RIBFEST!!!!!!

Today I went for a long walk. We started by going over to the parking lot by Foster Beach where they had a Fire Safety truck. Here's a picture of me by the truck.
I didn't go inside. It seemed pretty boring and then a policewoman came over and gave me treats. Mmmmmilkbones! TWO of them! Let's stay here for awhile. We didn't. We walked over to the bank. Oh boy! More milkbones! I didn't get any. Huh? I thought this bank was "dog-friendly"! We went to Starbuck's. Oh boy! Whipped Cream! I didn't get any of that either. HEY! What the hell?! It's the weekend and I'm supposed to get treats! We went to Parkview Pet Supplies. Oh boy! Lamb puffs! I got some lamb puffs. Mmmmmmore please! I didn't get more. I tried to get a lamb ear, but I wasn't allowed. Seriously, what's the deal? Then we went home. I thought the whole day was going to suck.

Then in the afternoon I went for a car ride. I like car rides. Are we going someplace fun? Will there be food there? Oh my God, stop the car!! I smell RIBS!!!! I could barely wait to get out of the car. Why don't these windows roll down more? Why can't we park closer? Finally we made it to RIBFEST! It smelled so good!! One of everything, please! I smelled ribs and hot dogs, and ice cream and MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

First I tried Cordis Brothers Barbecue. Here's a picture of me standing in line at the Cordis Brothers Barbecue booth. If I wasn't on leash I would have just gone right up to the front, but my human made me wait. But I'm HUNGRY!! Finally we got our ribs. Here's a picture of me eating Cordis Brothers Ribs. Mmmmmmm! They were so good!

Then I tried The Fireplace Inn ribs. Here's a picture of me at The Fireplace Inn booth ordering my ribs. They were so tender and juicy!! I wanted Mozarella sticks too, but I didn't get any. I don't see why not. We got french fries instead. Mmmmmm! French fries! Hey, look who's trying to sneak up behind me - mini me!

Then a band came by. They were playing a bunch of instruments. I didn't like it one bit! Here's a picture of the band. My human tried to take a picture from the front, but I might have ducked behind a pole and taken her with me.

Then I tried some ribs from The Piggery. Here's a picture of me waiting in line at The Piggery booth. Can you see the love in my eyes? My humans are THE BEST! Hey, they have something wrapped in bacon - can we get one? My human got one and gave me some of the bacon. Mmmmmmm! Bacon! Here's a picture of me licking sauce off my human's finger. And Here's a picture of me licking sauce off my nose. MMmmmmmnghghhgnghhh!!!!!!! The Piggery ribs were the best - so tender and fatty!!

Then I went to the Black Rock Pub & Kitchen booth. Here's a picture of me at their booth. Can you see what the sign says?? It says MAPLE BACON DONUT HOLES!!!!!! OH. MY. GOD. I was so excited!! I LOVE YOU!! Here's a picture of me getting a Maple Bacon Donut Hole. See how BIG it is? I got another one! I broke it up and ate all the pieces. Here's a picture of me eating my donut hole. MMMMMM!!!!! Deep fried yummy goodness!! MORE PLEASE! I didn't get any more.

Then I went to the Rub BBQ Company booth. Here's a picture of me ordering my ribs. I'll have a full slab, please! I didn't get a full slab. I got a sampler. Here's a picture of me eating ribs from the Rub BBQ Company. They were salty and chewy. I prefer my ribs juicy and fatty, but they were still really good!

Then I went to Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro. Here's a picture of me standing in line at their booth. Sigh, so much waiting! Here's a picture of me getting a bite of Mrs. Murphy & Sons ribs. They were really tender and the sauce was really thick and sweet. Mmmmmm! Here's a picture of me licking sauce off my human's fingers. It stuck to my mouth. Ummmm. I think I need some water! I was so thirsty I drank out of a community water bowl. Here's a picture of me drinking water. It was kind of gross, but I was really thirsty - those last ribs were spicier than I thought!

