Hobbling Around in Holland

We would like to thank you all for the positive thoughts and good pug juju you sent to Sid regarding his hind leg and back. He’s doing much better now and his pug saunter is almost back to 100 percent. He’s got a few more laser therapy sessions at the vet lined up so we’re keeping our fingers/paws crossed.

I know we just finished up reporting on our HPWT trip that culminated with a stop in Holland, MI, so it’s only fitting that we went back there just a few days after I wrote that last post! This time my friend Anna (affectionately known as “Aunt Anna” to Sid) and her young son came along on our adventure.

Holland is about a three-hour drive from Chicago and midway through our journey we stopped for lunch at Panera. Anna and her son ate inside while Sid and I got our lunch to go and ate outside in the rear hatch of our rented Toyota Rav4.

IMG_3935

“Hold up!” you might be saying right now. Yes, I did say “ate outside”, and yes our adventure was taking place in the middle of winter. Well, let me explain. Somehow on this late January day the sun was shining brightly, the sky was cloudless, and the outside temperature was almost 60 degrees! It definitely felt surreal but certainly made our dining al fresco experience extremely enjoyable. Sid even got to indulge in some potato chips which he normally would never get.

We arrived in Holland and our first stop was the music store R.I.T. Music. You see, one of the intentions of this trip was so I could buy a guitar amp I had seen at the shop when Sid and I passed through Holland on our HPWT trip last September. Mission Accomplished! We then took a stroll down the main drag, 8th Street. Well, the three humans strolled; the pug rolled.

IMG_3942

Yes, this happened to be the day that Sid’s back leg stopped working properly, almost immediately upon arrival at our destination. After an attempt to carry him left me with a tingling arm in under fifteen minutes, Anna thoughfully suggested we prop Sid up in the vacant stroller her son had been riding in earlier.

Being carted around like royalty came natural to Sid and although I had now become “that guy that pushes his pug around in a children’s stroller” the smiles he put on the faces of passersby made it all worthwhile.

We got some delicious sorbet and ice cream at Kilwin’s and that’s when Sid laid into me and Anna with his classic guilt-trip stare.

IMG_3943

Like a sucker, I fell hard for it and soon the little furball was lapping away at my ice cream. Within minutes both Sid and Anna’s son were under the spell of a massive sugar rush!

IMG_3950

We checked out a few more shops on 8th Street and then hopped in the car and rode over to Windmill Island Gardens. In the winter there isn’t really anything happening in the garden department, but the grounds are open, and free, and THERE IS A HUGE DUTCH WINDMILL! How could we resist?!

IMG_3956

The sun was setting by this point and the sight of the pink and purple clouds reflecting off the canals was magical.

IMG_3971

If you ever are passing through western Michigan, be sure to stop by Holland. It’s pug-approved!

IMG_3963

Pulling My Leg

We hope you all are having a pleasant January. It has been unusually warm here in Chicago — especially for January! In lieu of snow we’ve been getting tons of rain which makes walks difficult because, as we all know, pugs REFUSE to walk in the rain.

Another thing that has made walks difficult is that one of Sid’s rear legs decided it would stop working properly on Saturday morning.

IMG_3974

He didn’t seem to be in any distress and would put weight on his left hind leg but something was clearly not normal. His gait was wobbly and he also kept his rear end tucked a bit, so it was off the vet. Hooray!

Well, there were no signs of pain or distress which was a relief. After examining him and looking at the symptoms, the vet suspected Sid may have experienced some mild disc compression in his back.

He received some fancy laser treatment on his back and some meds to help with any inflammation. He’s doing much better today and he’s got more of the normal pep in his step. But I wouldn’t say he’s 100-percent back to normal. If you could spare some good pug juju, please send a little our way. I’m hopeful he’ll be back to strutting his stuff again in a couple more days but for now we’re keeping our walks short, naps long, and the little guy gets carried up and down all stairs (I secretly think he may be faking the whole thing for this reason).

Have Pug, Will Travel – Part 6

Everyone staying warm? We hope so! We’ve been having a pretty relaxing January so far. I was casually flipping through some photos on the computer last night and realized I never wrapped up our Have Pug, Will Travel trip from September (Boy, does time fly)! So here is the much-anticipated (I’m sure) HPWT finale!

(If you need to catch up with earlier installments, here’s the whole kit and kaboodle.)

hpwt_poster

When we last left you in Part 5, Sid and I had enjoyed an evening stroll along the beachfront after a day of several amazing hikes at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. After a restorative forty winks in our home on wheels, we woke up the next day and made breakfast. Sid embraced his managerial role, making sure I split the blueberries evenly between us.

