The AugDog Days of Summer

I hope everyone has been enjoying summer so far! I love summer! Dr. Wolf does not teach during the summer, so he does lots of writing work from home. You know what that means:

Lots of napping. LOTS.

But JK is working now, so most of our Family Fun happens on the weekends. Like the time we got to go to the Morton Arboretum together for Tails on the Trails.

JK and Dr. Wolf go here all the time WITHOUT ME. But for two days every year, you are allowed to bring your dog family members to the lovely trails. We had a good time, except for the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are no fun for anyone.

A couple of weeks ago, Dr. Wolf and I went to the flower shop where JK works so we could have a family picnic for dinner in the park across from the shop.

I always feel so awkward when I'm up in the air like this. 

Sometimes we just hang out in our backyard

And some days, like today, we all go on an adventure together.

Really? We're all going to go together? 

I got to ride in the car with the wind blowing on my face. I love that. 

We went to a place called Downers Grove. They have a little main street with lots of shops that allow you to bring your dog right into the shop! That's why we go there. Those Downers Grovians are cool to share their space with pups.

Usually we just go to the store that sells dog snacks and dog things and then into the book store and sometimes to an outdoor cafe. But today Dr. Wolf disappeared into a building and came out with a big paper cup.

Wait a second. Is that Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt?

Joy!

I think I'm gonna need my teeth to really clean that spoon.

We shared a big cup of FroYo and sat on a bench and watched other people and dogs walk around. It was a beautiful day.

I never give JK the satisfaction of looking directly at the camera. 

What does your family like to do on the weekends during the summer?

I am a CITY DOG

Mr. Wolf and JK decided to take me to a very big park with tall tall grass, a few trees, and lots of birds and animals. They were very excited to take me to this big park, and I think that people really like these kinds of places.

But I do not.

Big parks with wide paths and tall grass do not make me happy. I want to see cars! I want to walk on nice, hard sidewalks. I want just enough grass to have a comfortable place to do my, ahem, "outside business".

The big park had strange plants that look like this:

See all those strange fluffy bits? They were flying around in the air. They looked like bugs. I did not like them. I was trying to show JK and Mr. Wolf that I was not having a good time at the prairie park, but they did not take the hint.

Mr. Wolf took off my leash for a moment, I'm not sure why, and I RAN as fast as I could back to the car. This scared JK and Mr. Wolf very much. They yelled after me and tried to run up to me, and yelled for people to help catch me. A large man with a nice, kind face scooped me up just before I got back to the car. JK was almost crying. That made me sad. I didn't mean to scare her, but I didn't like to walk in the prairie park. I wanted to go home.

But JK and Mr. Wolf did not want to go home, because we had driven a long way to go to the park. And JK was prepared with the Pup Bag, so she scooped me up and put me into the sac. 

I would still have rather been at home, but at least this was better than having to walk around and smell all the smells and be unhappy about all that nature and grass. I am a city dog. I think JK and Mr. Wolf get that now.

Chipotle

There is a place called "Chipotle" in our neighborhood, and JK and Mr. Wolf like to go there a lot. Usually they just go by themselves without me, but on Saturday they took me with them and we all sat outside together while they ate their burritos.

Did you know that I also love burritos?

I would be very happy if you gave me a taste of that burrito. I know there is cheese on it.

I have found patience and persistence to be very helpful when I would like to try some of JK and Mr. Wolf's food.

Just a bean? Maybe some rice?

But JK tells me that there are ingredients in burritos that are not good for pups. Things like onion and garlic and stuff like that. But somehow they almost always manage to find a nibble of cheese or an extra black bean or two for me.

Delish.

Food: Nibbles of Chipotle beans and cheese
Rating: 4 out of 5 cheesy treats
Highlights: Eating at a restaurant with JK and Mr. Wolf on a nice day, beans and cheese are both very tasty.
Problems: Only tiny nibbles, and they were more concerned with taking pictures of me than with finding good bits of cheese for me to eat.