Hey all friends (furry and non-furry) –

Happy New Year!

Sorry I’ve been a little absent from blogging lately. I’d love to say that I’ve just been spending the days playing with my Wigzi but I have actually been busy unpacking and settling into my new home.

Yep, I’m officially a “Chicagoan” now. So far all I know is that Chicago is freakin’ cold and although there’s lots of cool new stuff to sniff and I live a block away from a HUGE park, the major problem is that I HAVEN’T SEEN ANOTHER PUG YET!!!

What gives?! Am I the only pug in Chicago? I mean, when I was crashing with my grandpugrents, I didn’t see any other pugs either, but that was the ‘burbs where every family has a pack of labradors or golden retrievers or aged yorkies (e.g. my cousin, Elly, who hates me for no reason. Oh right, I did eat all her food. Twice.)

Well, I did meet a few neighborhood non-pug dogs and they actually seemed cool. We did some sniff circles and all was right with the world. Though it’s hard to relate sometimes – I mean, you can’t really talk about how it stinks getting your nose flap cleaned out, or how your tail just isn’t as curly as it used to be…*sigh*.

I think I just need to THINK POSITIVE.

On the plus side, I’ve been told that I might be able to change the name of the blog back to PLANET COOL SID (which is the best name ever, right?) because I don’t live in Park Slope anymore. I think my masthead needs some more carrots, too…my belly could also use a few right about now.

Well, I hope everyone was as fortunate as Sid this year because he got all that his heart/stomach desired and more this Christmas.

First up was a hand-made fleece blanket from his grandmother (he’s sitting on it in the photo above). It’s extra thick so it doubles as a play mat where he can round up his toys and partake in a good chew session. The bright colors help balance out the ho-hum grey weather we’ve had all December in Chicago.

Also in the photo above you might be able to catch a glimpse of Sid’s new collar (look closely under the neck fat).

It was made by Kelly from Collars By Design. She has fantastic patterns and it was hard for me to pick out just one. The collar is really soft, sturdy, and the colors are really vibrant! I would definitely recommend her shop if you are looking for a new collar with some style.

Lastly, Sid got a Wigzi  Stuff n’ Throw ball and grain-free crunchy peanut butter treats (“Tasties“) to stuff inside the ball’s pockets. He absolutely LOVES this thing! It’s perfect for keeping him busy while I shovel down my own food.

Oh yeah, and last, but not least: Squeakers.

And by Squeakers, I mean a GIGANTIC BAG FULL OF SQUEAKERS!

Whoops – I said that too loud and now Sid is staring at me expectantly.

For those of you that might not be hip to the cutting edge of pug culture, according to Sid – “Raw squeakers are the new coolest thing among pugs“. You can read more on his obsession with “raw squeakers” here.

Hope you all had a great Christmas and all got some fun and tasty stuff!

I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas!

I actually got to open all my presents on Christmas Eve (in trade I had to wear that dorky sweater all night but it was totally worth it). Doodz, I got some SWEET stuff. I can’t wait to tell you all about it. But that will have to come later as I’ve got a bunch of Christmas parties today and I’ve been busy formulating a plan to obtain maximum treats from all my human relatives!

Not sure how everyone else fared, but Chicago didn’t get hit too hard with snow from what was supposed to be a “huge” storm. In fact, the sun is actually out (a welcome sight after like 2 weeks of overcast days) and the snow will probably be gone by this afternoon! I made sure Sid got a chance to hang out (and eat) the snow before it vanished.

Looking forward to seeing some family this weekend and the “Holiday Magic” lights at the nearby Brookfield Zoo. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Hello, ladies, ladypugs, gentlemen, and gentlepugs, welcome to Pug Court.

The court is now in session. Kindly take your seats.

Today’s case concerns a pug who has been accused of taking advantage of his grandpugrents this past week while his father was away.

Mr. Siddhartha Lamont has been accused of the following:

1. Waking his grandpugrents up at 5:15 am every morning and demanding that his breakfast be served immediately.
2. Hovering around his grandpop during dinner and slurping up any scrap that fell to the floor – even things on the DO NOT EAT list: Pizza crust, crumbs, pistachio shells (at least he spat these out).
3. Almost giving his grandmom a heart attack when he hid a small plush Christmas ornament. He made her think he had EATEN the ornament when he really had it hidden down in the basement the entire time. His grandmom had to spend the entire day searching the house to make sure he hadn’t EATEN the ornament as she was afraid he’d choke on it.
4. Multiple accounts of sneaking around gates and eating his dog-mate Ellie’s food even though he promptly received his normal meals every day.
5. Plunging muzzle-first into his giant bag of dog food when his grandmom had her back turned for 2 seconds.
6. Eating birdseed (Come on, seriously?! Are you THAT desperate!).

Mr. Siddhartha Lamont, after hearing all the accusations against you, how do you plead?

It sure has gotten cold here. Luckily, Sid makes a pretty good heat source and he’s decided that after lunch is the time to sit on my lap to keep me warm. While I appreciate the gesture (and the warmth), this happens to be the time when I’m WORKING. I’m not sure what the people on the phone make of the various snorts and grunts they surely hear in the background.

Sid’s actually got an exciting week in store as he will be under the watchful eye of his grandpugrents. I’m sure he’s going to pull out all the stops in re: his special moves to obtain treats. Most people cannot resist when a pug flashes “the pathetic look” their way, ESPECIALLY grandpugrents. We might as well say goodbye now to his waistline.

Hope you all have a great week and we’ll catch up with you soon!

Today, the general mood here at Pug Slope Midwest HQ took a 180-degree turn for the better. And all it took was the arrival of an enormous box from Sid’s favorite online store, Mr. Chewy.

Yep, Mr. Chewy doesn’t mess around. I think he intentially used the biggest box imaginable to make Sid flip his gourd. I mean, Sid goes berzerk whenever I bring anything home in a small grocery bag so you can imagine his excitement upon seeing a box the size of a dorm fridge.

It didn’t take long for his determined paws to shred through the layers of kraft paper to get to the real MEAT of the package: Salmon & Chick Pea food and Venison treats (both the crunchy and chewy varieties).

Thank you, Mr. Chewy, for brightening this pug’s day – I mean MONTH.