Then I went to the Pitchfork booth. Here's a picture of me waiting in line. I'm scoping out which booth to hit next. Here's a picture of me licking the dish from the Pitchfork ribs. MMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

What do you mean we're leaving?? But there are more booths! I didn't try all the ribs! My humans said we had to go. Here's a picture of me at the Ribfest exit. Um, well maybe I could use a nap. My chest hurts. I love Ribfest! It was really crowded and it was a good thing my humans used the leash because they almost got lost a bunch of times, but I still give Ribfest 4 PAWS!! We're coming back for dinner, right? Right???

It's the humidity, stupid!

OH. MY. GOD. The world is melting! Is summer almost over? I think it's almost over. Today I went for a walk. It was SO HOT! We walked all the way to Starbuck's where all I got was water. Then we went to a meet and greet at Ald. Harry Osterman's office. I had a piece of ham and cheese croissant and a piece of cranberry scone. MMMMMMMMore, please! I didn't get any more. I liked Harry Osterman's office, know why? AIR CONDITIONING!! Our house isn't air conditioned. No wait - it IS air conditioned, my humans just haven't turned it on. Hello!! Fur coat? Dying here!! Anyway, here's a picture of me at Harry Osterman's office. See how nice and cool I look? Again, air conditioned. Here's another picture of me at Harry Osterman's office. Hey, flags! Um, I don't see the point. Here's a picture of me with Harry Osterman. We both look nice and cool. Here's another picture of me at the office. Ahhhh, so comfy. I could have stayed right there, but we didn't. We walked to Parkview and I saw Joe. Mmmmmm! Lamb puffs! Lamb ears! AAAAAAIR CONDITIONING! Can we stay here? We couldn't. It was a really long walk home. Sometimes it's a short walk, but today it was long. And hot. Um, hey, if you're not going to turn on the air conditioning, can we get a walk-in freezer?

DEER!!!!

MOST. EXCITING. DAY. EVER!!!!! Yesterday I went for a walk in the park by Foster and Lake Shore Drive and guess what I saw? DEER! Two of them!!! Oh my god!! I had no idea they had those things here! Lemme at 'em! I smelled it first, but I couldn't believe my nose. And then I saw it! It was just lying under a tree trying to pretend it wasn't there, but they can't fool me. I took one look and I knew it was a real deer. Mmmmmmm! Venison!! Here's a picture of the deer trying to hide under the tree.
Hey! I see you! It saw me too and it jumped up and ran. I tried to run after it because I forgot about the damn leash! Let me go!!! My one human held me back and the other one went and took more pictures. Here's a picture of the deer after I scared it away.
Doesn't it look delicious?! Here's a picture of it sitting under another tree with the second deer.
Can you say smorgasbord? I can't, but I know what it means! I tried and tried to get away from my humans so I could go get at least one deer, but they wouldn't let me. Here's a picture of me trying to head back toward the deer.
They're right under those trees! Arrrgh! SO Frustrating!! I'm a hunting dog! Let me hunt!!!! We could eat off those things for days! Weeks, even! They wouldn't let me. I was pulled and dragged down the muddy sidewalk and back onto Foster. For a while I thought I could just head around the back way and get them there, but my humans were on to me. We went to Starbuck's. (Mmmmmmm! Whipped cream!) And then we saw Joe at Parkview. (MMMMM!! Lamb puffs! Lamb ears! Pig ears!) It was all good, but I had a plan. I tried to go to the park on the way home. It didn't work. My humans took me home. You people suck!! You just turned the most exciting day ever into the biggest disappointment ever! But I have another plan…and I'm not telling anyone! Hmph!

