Despite what they try to tell you, pugs cannot live on cuddles and kibble alone, so a few days ago, I suited the girls up, clipped them into their seatbelts, and took them off on a little adventure.
Yes, Lola. Merry gets your bed when she’s in the car. It’s all part of being a good host. Park your puffy lips of disapproval somewhere else, please. Well. Okay. They’re kinda cute. You can keep them.
I picked a place that would have LOTS of smells, and would be relatively stick-free for the sensitive eyeballs of the snorfelling, not-always-so-careful-when-surrounded-by-sharp-objects pugs.
Look, Girls!
Nature!
Jeeze. Tough crowd.
Lola seemed to be more concerned about the warning signs of doom…
…but, really, there never was and never will be any chance of us even getting close to the edges of those cliffs.
Merry struck a pose, and was all provincially proud and beautiful with a field of white trilliums behind her…
All in all, although the walk was more of a meandering mosey than a hike, the girls were worn out from the adventures and the sniffing (and the pre-hike nail dremeling).
Despite the pugs trying to convince me that kibble and comfy beds are all they need, I know better.
There is nothing better than a happy, tired pug.
(And for those who will ask – Merryweather’s fashionable hoodie is by Ready to Wag London, and Lola Pug’s sweater was handmade with love by her late Grandma)
Despite my intentions to sit on my butt and eat croissants and chocolate as the marathoners passed by our home this morning, I found myself out with The Pug, cheering on the runners in their mad dash to the finish line (which was a long way off for them when they passed by Casa Lola).
I mean, what could be better for morale than seeing a PUG come out to cheer you on?
Ah. Yeah. Maybe not this pug.
She *did* bark at a few runners on our walk back home, so I take that as showing support. …although if I spoke fluent Pug, I would likely have heard something more along the lines of, “What! Are you people INSANE? Go back home and GO BACK TO BED!”
“The Pineapple Express” sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It sounds tasty. Sweet. Warm.
Well, it’s NOTHING like it sounds. It’s simply wet. Wetwetwet.
It’s been quite a while since we saw our West Coast pug friends, so we jumped at the chance to go to a pug gathering, despite the weather warnings.
Lucky for us, the Express held off for a bit, so we were able to see our buddies again, and have a rollicking, puggie time.
We met old friends…
…new friends…
…and even our buddy, Dickens, who has just celebrated his 11th birthday….
Being a public park, it wasn’t ALL pugs, of course. I’m a *total* sucker for Basset Hounds, so it was a real treat to meet this tennis ball obsessed girl…sweet lord, I mean LOOK AT HER BAGGY LEGS!
We were really looking forward to seeing Lola’s friend, Winston, again, but the weather wasn’t appropriate for a man of his nature, so he ended up staying at home in his cozy, warm bed.
We were very excited to meet Winston’s new brother, though. Here he comes…
The Pug and I are doing our darndest to try run away from Old Man Winter this year, and although we have chosen some *usually* reliable spots to escape to, we still haven’t really seen the sun very much.
But all is not lost. At least Lola Pug still gets to experience the thrill of having sand, not snow, in between her tootsies…
…and she loves having a non-arctic, ocean wind in her ears…
…not to mention the smells and the new pee spots and the new buddies that she meets whenever we travel.
But this sunny day was one of only a couple that we seem to have been granted on this particular escape.
As for the eternal rain that we’re now looking at … we’ll find a way around it. Or we’ll just hunker down and become couch potatoes. Again.
Going for walks in new locales means I have to keep my eyes open extra wide for things that might be Bad for The Pug.
Dead animals, wayward poop, litter, dropped food, and … stickums?
I often think that Lola looks a bit like a baby seal – not only because of her big, liquid eyes, but also because of her sleek, black coat that has – up to now – managed to repel most fauna that seeks to attach itself to her.
…not so the “stickums”.
I have no clue what these are, but they stuck to MY skin, too!
Legs, footpads, chin wattles, lips – even her NAILS! These suckers were stuck on with little hooks AND with sticky outer layers.
Not so good for your beautiful baby seal eyes, Bean, so until I figure out where these come from, your roadside snuffling is curtailed.
Being cruel to be kind comes with being a good mama, I guess.
From cccccold weather to warmer weather is always a bit of a pleasant shock to the system, but leaving behind the hustle and bustle also seems to bring on the need to nap a lot, and The Pug and I have certainly not been denying ourselves the nappage.
We might get up every now and then to eat, then we might have a wander around the yard, looking for little geckos or (gah!) centipedes…
Oh! Hai, pug!
But that’s been pretty much the full extent of our adventures so far.
Maybe something a bit more ambitious tomorrow.
Or not.
I don’t think Lola Pug minds all that much, to be honest. The more pug-like I become, the more naps she can squeeze in, so we all win – in the short run, at least.
It’s been a pretty green winter for us so far this year, and that’s suited Her Royal Pugness just fine, but we got a big old dump of snow the other day, and I simply couldn’t resist going for a walk in all of the wintery gorgeousness.
Alas, when one has two pugs who pretty much have opposite personalities, the term “walk” takes on an entirely new meaning.
Camera One…
…Camera Two….
Thank goodness they’re small beasts, ’cause I was not in the mood (nor will I ever be) to be drawn and quartered, thank you very much.
Roxy had no issues diving through snowbanks, exploring buried smells and generally romping in the gorgeous winter wonderland.
Lola Pug, however, had slightly different feelings….
I guess, for some creatures, no amount of fashionable cold weather gear can make up for the fact that it is … you know … winter.
