Things to do in Chicago with Dogs: Dog Trick-or-Treating with Be Fido's Friend

Mr. B is alarmed actually seeing Miss M smile.

As a city that takes its celebrations very seriously, this past weekend was already filled with Halloween revelers out in full-costume.
Miss M and Mr B (okay...and us!) always look forward to dog trick-or-treating with local rescue Be Fido's Friend.
We think this is the perfect event where groups of pups walk through the West Town neighborhood, stopping at local businesses to collect treats.

Miss M and Mr. B dressed in character as Thing 1 and Thing 2 as they made their way around the stores collecting treats.
Miss M had the uncanny sense of knowing which of the stores were participating and beelined her way right to them.
While weeks after we attend this walk, Mr. B still assumes that every store is still giving out treats and tries to go into every door that we see.

In a rare turn of events, E took 'camera-duty' for this walk and captured some photos of me walking with Miss M. While we weren't sure if people would notice, our Instagram/Facebook followers were quick to pick up that Miss M and Mr. B will be expecting their own baby human (this February!). Thanks so much for all of the kind words!

Also:
Deja vu!
Costumes for large dogs.
Costumes for dogs who hate costumes
How we keep our pups safe and comfortable in costumes

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Things to Do with Dogs in Chicago: "Must-Eat" Dog-Friendly Restaurants

Lately we've been noticing how many more tourists are branching out from downtown and coming to visit our neighborhood.
And we always joke that as everyone is so excited to see everything, Miss M walks by and in her blasé voice saying how she's shopped there or eaten there "so many times".

We think that one of the best parts of our neighborhood is that we do have great food, and so many places are so welcoming to all types of dogs.
As we're having this final wave of amazing weather this fall (we're trying to make the most of these October 70 degree temps!) here are some of the restaurants that seem to make the must-see list and are extra accommodating for dogs, and just happen to be steps from our favorite Bloomingdale Trail.

Small Cheval

We were so excited to see this casual burger-and-shake spot open based on Au Cheval's "best burger in America". They make it simple only offering burgers, fries, shakes, and beers. They also make their own sauce. It's a really small space, where you order inside (E usually waits outside with the pups) and you can eat in the outdoor space. We usually come in the morning when they first open, as part of our daily walk, and we are able to get our food right away. Though we have made the mistake of coming mid-day where there are hour-long waits. The patio is nice because it's tucked away from the sidewalk traffic of dogs walking back-and-forth and there is a lot of space for the dogs; we only saw one other set of dogs when we were there. The staff is so nice, and without us asking they were outside with a water dish keeping it filled to Miss M's expectations (notice her actually smiling!).

Parson's Chicken & Fish

This has become a must-visit destination for so many people heading out to Logan Square. Because their food really is that good, they have a huge outdoor dining space, and really good Negroni slushes. It gets really crowded with waits during peak times, so we usually come early. It is a neighborhood dog destination with so many pups dining with their families and a staff that loves
dogs and is really accommodating. We usually bring a mat for the pups to lay on since they have a gravel ground and the pups usually get dusty.

Bang Bang Pie Shop

When we moved we were really excited to be so close to another amazing pie shop. This one does have huge lines on the weekends, so we usually go on the off hours. They have a large outdoor space with communal seating, and we've seen so many other pups here accompanying their people for the biscuits and pie.

Anyone else have favorite city dining with dogs? 

Also:
How we set our dogs for success at outdoor patios 
Or dining with dogs who are uncomfortable around other dogs
Being a tourist in Chicago with dogs!
Going European!

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Things to do With Dogs in Chicago: Watching the Chicago Marathon

One of the best parts about living with pups in the city is that we can combine our dog walks with events that are fun for both us and the pups.
I spent 6 years running the Chicago Marathon, and since I've stopped running I always thought it was important to still go and support the runners.
And this will also be the 6th year that the pups have gotten up in the wee hours of Sunday morning to go out and watch the marathon:

We love that the marathon is an event for the whole city. An estimated 1 million spectators (plus Miss M and Mr. B!) line the 26.2 miles across the city with mariachi bands, dancing dragons, singing Elvi and plenty of costumes and crazy signs.
The pups have come prepared in full gear (even that time we let them pick their outfits themselves!) to bring cheer to the marathon runners.
We usually stand at Mile 14, which can be a tough one, so it's fun to see the runners smile when they see the pups. We had a lot of people who recognized them (thanks for saying hi!), jumped out of the race to meet the pups, and we even met a woman who met them during the race last year, so she decided to run the race for pitbulls this year (!!). She had it written on the back of her shirt.
The pups gave out smooches, and normally grumpy Miss M was flashing her smile.

We know how much harder it is for the last runners to be out there so long, especially when all of the spectators are packing up or have left already.
So we always make sure the stay to the very end to support the runners that might be just ahead of the Sanitation Truck.
After all of their cheering, Mr. B felt like he had run his very own marathon.

Also:
Superheros!
Dapper Mr. B and "Grumpy Butterfly"
The time they gave us these.

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Miss M vs Stairs

Unlike Mr. B, Miss M has nice lanky legs that enables her to go up and down the stairs with ease. Her issue with the stairs is the troll that lives on the stairs leading to the basement. It is purely coincidental that the troll appears whenever A or I are on the stairs to the basement.

According to Miss M, this troll strokes the luscious fur on her rear whenever she is laying in the bed by the stairs. A and I have yet to see this troll that she speaks of. Though we know when the troll strikes, because Miss M will quickly jump out of the bed, shake and lick her lips.

Unlike Miss M, whenever the troll strokes Mr. B, he just smiles and enjoys the pets from the troll. The only troll he fears is the one named Miss M.