I thought the cooler fall weather was what prompted Sid to wear a scarf the other day, but he said it was to add a “pop of color” to his harness.

He’s been watching a lot of What Not To Wear reruns and I think Stacy and Clinton have been putting ideas into his little pug brain.

Are any of you wearing scarves to stay warm this fall? Or just to add a pop of color?

P.S. If you haven’t had a chance to sign the petition to allow pets in carriers aboard Metra trains, please consider signing this weekend. Thank you for your support and have a wonderful weekend!

Hi there all you adorable Pug Slopers –

I’m totally knackered after a full week of partying for my 8th Birthday (which was technically on Friday). So this week I plan to SLEEP, EAT, and then SLEEP SOME MORE in order to recuperate. But first, I wanted to share some photos from all the B-Day festivities.

First, was my TOWERING Birthday cake that dad “baked” for me.

The cake consisted of alternating layers of sliced apple and peanut butter topped with a FULL-SIZE CARROT (a significant upgrade to the baby c’s I am known to devour). To “fancy it up”, he placed some raspberries around the perimeter. He knows I’m not 6 years old, but said he ran out of raspberries (I’ll forgive him). I couldn’t wait to eat the cake. I stared goggle-eyed at the creation as it was being built on the kitchen counter. I may have even whined like a puppy the whole time.

Next was a fresh new toy – a skinny squirrel with squeakers at both ends. I take pride in my ability to crustify any new toy no matter how soft and fluffy it initially is. After a couple days of intense chewing and hiking it through my legs, the squirrel now has crispy saliva-spiked fur and both squeakers have been silenced. I’m a professional, kids, don’t try this at home.

As a grand finale to Birthday week (which technically extended into this week because Dad took the day off on Monday), we went to the Foster Dog Beach! I got to run around like a maniac on the sand and also swam some laps in Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, I was too exhausted to edit together a sequel to PUGWATCH, so you’ll have to use your imagination with these still photo highlights:

All in all, it was a total blast and I can’t wait for my next Birthday! I hope you all got to celebrate along with me and get some EXTRA TREATS!

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, LITTLE BUDDY!

LOVE,
DAD xo

(The Birthday mayhem will continue in our next post – A.K.A. “Sid devours his Birthday cake”)

Hi Pug Slopers!

OHMYPUG! I’m just so excited! You know why I’m so excited? Well, because this is my favorite week of the year. And you know why it’s my favorite week of the year? Well, that’s easy – because it’s my BIRTHDAY WEEK!!! Woop!

My 8th Birthday is on Friday and that means this week will be filled with extra treats, extra belly rubs, and hopefully a new toy or two. I know I already have a ton of toys but nothing beats a FRESH one – with a functional squeaker.

I’ve been getting myself psyched up by looking at some of my previous Birthday posts. Here’s a few to show what awesomeness may be in store…

• Birthday Week Continues (2012)
• Happy Birthday, Little Buddy! (2012)
• This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things… (2011)
• They Say It’s Your Birthday! (2011)
• Birthday Boy! (2010)

 DISCLAIMER: OK, technically this post is not wordless – Sid and I would like to thank you all for signing the Metra petition that I wrote about on Monday! I really appreciate your support and hope someday soon, Sid will be able to take a journey out to the suburbs on the Metra train. If there are any other petitions for your cities to allow pets on trains or transit, please let me know, I’d be happy to give my support!

Well, I don’t mean the whole world – actually quite a small bit. Specifically the policy that doesn’t allow pets in small carriers on the Metra commuter trains that connect Chicago to its suburbs.

The photo above is of Sid was getting ready to hop inside his travel bag while at the airport last year. Most airlines allow small pets in the cabin as long as they stay inside an approved carrier during the flight. Same goes for all the buses and subterranean & elevated CTA train lines in the Chicagoland area. Somehow the Metra commuter trains, which connect the suburbs to the city, opted for a no pets period policy. Plegh. That’s a lot of P’s.

All of my family live in the suburbs and most of them are within walking distance from a Metra train stop. So if Sid and I want to visit them we have to rent a car, which for one is expensive, and, more importantly, defeats the purpose of living in a city with a great public transit system. We don’t want to contribute to auto traffic congestion – we want to ride the trains!

After doing a little research, I came across an online petition that had been created earlier this year by a like-minded individual who was looking for the exact same thing that Sid and I were looking for: a change to Metra’s pet policy to allow small pets in carriers (like everyone else!).

I know many of you do not live in Chicago, but if this issue hits home at all – perhaps the same type of policy exists in your city – please sign the petition. The more places we can bring our furry companions the better, right? THANK YOU!

This weekend, Sid and I took a road trip to visit our friends “Aunt” Anna and “Uncle” Andrew at Delmonte Lake up in Wisconsin. We had taken a trip up there a couple months ago and Sid had taken a refreshing dip in the lake. The weather was quite a bit cooler this time around, so unfortunately, swimming was out of the question. Instead we opted for a ride around the lake on a “surf bike” with Anna.

As you can see, the surf bike is basically two surfboards fused together with bicycle seats and pedals to power the propellers below. It’s actually a lot more stable than I had expected. Sid was a bit reluctant to board at first, but once he got his “lake legs” he had no trouble keeping his balance.

See, he even laid down for part of the excursion. And there weren’t even any treats on board!

After the aquatic adventure, the humans played some poker while Sid kept an eye on the poker chips. He quickly lost interest though when he realized the chips were not edible. He did however get ample amounts of baby carrots which lifted his spirits.

It was a really nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the windy city. Thank you to Anna and Andrew for such a fun time!