After reading about Puglet’s new fish friend named Swedish, Sid thought he’d try his hand at being one last thing – a fish. It didn’t turn out so well when he realized he’d have to put his head under water. He was also severely disappointed to discover that what he thought were piles of treats below the surface were just pebbles.

He’s still happy to be a pug.

Monday mornings are usually prime pug-snuggle time, but on this particular Monday morning I could tell Sid had something on his mind.  After a few minutes of belly-scratchin’, Sid looked off into the distance and said, “Mom, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be not a pug.”

“Not a pug?” I replied. “A pug seems like a pretty good thing to be.”

“Yeah, being a pug is cool,” said Sid, “but there are so many things out there that are all going about their day, being what they are, and I’ll never know what it’s like to be any of them.  I only get to be a pug.  And you only get to be you.  And Dad only gets to be Dad. Doesn’t that make you feel, you know, a little sad?  Ew, sorry for the rhyme.”

“No problem, buddy, and, yeah,” I sighed, while scratching his ears, “sometimes that does make me sad.  But, you know what’s great? Every now and then I can pretend to be not me.  Like, when I’m writing a script, or doing improv, or even just dressing up for Halloween.  I can put myself in something else’s shoes and for a little while I can see what life might be like if I were something other than me.”

“Pretend, huh?  Can I pretend to be not a pug?  Uh, I mean, not forever, of course.  I don’t want to miss dinner.”

“Of course!  Pretending is just a temporary change.  Zero commitment!  What do you want to pretend to be?”

Sid thought hard for a moment. “There are sooo many things…”

Sid proceeded to imagine life as a meerkat, tipping back for a good lean while resting his arms awkwardly on his belly.

“Man, being a meerkat is a pain in the neck!” he quickly exclaimed.

Then Sid pretended to be a snail, slowly extending his neck while bugging out his eyes in opposite directions.

“Snails must be dizzy all day long,” he sighed, “and talk about patience! It must take them years to get to their food bowl!”

Then Sid pretended to be a rose bush, unfurling his tongue into a pretty pink bloom.

“Tho this ith what it’th like to be a rothe?,” lisped Sid, valiantly attempting to stay in character.  “Being a rothe thinkth!”

Then, for whatever reason, Sid pretended to be Brian’s yoga ball.

“Not bad,” reasoned Sid, “although I imagine my opinion of this would change if Dad were actually sitting on me all day long.”

“What are you pretending to be now?” I asked.

“I’m pretending to be YOU pretending to be a person who can play guitar!”

“Wow, Sid,” I laughed.  “That’s pretty meta!  Well done!”

“I don’t know what meta means,” Sid groaned, “but all this pretending to be something that’s pretending to be something that’s pretending to be something is making my brain hurt!”

So, Sid took a break from pretending while I gave him a nice head massage.

And after spending a moment or two deep in thought, Sid looked up and said, “You know, Mom, I think I might actually be pretty lucky. I get to be a pug.”

Um, Sid…I think you’re supposed to, uh, sleep inside the bed.

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.

It’s just too hot to be outside today – especially if you’re a pug. We’re trying to stay inside as much as possible today. Sid has set up camp in front of the A/C.

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!