Hot Pug in the City
We did a pretty good job avoiding the heat when it rolled in last week, but on Sunday we made an error in our timing of Sid’s morning “business meeting.” Taking Sid out for his walk at 7am seemed like a great way to avoid the long-simmering heat of the late-morning / early-afternoon hours, but our half-awake brains didn’t think about the fact a 7am walk meant that he’d need to go out for his evening business around 5 or 6pm at the latest – – hours that had been among the hottest of the preceding days. With a morning walk that early, there was no way Sid was going to make it until sundown, so we started brainstorming a solution that would provide Sid relief from both the heat and his bladder.
Luckily, we already polled our (amazingly resourceful) pug readers on the topic of keeping cool back in June.
Mochi had suggested a cooling vest, which is brilliant, but we never got around to actually buying one before we encountered the moment when we desperately needed it.
Payton said something about a Frogg Togg. I’m still not quite sure what that is or what it means. I Googled it and found some people-clothes for camping…regardless, it was still something we’d need to buy. We needed a NOW solution. Always at the last minute over here at Pug Slope!
Noodles suggested freezing a wet Sham-Wow and draping it over Sid’s back. Hmm. Now, we (sadly) don’t own any Sham-Wows, but we do own hand towels! And a faucet! And a freezer!
And that is how Sid became the dorkiest coolest pug in Brooklyn:
Sid didn’t let his dorky accessories bring him down, though, even when we ran into some cooling-accessory-free (i.e., normal) dogs on 7th Ave. He looked those dogs in the eye, lifted his leg up high, and acted like wearing a frozen hand towel on your back while peeing was the new hot thing. When he was done with his business, he trotted over to them and said, “My mom says there’s nothing cooler than safety,” which is a decidedly un-cool thing to say, but I’m not going to be the one to tell him that. I’d rather he avoid heat stroke than win homecoming king.
Then we came across a fire hydrant spraying cool water into the street and onto the sidewalk. We tried to turn this into a Pug Slope photo op, but Sid’s new-found confidence and strong regard for safety kept him from playing along. “Dad, you of all people should know that water is a leading cause of lost marbles in flat-faced dogs,” proclaimed Sid. Sigh.
So, Sid wouldn’t play in the spraying water, but we managed to get him to stand near the hydrant for a few quick shots.
And, when we got home, we followed Sid’s Mimi’s advice of putting a frozen water bottle in the dog bed. Like I said, the coolest pug in Brooklyn.
Tags: apparel, Ma and Pa Demski, photos, Sid
July 26th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Sid, you are the coolest! And don’t let anyone tell you any different! Your parents love you so much too – what a great idea about the frozen towel. The Frogg Togg (http://www.froggtoggs.com/#cooling/) is amazingly cooling, but the hard thing is getting it to stay under the harness (Noodles idea) when you are active or “taking care of business”. I would still recommend it though cause worse case, it’s wonderful to lay on. Stay cool, my friend!
Love,
Payton
July 26th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Hi Sid! Nahhhhhhhhhh, being cool is Cool. You should see how we go out, cooling vest, cooling collar, ice packs… etc, etc.
Frozen wet towels are great, also you can wrap ice cubes in the bandana or something, and tie it around your neck. Cooling the neck area where the blood vessels are is suppose to be effective.
BTW: We just join this site called Pet Hub — they are practically giving away this tag that people can scan w/smart phone in case you get lost. (I don’t work for them or anything — but I thought it was a good idea, and wanted to share the info.)
http://www.pethub.com
(The tags are practically free, but you have to pay S&H, so it’s not really free, but do check it out!)
July 27th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Sid, You are the coolest no matter what you have on or don’t have on. I personally think you’re at your best when going au naturale… just saying. Mom just called me a hussie.
I “heart” Sid
Mochi
July 27th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Sid, you aren’t going to believe this, but one of my friends, Sabrina, had her mom make her a vest out of the Frogg Togg Chilly Pad. Here’s the before: http://pugtails.net/2011/07/21/cooling-vest-the-design-stage-may-be-done/. And here’s the after: http://pugtails.net/2011/07/27/wordless-wednesday-cooling-vest/. I’ll keep you posted if she shares the details on how to make one.
Love,
Payton
July 27th, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Thank you all for the tips! Thank goodness that heatwave broke! Now we’re back to more normal summer temps.
Oh Mochi – A hussie! LOL! We’re definitely guilty of taking some photos of Sid that one might consider, um, “provocative” to say the least. Ha ha.
Howdy Payton – Thanks for the links to that custom frogg togg chilly vest that Sabrina’s mom made. It is awesome! It looks very professional. Definitely keep us all posted if your mom makes you one!