Buckingham Fountain

I've been soooo busy this week! I volunteered for Safe Humane Chicago twice. On Wednesday I went to Ruggles Elementary School and on Thursday I went to Finkl Elementary School. Here's a picture of me at Finkl in the office after our presentation.
I'm wearing my purple vest, but you can't really see it. Here's another picture of me at Finkl with another Ambassador Dog, Pudge.
You can see my vest. On Wednesday I got groomed at Soggy Paws. I don't really like being groomed. I don't think it's necessary. I like to do my own grooming at the beach. First I soak in the cold water. Ahhhh, cleansing. Then I roll in the cool sand. Ooooh, body scrub. Then I lie in the front yard for several hours. It's called air drying. Then I shake really well and my fur gets all fluffy. See, totally self-grooming. Clippers? Who needs nail clippers? Not me! Hey! I got clipped. Hmph! The only good thing about getting groomed is that I always get a frozen treat in the car on the way home. This time it was a peanut butter and soy milk pupcicle with molasses. Mmmmmmm! On Thursday after I left Finkl Elementary I went to Buckingham Fountain. Whoa! It's huge! Where do I go in? I wasn't allowed. But I'm thirsty! And hot! Here's a picture of me in front of Buckingham Fountain.
My tongue is hanging out because I'm so hot and thirsty. Here's another picture of me in front of the fountain.
My tongue is still hanging out. I bet I could fit between those fence posts. I wasn't even allowed to try it. Then we walked down to the gardens by Lake Shore Drive. There was so much to smell! Here's a picture of me by some tulips.
Tongue still hanging out. Then we went by another fountain. Here's a picture of me by another fountain.
Hey, there's no fence! Does that mean I can go in? It didn't. Are we almost done here? My human tried to take me in another part of the park, but I wasn't allowed. Here's a picture of me by the sign saying I'm not allowed.
Whatever. Can we go now? We left. I give Buckingham Fountain 1 paw. I mean, what's the point? Then we went to Jackson Park Harbor. My human tricked me down onto the dock with treats. Hey! I don't want to be here! I don't like it when the ground moves around like this – it's not safe! We left the dock and went up on the grass for a little while. I just wanted to go home and sleep. It's been a long day. Finally we went home. My humans tried to take me for a walk later, but I wouldn't go. Can't you people see I'm tired? Sigh.

Bark in the Park

I went to Montrose Beach for Anti-Cruelty's Bark in the Park. It was just a week ago, but it feels like a lot longer. I was working at the Safe Humane Chicago table. Here's a picture of me in front of the table.
It's blurry. Lots of people came by to see what we were all about, but there weren't very many kids. We were right next to a table filled with dog treats. Mmmmm! Treats! Can I have one? Please? My human made me stay in front of our table. All I had was a little bowl of water and lots of other dogs came by and drank out of it. No thank you! I don't like community water bowls. Unless I'm really thirsty. Then maybe. We were there for a long time. Finally my human took me for a walk around the park. We saw the High Hopes table. Oh boy! Cupcakes! It was the nice lady who fed me cupcakes at Soggy Paws – and she remembered me – and she fed me cupcakes! Two of them!!! Here's a picture of me eating one of my cupcakes.
MMMMMMMM!!! Then we went to another table where they had Stella & Chewy's treats. Yes, please!! Mmmmmm! So good! Here's a picture of me waiting for my treat.
See how patient I'm being? Then we stopped at the Kriser's table next to ours. Oh boy! More treats! Here's a picture of me getting a treat at the Kriser's table.
I have no idea what they gave me, but it was good! Then we went back to our table. I kept staring at the Kriser's table – I couldn't help it. They felt bad for me and fed me more treats. Anyone can see I'm under fed! On the way home, my human saw the Fido to Go truck. She went over to talk to them and guess what? They gave me a treat! It was a blueberry bagel! MMMMMM!!! Here's a picture of me eating my bagel.
I'm looking away from the camera because I'm chewing my bagel. It was huge! All that eating made me tired. Hey, maybe the Fido to Go truck can give us a ride home! My human said we had to walk…something about calories and exercise, but I wasn't really listening. I was remembering all the treats I had! I give Bark in the Park 3 paws. Next year maybe we can hit more tables with treats! MMMMMMM!