IMG_3175

Since our campsite was so close to the beach, we took an enjoyable post-breakfast stroll in the sand.

IMG_3186

And of course we couldn’t resist taking a few glamour shots.

IMG_3204

We then packed everything back up into the van and got back on the road. Our next destination was the town of Holland, Michigan. After a scenic drive along the western-Michigan shoreline, we eventually arrived at the Lake Macatawa campground located within Holland State Park. And, like most campgrounds we stayed at during this trip, we were just a short walk to the water! Time for a dip!

IMG_3240

As you can see in the corner of the picture, there are kayaks for rent on Lake Macatawa, but unfortunately it was a little too late in the day by that point to rent them, so instead we headed towards downtown Holland. Our first stop was Kollen park where there were lots of people out enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.

IMG_3246

The town of Holland is very charming and we enjoyed just walking around and people-watching. The main drag, 8th Street, is lined with little specialty shops, brew-pubs, and restaurants.

IMG_3260

Oh, and of course DOG BOUTIQUES!

IMG_3263

The staff at Decadent Dogs were very sweet and extremely generous with free samples of their gourmet treats, which Sid very much appreciated. They seemed to be giving Sid extra-special treatment and I didn’t know why until they told me about their town mascot: a pug named Lucy. Yes, you heard me right — A PUG!

LucyPug

(Photo of Lucy from Discover Holland Facebook page)

Unfortunately we didn’t get to meet Lucy in the fur because she was on vacation, but Sid left her a message (via “pee-mail”) at her headquarters for when she returns.

IMG_3254

We were in our element as it seemed like everywhere we looked, the town of Holland was obsessed with pugs. Even in the old-fashioned clock shop!

After a nice afternoon out strolling through the town, we arrived back at our campsite and Sid enjoyed a few treats he picked up at Decadent Dogs. Yum!

IMG_3283

The next morning, we packed up and headed back to sweet home, Chicago.

IMG_3230

Sid and I had such a fun time on our adventure and we hope you enjoyed traveling along with us! We can’t wait to make plans for our next Have Pug, Will Travel adventure!

New Year Delay

Happy 2017 to all of our friends both furry and fur-less!

After the holidays it got REALLY COLD in Chicago – we’re talking BELOW ZERO with the wind chill so we’re been hunkered down at Pug Slope HQ and thus haven’t had much opportunity for adventure lately.

I think Sid’s okay with that.

img_3921

He told me his resolution this year is to get fatter (duh, I mean it’s the goal of every pug in existence). He’s already well on his way though as our walks have been extremely brief due to the arctic conditions outside.

img_3924

So he’ll be napping, snacking, and increasing his diameter until Spring comes — then it’s Pug Boot Camp time (shhh, don’t tell him!).

Merry Christmas 2016

Hello all my friends!

I can’t believe Christmas is almost here. I already emailed my list to Santa (he’s pretty tech-savvy) and of course it contained Wigzi balls, crunchy treats, b.c.’s — you know, the standard stuff.

On behalf of my dad and I, we’d like to wish you all Happy Holidays! Hope you all get to enjoy some time with your families, scarf down lots of treats, and play in the snow (or at the beach if you are so lucky)!

sid-christmas-2016

Stay warm, folks!

White Out

That first snowfall earlier this month was very pretty but the snow only lasted a day or two. Remember, though, that this is December in Chicago so naturally it wasn’t long before we got another dose. Our morning walk that day took us once again to our favorite neighborhood spot: Winnemac Park.

img_3767

Upon arrival at the park, Sid became sour due to the added difficulty one experiences when one is trying to sniff out the perfect pee spot and everything sniffable is covered in thick mounds of cold fluff.

img_3761

But his mood did a complete one-eighty when he set eyes, or rather nose, on the raised garden beds located in a corner of the park near the high school. The beds were overflowing with dried plant stalks which are an optimal medium for sending/receiving pee-mail, so I am told.

img_3766

I do hope we keep getting snow here because the added humidity the snow brings makes it feel slightly warmer than usual and prevents the city from becoming a stark frozen tundra. And it sure is purdy.

img_3760

It’s Baaaaack!

img_3757

Yes, folks, it is now OFFICIALLY winter here in Chicago. We got a few inches of snow yesterday in the form of large fluffy flakes. Of course the first snow is always the best, especially when the temps are still bearable. You’ll certainly get a polar (pun intended) opposite opinion if you ask me about snow in April, but for now Sid and I are enjoying it immensely. Well, maybe me more than Sid.

Have you gotten any snow where you live yet?