It’s a good thing Sid spent a few days resting up in preparation for Pugs Take Chicago because it was insane!

I’d reckon close to 100 pugs (and their human servants) from all over the U.S. dropped into Lake Shore East Dog Park this past Saturday.

Sid arrived in his red travel bag after a relaxing ride on the El train.

At first he tried to play it cool but once he realized how many freakin’ pugs were present, he lost any semblance of aloofness and started sniffing every pug butt he could find.

He had a great time playing in the fountain and the small stream it flows into. This really is one fantastic dog park. I only wish it were closer to Pug Slope HQ!

Pugs from California to Maine were represented, including the head-tilting pair from San Francisco, Minnie and Max!

Sid also got to hang with his midwestern pal, Violet, who also calls Chicago home.

There was a whole lot of running, sniffing, barking, and begging for treats going on.

By the end Sid was pretty knackered and snoozed in his travel bag the whole train ride back home! We can’t wait for the next one!

Hey fur-riends!

It’s Sid with you today. Reporting live from the nerve center of Pug Slope HQ. Yes, I know it just happens to be my bed.

The reason why I’m in bed is because I’ve been taking several extra naps each day to store up energy for this weekend’s pug meetup in Chicago. Along with from my fellow flat-faced Chicago pals, Violet and Timmy, dozens of pugs from all over the country will be coming into town by air, by rail, and by dog stroller. This is the weekend the pugs will take over Chicago!

There are several activities taking place over the weekend including a pug cruise. I sailed on the cruise a couple years ago (in appropriate nautical attire, natch) and so I will be skipping it this year, but I am planning to be at the meet and greet at Lake Shore East Dog Park. I was there last summer for a pug party and it was absolute mayhem.

Let me know if you are planning to go!

For more detailed information on PugsTakeChicago click here.

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!

Hi everyone! Sid reporting. I’m so glad you’re here today. I want to tell you about the insanely fun time I had last weekend. Now that I’ve had a few days to recuperate, I’m ready to tell you all about it.

Well, I first knew something was up when my dad starting digging around in the closet and out flew my red travel bag. Last time that got pulled out we ended up going on an epic adventure in Lincoln Park. This time, however, we didn’t ride on the El train but instead got on a city bus. When we arrived at our destination in the west loop – Pet Care Plus – I was greeted by a handful of friendly pugs. Some of them were wearing flotation devices which I thought was odd, until I set eyes on… THE POOL!

I began by doing a few laps around the perimeter. To make sure the pool was, you know, up to all the proper regulations and such.

There were a few pugs swimming and some bobbing around in their floatation devices. I noticed a few other pugs just hanging out at one end of the pool, where the water was only dew-claw deep. Aha! That looked like a good place to start.

It was very hot and the sun was beating down, so getting my feet wet felt splendid and instantly cooled me off. Then all of a sudden I saw something familiar in the water. It was my glow-in-the-dark WIGZI ball!!! My dad had brought it with so we could play in the water.

It floats, and sometimes it would drift out of my reach into the deep end…

See how I put on the brakes?! Luckily my dad or some of the other awesome humans there would toss it back in my direction so I could try to bob for it in the shallow water again. Trying to catch it in the water was really challenging. I eventually found the best strategy was to quickly dunk my whole head under water to grab hold of the ball.

I decided to take a break from playing with the WIGZI ball so I waded back into the shallow end of the pool. Well, guess who I ran into?! None other than my friends that I met last month on the pug boat tour – Violet and Timmy!

That’s me and Violet – isn’t she cute?! She’s very petite. She just celebrated her 10th birthday and brought home-made mini cupcakes for all the pugs. They were delicious! Full disclosure: I actually ate two cupcakes. Thank you so much for the cupcakes, Violet!

I was feeling a bit mischievous and saw Violet trying to take some glamour shots, so I thought it’d be funny to photo-bomb them (with my blue potato, of course). Hee hee!

My dad and I played a bunch more with my blue potato, I met a bunch of other cool Chicago pugs, and I was the lucky recipient of some complementary butt scratches. Yes, that is the spot!

All in all, it was the perfect day for a pug.

And now you can hopefully understand why I was soooo pooped when I got home! I can’t wait to go to the next pug pool party!

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Thank you so much to Violet’s mom, Christina, for taking the bulk of these photos. See, my doofus dad, in the heat of packing all the beach towels, toys, sunscreen, and other items, FORGOT to bring his good camera! So Violet’s mom was kind enough to take a bunch of shots of me! THANK YOU, CHRISTINA!

Also, THANK YOU to Chris and Dee Dee for organizing and hosting the event. If you live in Chicago and are interested coming to the pug meetups, the group’s website is: http://www.meetup.com/chicagopugs.

As soon as Sid and I heard about the Anti-Cruelty Society‘s Canine Cruise, we signed up immediately. I’m a sucker for boats, especially those that are half-filled with creatures of the furry variety.

It had been a few years since Sid and I had been off dry land, but luckily all his sailing apparel still fit.

As soon as we got in line for boarding, we saw a group of some other pugs, and the pugnetic forces quickly pulled us all together.

Those are two of Sid’s new friends, Violet and Timmy. Attempts to get all three pugs in the same photo looking in the same direction were made but proved to be futile.

It turned out that Sid and Violet had met once before, at the pug pool party last summer. As soon as the cameras came out they both started turning on the charm and tried to top each other’s posing prowess (photo below from Violet’s instagram: @violet_pug).

The boat was filled with pups of all shapes and sizes, from tiny terriers to lumbering labradoodles. Sid and I sat with our new pug friends and their human companions. By the time we were ready to set sail, our pug trio grew to a quartet with the addition of another new pug friend, Chloe. She was looking stylish and staying dry in her little blue raincoat. And it even matched the chairs on the boat – way to coordinate!

The weather had turned pretty chilly and dreary as we lifted anchor, but it was certainly nice to be outside with all the pups, casually floating along the Chicago River.

Along our tour, both humans and dogs received snacks and beverages which made the ride much more enjoyable. According to Sid, anything can be improved with treats.

We had a really fun time and would like to thank the Anti-Cruelty Society and Mercury Cruises for putting together such a fun event. Sid can’t wait to set sail again!