Pawz for Japan

Last week I got to go to Aunt Alyenne's for Easter dinner. She made ham! MMMMMMM! HAM!!! I sat really close to the table in case something fell on the floor. My cousins Sidney and Alex came over. Oh boy! Kids! I love kids - they feed me! They gave me lots of ham!! When we got home I was really thirsty, but it was worth it.

Then on Thursday I went to another roll call for Safe Humane Chicago. Still, no rolls. But I did find a steak house! Mmmmmm! Steaks! Can we go in? I wasn't allowed. They had a big statue out front. Here's a picture of me with the big statue.
It's a bull. If it was real I could have had steak after all. Sigh.

On Saturday my humans got dressed up. They usually leave me at home when they get dressed up, but this time they took me with them! We went to the Drake Hotel for the Pawz for Japan benefit. Oh boy! A soiree! I bet they'll have lots of appetizers - like prosciutto wrapped melon balls, bacon wrapped peanut butter balls, pork chops! I was getting hungry just thinking about it! I drooled on my human's suit. I can't help it! SO excited!! When we got there I had my portrait taken with my humans. Then we went into a big room with lots of chairs. Is this where the food is? There wasn't any food. Huh???? I was promised prime rib!! My humans said I wasn't. Yes I was!! Here's a picture of me in the big room.
See the tables behind me? You would think they'd have food on them. Here's another picture of me in the big room.
See how happy I look? I still think there'll be food soon. There wasn't. We walked around for awhile. Lots of people came over to say hi and pet me. Some of them took my picture. Steve Dale put my picture on his blog. Here's a link to my picture on Steve Dale's blog. Then my humans sat down and the concert started. It was kind of loud. I laid down behind the chairs. Here's a picture of me lying down.
At least the carpet was really comfy. Just wake me up when it's over. Then a little girl came over and started petting me. Here's a picture of me with the little girl.
Here's another picture of me with the little girl.
Then her mom came over and I got a belly rub! Here's a picture of me getting a belly rub.
Ahhhh! The little girl was tired. Here's a picture of us taking a nap.
I think she was expecting food too. After the concert was over they served cookies. Finally!! I only got a few. Huh? But it's way past my dinner time! I'm starving!! Before we left I got my picture taken with Tokiko Takeuchi. She's the human who put the benefit together. Here's a picture of me with Tokiko.
My eyes are glowy. Then we went home and I got fed. I give Pawz for Japan 2 Paws.

Rainbow Beach Earth Day Health Fair

For Earth Day I went to Rainbow Beach for the Health Fair to help Safe Humane Chicago. It feels like it was months ago. Here's a picture of me in front of the Safe Humane Chicago table.
Okay, bring on the kids! There weren't very many kids there. That's okay, I smell food! Let's go find it. My human said no, we had to stay by the table. But I smell pretzels!! We had to stay by the table. Hmph! We were there for a long time and there were just a few people. FINALLY my human said we could walk around. Oh boy! I know where I want to go! Here's a picture of me in front of the pretzel table.
Hurry up and take the picture already! I'm starving! They were giving out samples! Mmmmmmmm! Pretzels!! They had regular pretzels and gluten free pretzels. I ate them both. The regular pretzels were nice and warm. I liked those best. Can I have more please? My human said no. I give Kim & Scott's Gourmet Pretzels 3 paws. Their sign said they make stuffed pretzels, but they didn't have any samples of those. I don't see why not. I want to try a cheese and sausage and bacon and peanut butter stuffed pretzel! They don't make those? I don't see why not. Then we went back to our table. It was almost time to go when a little girl came over. Oh Boy! She sat down and petted me for a long time. Here's a picture of me with the little girl.
I bet she would give me stuffed pretzels. Here's another picture of me with the little girl.
I'm distracted because I smell potato chips. Mmmmmm! Potato chips! Here's another picture of me with the little girl.
She's trying to get my attention, but the person with potato chips is right in front of me. Gimme!! You know what would be really good? If I could eat potato chips while being petted! I didn't get any. After the little girl left my human finally gave me some potato chips. Mmmmmm! I'm pretty sure they were healthy potato chips. I liked Rainbow Beach!