that adventure. I hope you like it!

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!