OK, I know you’ve been just DYING TO KNOW what was on the other side of that fountain that I wrote about earlier this week.

Well, it was none other than Minnie and Max, the celebrity head-tilting pug pair, along with three-dozen or so of their flat-faced fans.

I immediately hopped over the fountain to say hi to Minnie and Max and all the other pugs. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this many curly tails in one place!

I even ran into my fellow Chicago friends Violet and Timmy! If you remember, I met them last summer on the Chicago Canine Cruise. We talked shop about manipulating our humans to get more treats and how to avoid walks when it’s raining outside.

They also informed me that Minnie and Max were in town for the Milwaukee Pug Fest. Violet and Timmy were planning to caravan up there along with them after this pug party.

When this many pugs get together there is bound to be some games of bitey-face going on!

I didn’t get an individual photo with Minnie and Max but I did get in the massive group shot. I’m near the middle leaning to one side (posing tip: it makes you look cooler when you lean to one side and stare off into the distance). Also, this represents only about HALF the pugs that attended the party.

(Photo courtesy of Minnie and Max)

I had such a crazy fun time! I was totally wiped out by the time the party wrapped up and I slept the whole train ride home. Hope to see and sniff all these lovely pug faces again soon!

Hey there all you adorable denizens of Pug Slope, USA. Sid here with you today and boy do I have an adventure to tell you about!

On Saturday, my dad got me up earlier than usual and frantically gathered up all my day-trip accessories: red travel bag, portable water dish, stylish bandana, and the most important thing – treats. Before I knew it, we were on the El train rumbling our way downtown.

We arrived at this quaint little dog park in Lake Shore East Park. Not only was it filled with tons of shade-providing trees and bumpy hills with fake turf but there was a magnificent stone water fountain right in the middle of the dog park!

As you know, I’m totally obsessed with water, so I just HAD to check this thing out up close.

After pouring into the main reservoir, the water flowed into a little stream that snaked through the dog park. All the pups enjoyed getting a cool, clean drink from the stream. As usual, I preferred to play in it.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I looked up and saw a fellow pug taking a drink right from the stream!

And then another pug joined us. And then ANOTHER! The pugs seemed to be multiplying from the other side of the fountain. Was there some kind of cloning machine over there?

I stood up on my hind legs to peer over the fountain and get a closer look…

Guys, you are NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT I SAW… (to be continued)

Some days, just going for your afternoon walk requires way too much effort. For Sid, today happened to be one of those days.

I think he may have been partying too late last night.

Or perhaps it was a series of intense dreams that prevented him from getting his normal 12 to 14 hours of shut-eye.

Or maybe this is all just a ploy to get us back home faster so he can get his routine post-walk treat.

Okay, okay, little guy. Let’s get you back home and revive you with some baby carrots!

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend! I know we will!

Those of you that have been following Pug Slope for a while know that Sid has a thing for bolsters. He’ll use just about anything for a bolster, whether it’s a plush toy, someone’s leg, or even the edge of a laundry basket. It doesn’t matter if the object is hard or soft, small or large. If a pug’s head can be rested on it, Sid will plop his little cranium down on said object.

I was wondering why Sid was taking so long to warm up to the new fancy bed he got for his 10th Birthday this past October, but today I think he finally figured out what makes this bed so amazing and now he can’t get enough of it.

Holy big billowing bolsters, Batman! And he doesn’t even need to lay down to use them!

Well HELLO my friends!

It’s Sid here today with you. I’m so excited that it’s Friday and the sun is shining. It’s gonna be a great weekend, I just know it! I’m ready to get outside and see (and sniff) what’s going on in this great big world.

Maybe I’ll go down to the lake, or to the River Park, or to Winnemac Park…hmmm so many options. I just gotta wait for my dad to finish up his work…

PFFFFFT! Hello, Dad?! What do I need to do to get some attention around here? The work day is done, let’s go for a walk, man!

I hope you all get up to some fun adventures this weekend!

When Sid and I went for our morning walk the other day, we made a slight detour. I know from the photo above, with the retro lockers, space-age chair, and sparkly floor, that one might think were in a bowling alley. Unfortunately for Sid, were not going bowling but were instead going for something else that starts with the letter “B”.

So, um, like where do I rent my shoes?

The weather here for the past couple of weeks had been very wet and that, coupled with some major road and sewer construction underway in our neighborhood, had led to large swaths of mud and puddles of water the size of small lakes. Our walks took us right through the heart of this mucky territory daily. In summary: the pug was filthy.

This explains why we were not rolling strikes but were instead squeezing bottles of pug shampoo. The caked-on mud required a bit more shampoo than normal, but soon our flat-faced wonder was squeaky-clean and smelling of coconuts.

Now, Sid, don’t forget to dry off!

In case you didn’t know, we are currently at the apex of the Semi-Annual Pug Shed-A-Thon. I’m sure you other pug owners can relate to the moment when you realize: no, a crew of carpet installers did not creep into your home in the wee hours of the night and lay down some wall-to-wall beige-colored shag carpeting; IT IS ALL PUG FUR! And yes, one of those minuscule hairs did just stab you in that tender part of your foot like a tiny tan needle. OUCH!

And this is all from a SINGLE PUG, remember. I don’t know how you multi-pug people do it. I suppose at some point you just embrace the fur-floor life and accept that you can never have people over to your house ever again.

Well, I thought I might try to nip things in the bud before they got too out of control, so I got out a new bag for the vacuum cleaner and put that poor machine to the ultimate test. After some serious sucking, I was able to see the oak floorboards once again. How lovely!

Although not everyone would agree with me. Whenever I tidy up the apartment, Sid gets in a rebellious streak and tries to undo everything I tried to accomplish. I mean, according to him, all those individual pug furs are strategically placed like a work of art. So this time he decided it would be a perfect time to rummage around in his toy bin and extract every toy – including some he hadn’t played with in months or possibly years.

I tried to help him at first as I thought maybe he was just hunting after a certain toy. Nope. He just wanted to put all the toys back where he likes them: scattered around the entire living room. And soon to be covered once more in a layer of pug fuzz.