Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Sid wasn’t a huge fan of the fireworks, but luckily they subsided by midnight so we could get some shut-eye.

As promised, we have footage of Sid taking a dip…

But first, a little more about our trip to Delmonte Lake. Before actually going into the water, Sid got to ride on a paddle boat which included a hand-held umbrella to keep him cool.

I’m not sure if he even realized that he was riding on an actual boat – he seemed pretty excited just watching the wake from the rudder.

We also got to spend lots of time relaxing and playing potato catch.

Sid’s favorite hang-out spot was definitely the kitchen. I think he was hoping that he might procure an extra snack or two from one of the other people staying at the house that aren’t as accustomed to his “manipulate-the-humans-by-cuteness-to-get-treats” skills.

And now for what you’ve all been waiting for…THE SWIMMING!

I’m so proud of my little pug! He did so well in the water! I guess pugs do have more in common with the walrus than just the face. Unfortunately, I don’t have any footage from the next day when he did some more swimming and actually did a few laps WITHOUT his neon-green floatie. He didn’t seem to have any problems swimming without the floatie – so maybe they exist not so much for the dog’s sake but for the over-protective paranoid human’s sake.

Sid had a great time at the lake house and he would like to thank our friends Anna & Andrew for taking him on such a fun adventure!

Sid and I had a fun, relaxing, and simultaneously exciting weekend at a friend’s lake cottage near Burlington, Wisconsin. The drive up was really easy as Burlington is only about an hour and a half from Pug Slope HQ.

Sid enjoyed the car ride up and insisted on sitting right against the door with his arm on the armrest.

The cottage is right on a little lake called Delmonte Lake, so Sid had the opportunity to partake in some aquatic activities.

As usual, he was mesmerized by the water and stood around for a while just repetitively pawing at the surface. I think he was trying to reach the rocks at the bottom of the lake. I had to explain to him that they were in fact ROCKS and not apples, or gigantic venison treats.

Apparently he didn’t believe me and he just kept on reaching. Sid is the ultimate optimist.

Coming up next – SID GOES SWIMMING!

Do you try to play by the rules but never get what you want? Are you frustrated when you do what “the man” tells you but are never rewarded for it? …well then why not CHANGE THE GAME!

I, Siddhartha Lamont, am planning to share my industry secrets with all you fellow pugs and non-pug dogs out there that want to “get theirs”, in my brand new segment…

Today’s installment: “A Little Tipping Goes a Long Way”

Does the following sound like a common situation for you? It’s between-meal time, so of course you’re like STARVING, and your human has the audacity to sit down at the table and start eating something. Ever the obedient companion, you park your keiser next to them and sit, calmly and politely, as you’ve been instructed.

Despite this dazzling display of your mastery of the sit command, your human mindlessly chows down on their grub paying you no mind. You bark. Your human rudely shushes you. What is a pug to do in this situation?

Well, my friends, all it takes is a little tip.

I’m not talking about advice…I mean a LITERAL TIP…of your cute little perfectly-round pug cranium. Like so:

No human can resist this maneuver. It’s a proven fact. In fact, I just proved it right now while you were busy reading this article and guess what – I’m 2 baby carrots fatter now. BOO-YA!

Did I just blow your mind? Why yes, I did. Sorry, here’s some paper towel to clean up the mess.

Since the summer solstice occurred this past weekend, along with the superb Supermoon, Sid and I felt it was time for a new masthead for summer.

The previous masthead photo had been taken when it was like 10 degrees outside and Sid had been wearing no less than 2 layers of fleece. It was definitely time for a change.

We swung over to the park for a little summer masthead photo session.

Ever the seasoned professional, Sid nailed the poses right away and we were back home in no time. As per his contract, Sid received three belly rubs and one Wigzi ball stuffed with treats and peanut butter. Although now it seems he wants to renegotiate in order to include refills.

“Yo! I need a refill!”

Well, the 2-day bear-hunt has ended on a good note. Thank you for all your well wishes during the exhaustive search.

Things got confusing mid-way through the hunt because Sid actually has THREE bears. The one he was looking for is the one in the middle (confusing, right?!):

Sid was very relieved to find this particular bear. It had taken him months of chewing it, soaking it with saliva, and patiently allowing it to dry out in order to get this little bear to its state of “crusty perfection”.

In a show of his appreciation for my role in the search party, Sid was kind enough to pick up all his toys off the floor and put them back into his toy basket.

Ok, I lied. I did that part.

In reality, this is what he did immediately after I had put away all his toys:

(Yes, the little turd is LAUGHING IN MY FACE!)

Have you ever had one of “those days”?

Specifically one of those days WHEN YOU CAN’T FIND THE TOY YOU WANT RIGHT AT THE EXACT MOMENT YOU WANT IT?

You search high, you search low, you practically get lost in your toy bin and yet, even after having pulled every single toy from its hiding spot, this ONE TOY is nowhere to be found.

Hrmmmm…

If you happen to come across a light brown mini plush bear with a non-functioning squeaker, please let me know.