We realized recently that all of our posts about Prospect Park off-leash hours make Sid’s pug pack seem like a boy’s club.  Sure, Sid may be a bit of a man’s man, but the Prospect Park off-leash pug party is no Snausage-fest.

There’s a bunch of curly-tailed gals who have just as much snort-sneezin’ fun as Sid, Eddie, and Winston while running around the park like maniacs.

First, meet Timothy.  Yes, Timothy.

“What’s your problem? You’ve never met a lady named Timothy before?”

Timothy’s a tough-talkin’ no-nonsense sweetheart.  Her harness may be lined with titanium studs but her heart is lined with gold.

Then there’s Lily.  Fighting Irish fan and master of the toothy flap-flip.

Lily can run circles around the boys but that doesn’t stop her from showing off a fresh manicure…

or enjoying old-fashioned displays of chivalry while out on a walk. (Well done, Eddie!).

And finally, there’s little Lola.

This fun-loving girl-next-door is not only Eddie’s best friend…

she’s also apparently the pug equivalent of the Girl from Ipanema.

For real.  Winston, especially, can’t get enough of Lovely Lola.

And Sid can’t get enough of these Park Slope pugs!

After a non-stop string of daytime temps in the high eighties, it’s clear that we’ve hit the dog days of Summer. Those of you who’ve been keeping up with us for a while know that, much like a chef planning a menu at a Park Slope restaurant, we keep our masthead seasonal. And now it’s time for the debut of our Summer 2011 Masthead! Woo hoo! (In case you missed them, here’s Spring 2011 and Winter 2010).

Here’s how the photo shoot went down:

This time we came armed with plenty of tastey potato & venison morsels to ensure Sid would hold his poses. We made it plain and simple for him: If there was trick, there would be treat. 

He was skeptical about this agreement as unfulfilled promises of treats at the Spring masthead photoshoot left a sour taste in his mouth – well, um, actually make that no taste. We also had some problems getting the exposure right. Determined to get our shot, we thought that perhaps a new location might perk the little guy up and provide us with better lighting conditions.

“OK, buddy, we know you’ve got places to go and pugs to see, but can you give us a little less ‘tude and a little more cute & cuddly?” I think he was also tapping into his sass reserve that was left over from Flap-Flip Friday.

“There we go! That’s more like it. We know you had it in you.” OK, yes, we only got the adorable smile because we offered him double treats.

“That’s a keeper! Good work, Sid!” Triple-treats got us a coveted smile-with-full-tongue-exposure. He may have a high compensation requirement, but Sid sure can deliver.

Sid was worried he’d be the only neighborhood pug at Prospect Park on July 4th.

But, when we arrived at the Long Meadow for off-leash hours, there were already six – SIX! – pugs running around like maniacs in celebration of our nation’s independence.

Eddie was there, leading the pack…

And Winston made his official off-leash hours debut!

The lovely Lola couldn’t get enough of Winston’s puppy energy…

And Sid’s friend Bruno brought along a new buddy…meet Pugsley!

If patriotism were measured in licks, snorts, and circular high-speed chases, these pugs would be right up there with Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin.

Get this pug’s face on a dollar bill, stat!

According to Sid, today is that special day of the year during which we pug-loving humans say “what would we do without you, pug?” and then shower our flat-faced buddies with lots of special treats.

It’s also the fourth of July!  So, once you’re done celebrating your dependence on pugs, be sure to eat some baked beans and catch some fireworks in honor our nation’s independence!  Huzzah!

This Sunday we had a great time at the off-leash hours in Prospect Park. Many of Sid’s pug friends were also in attendance, including his buddy, Eddie.

However the real party was just getting started.

As we, Eddie, and his parents were on our way out of the park, in strolled a familiar face: Winston!

Sid pulled Winston aside and attempted to impart the ancient ways of treat acquisition, while Eddie explained the best technique for face licking.

Almost immediately, in walked another pug friend, Cosmo!

Cosmo started running and everyone else joined in the chase. At this point, it was starting to become difficult to tell everyone apart as they all had on blue harnesses (I think we ended up bringing the right pug home with us).

Of course, Winston ended up being the center of attention.

We can’t wait for next weekend!!!

Sorry the posts have been a bit sporadic this past week – we had some company in town.

My parents came out for their first visit to NYC. Needless to say, we had a lot of ground to cover so every day was pretty much packed with activities. We did manage to squeeze in some Sid time with them and they both got to see our little guy run around like a maniac at the Prospect Park off-leash hours. Go, Sid, go!

A few weeks ago, we started taking Sid to the off-leash area of Prospect Park in the mornings before we started work. While we haven’t been religious about it, we’ve been getting out there at least a few times a week.

Sid just loves it so much. It’s hard to avoid feeling guilty when we sleep in too late, or start our walk and then turn around the corner instead of crossing the street to the park. Oh yes, he knows the route by heart.

Anyway, he’s met many new furry friends at the park, and one in particular is Eddie the pug. Meet Eddie:

Eddie is a very social pug (he even has his own facebook page!) and he and Sid hit it off really well as they share mutual interests in eating treats, high-speed dog chasing, and pug-rent manipulation tactics.

Like Sid, Eddie’s a very athletic pug and is always ready for playtime, or running laps around the park. They actually obtain some pretty high speeds for pugs. So fast, in fact, that I was unable to get a good photo of them careening around the long meadow.

Eddie is still young and impressionable so Sid has been trying to impart the ancient methods of treat-obtaining to him. Sid’s technique involves flying at top speed from person to person at the park, not unlike a bee going from flower to flower, until he finds the jackpot: some poor unsuspecting sucker with a baggie full of treats and a weakness for adorable smooshed faces.

“WAAAAA! WHERE’S THEM TREEEEEATS?!“