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.

People, Sid has come down with a severe case of Beaver Fever.

Um, no, not BIEBER FEVER, I said BEAVER FEVER.

Yes, BEAVER FEVER. Wait, no, not that kind.

I meant something more like THIS:

I’m not sure there is a cure for this condition (though Sid doesn’t seem to mind one bit).

Has anyone else come down with a case of B.F.?

Hey friends!

I think the weather may be broken. If it’s not totally broken, it’s definitely confused – or maybe just indecisive. It’s like when you root around in your toy bin and keep pulling out different toys. One minute you want the tiny plush froggie, then you see the hide-a-squirrel and must have it immediately. Then like two minutes later you crave that delicious deer antler. Yeah, so that’s what the weather’s been doing – first it’s sweltering hot, then grey and rainy, then sunny and beautiful for 20 minutes, then mega-thunderstorms roll in (My voice is raspy from all the barking I had to do during the most recent storm). Now it’s just cold. So see what I mean, IN-DE-CI-SIVE.

However – there is a SWEET side-effect when the weather turns fickle. Well, two actually. First, my walks have been shortened to like fifteen minutes each. This is because we could get caught in a thunderstorm any minute. I know sometimes I like walks but on the whole, but sometimes my dad goes a little crazy and takes me on his “errands”. Um, sorry, Dad, but I really don’t want to walk with you all the way to the CVS to get toilet paper. The second side-effect is that when I have to be cooped up due to inclement weather, my dad feels bad so he goes into the new toy stash and pulls out something fuzzy and squeeky and oh-so-irresistable. So, thank you, weather for being confused or indecisive or totally broken this past week. Now, back to my toy thrashing.

Hey there pug peeps! Oh man, speaking of ‘peeps’ guess what I DIDN’T get to eat this weekend (no ham, bacon, cookies, or pancakes either…sigh).

But I did get something that, while not edible, is super cool. Check it out!

 It’s an EASTER EGG!  What makes it EXTRA cool is that my talented aunt made it especially for me by hand. It’s similar to my plush potatoes (that you know I’m obsessed with) but even better because it has a nubby texture that I quite enjoy.

 Plus I can get it nice and wet and mold it into a shape of my choosing. Oh, and I almost forgot, she also PUT A SQUEAKER INSIDE! Yes, this may be the ultimate dog toy. Thank you, Auntie E!!!

Now, back to work…

Sid and I are getting settled into the new apartment and Sid’s been very helpful with the unpacking. Well, at least the unpacking of HIS stuff.

Well, I hope everyone was as fortunate as Sid this year because he got all that his heart/stomach desired and more this Christmas.

First up was a hand-made fleece blanket from his grandmother (he’s sitting on it in the photo above). It’s extra thick so it doubles as a play mat where he can round up his toys and partake in a good chew session. The bright colors help balance out the ho-hum grey weather we’ve had all December in Chicago.

Also in the photo above you might be able to catch a glimpse of Sid’s new collar (look closely under the neck fat).

It was made by Kelly from Collars By Design. She has fantastic patterns and it was hard for me to pick out just one. The collar is really soft, sturdy, and the colors are really vibrant! I would definitely recommend her shop if you are looking for a new collar with some style.

Lastly, Sid got a Wigzi  Stuff n’ Throw ball and grain-free crunchy peanut butter treats (“Tasties“) to stuff inside the ball’s pockets. He absolutely LOVES this thing! It’s perfect for keeping him busy while I shovel down my own food.

Oh yeah, and last, but not least: Squeakers.

And by Squeakers, I mean a GIGANTIC BAG FULL OF SQUEAKERS!

Whoops - I said that too loud and now Sid is staring at me expectantly.

For those of you that might not be hip to the cutting edge of pug culture, according to Sid – “Raw squeakers are the new coolest thing among pugs“. You can read more on his obsession with ”raw squeakers” here.

Hope you all had a great Christmas and all got some fun and tasty stuff!

Sid’s been the center of attention since his b-day earlier this month, and amid all the craziness of 1000 Pugs weekend, he also had two special non-pug (i.e. human) visitors.

It was Payton‘s ‘rents, Tim and Christy! They were in NYC for the last leg of their multi-city Remembering Payton tour and the NY/NJ 1000 Pugs photo shoot.

As soon as T & C set foot into PugSlope HQ, Sid knew he was in for a treat. Especially when he noticed the bright-colored gift bag Christy was toting. Like most of his flat-faced bretheren, Sid assumes that any bag or box that enters his domain (our apartment) is undeniably his. This time, he was actually right.

If I get close enough, I think I can see through the wrapping paper.

The first gift was a plush IntelliBone which is one of those puzzle-type toys that Sid goes ga-ga over. Plus every little component has a sqeaker inside so his mind was definitely blown.

It didn’t take Sid very long to pull all the plush donuts off the center bone, at which point he decided to show off by coyly using the bone as a head-rest. Yes, we are now justified when referring to him as a bonehead. Wah-wah.

This is how we store our bones on Planet Cool Sid.

Of course, we couldn’t just let him sit there all smug with his little peanut head resting on that bone. So we put the donuts back on. And he took them off again and proceeded to perch his head, victorious, on the bone again. After repeating this process a few more times, Sid was losing steam. By the end of night he just laid there like this:

Every five seconds or so, he’d gently squeeze the bone, just to confirm it was still there in his mouth and that he wasn’t dreaming.

But the excitement wasn’t over just yet. Another package was pulled from the bag. Inside was a framed photo of the fabulous Miss P herself along with a very special confidence shirt.

This shirt is actually the one that Payton is wearing in the photo. We were all moved by this very thoughtful gift (even Sid blushed – though he’ll never admit it) and were so glad we got to spend some time with such a great couple.