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!

Thank you all for the suggestions for Sid’s upcoming 10th Birthday! There will DEFINITELY be baby carrots involved, as many of you recommended. There are also a few surprises in store this month and the first one will be taking place this weekend (his actual Birthday is on Sunday the 4th).

I’ve been busy packing up the suitcase, backpack, and for this trip, some pug supplies and accessories.

Like most dogs, he seems to know that when the suitcase comes out, something is going on. He’s been by my side every moment and has been trotting from room to room attached to my ankles. Even though he has witnessed me packing up some of his t-shirts & bandanas, bags of his food, and his spare food and water bowls, I don’t think he understands yet that HE’S COMING WITH THIS TIME.

I think once I get his travel bag down he’ll put two and two together. This will be Sid’s first time camping! Well, technically we’re staying in a primitive camping cabin rather than a tent, but still it will be an adventure! We’ll be sure to take lots of photos and will provide a full report once we get back to civilization!

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and be sure to snack on a b.c. or two on Sunday to celebrate with Sid!

Sid was having one of his usual lazy mornings, you know, just layin’ on the ol’ paw, so I thought I’d tell him some news that would perk up his ears.

Hey Sid, don’t you know that next weekend is your 10th Birthday?!

“Uh, SAY WHAT?! Are you serious!?”

Yep, it’s true. My little buddy is turning 10 next weekend so we expect to do a month of celebrating (my Birthday is also in October). I’ve got to start planning now! Any suggestions for activities or gifts for a pug that’s turning the big one-oh?

About a week ago, I rented a nice camera lens for the weekend (for the photo buffs out there, it was a Canon 50mm 1.2L). This is a really nice lens that I cannot really justify buying outright, but luckily there is a camera shop called Dodd Camera just a bike-ride away from Pug Slope HQ. They have tons of equipment that can be rented out and have really good rates for the weekends.

I headed out to Winnemac Park with Sid to try out the new lens. Sid seemed exceptionally excited about this particular photo shoot – probably because I actually remembered to bring some treats with me this time.

In the early Spring, the park district does a controlled burn of the prairie areas of Winnemac Park so back in April of this year the area on the far side of the fence looked totally barren. To see what I mean check out this post from April. Over the summer, though, the plants quickly return and grow at incredible rates. Soon the whole prairie area is filled with lush green leaves and lovely flowers that last all through the summer.

The plants are all native species, so the local pollinators are very attracted to them. There are often lots of bees collecting pollen and even monarch butterflies fluttering by!

Sid didn’t want any bees accidentally landing on him so he trotted over to one of the more open areas of the park near the weeping willow trees.

After a little stroll through the field he laid down near the far end of the park and made sure I delivered with the treats. He was being very photogenic so I complied.

I’m definitely excited to try out some other lenses from Dodd. Maybe next time I’ll try a fish-eye lens so I can show you guys some LARGER THAN LIFE close-ups of Sid’s pug mug?! I wonder if he’d approve…

Hey guys –

So yesterday, my dad was sitting at the table reading a book so I strolled up to him and did this:

Now usually, this move will get me a treat. But guys – get this – it DIDN’T. My dad just looked at me, smiled, and then went right back to his book. SERIOUSLY!

I don’t know what’s up. I mean a smile is nice, but you can’t eat a smile. And even if you could, there’s no way it would be as delicious as a blueberry.

Have I lost my touch? It’s ok, you can level with me.

Could it have been that I did this too soon after being fed my dinner? I mean, I had waited five minutes which felt like an ETERNITY!

What gives?

I mean, you’d give me a treat if I sauntered up to you like so, right?

Excellent at sorting socks and keeping them warm so they maintain their “fresh from the dryer” feeling.

May leave behind stray pug hairs…

and will definitely sleep on the job.

On a typical day, Sid and I go for at least one of our walks through the beautiful park in our neighborhood: Winnemac Park. I thought I’d tell you a little more about it today.

Winnemac Park is exceptionally large for a neighborhood park. It’s filled with enormous weeping willow trees and large areas of native prairie plantings that are stuffed with bright flowers and tall grasses that sway in the breeze. Woodchip paths wind through the native planting areas and rustic wooden fences create a border around them.

Sid loves smelling all the plants and certain sections of the fence where other dogs have left him “messages”.

There are also a few baseball diamonds, a large playground, tennis courts, a large soccer field, and a stadium that is part of the adjacent high school.

Lots of families take their young kids to play in the park, and those of us without kids take our dogs there. It’s usually a very peaceful place, especially if we go there for our early morning walk.

If you ever come to visit Chicago, we highly recommend visiting Winnemac Park. Sid told me he’ll take you on a guided tour himself!