Things to do with Dogs in the City: Miss M Goes Renegade

Each year there are 2 things of great significance that fall on the same weekend: Chicago's Renegade Craft Fair and the Chicago Bear's Home Opener. So each year, Miss M and I have a Girls' Day heading out to check out the half-mile long festival of indie artists while E and Mr B watch the game together (complete with jerseys!).
We had the chance to go with several of our SociaBulls buddies, including: Zoe and Miss M's boyfriend Boomer.

We loved that they did have such a variety of artists and vendors. Miss M and I "shared" a tangerine-lavendar snowcone, we saw decorative tepees (though no pitbull hiding inside)  and even a pillow that looked exactly like our Mr. B.
We also saw so many other SociaBulls friends: Little black Lily's people, SuperLevi's person, and even Jack and his family.

We also loved being able to visit Sticker's mom at her booth: La Familia Green.  I couldn't resist picking up the cat/dog/cat+dog tote bag which will be perfect for SociaBulls walks.

Remember when we brought a certain someone last year?

Pooches: How Hard is it to be a Single Dog-Parent?

I know a lot of people have the misconception that it's really hard to be a single dog-parent, and for that reason they wait to adopt. Though there really is a special relationship between a single person and their dog (Miss M and I have so many Bachelorette memories together!).

We love how Stanley's person has put so much thought into how to be a successful dog parent. Here is their fantastic guest post, and some things that work for them:

Having a dog by yourself is an entirely different world than having a dog with another person.  The sole responsibility falls on you.  It can be tough.  There isn’t that other person that can take your pup out when you are stuck late at work, or want to go to an impromptu dinner with friends.  The financial burden is yours alone to bare if something unexpected happens.  You have to get the struggling pup, covered in mud, into the bathtub on your lonesome.  It makes sense while people often wait until there is another person around to share this responsibility.  It can be a lot by yourself.  Even though I would strongly caution to think in depth about whether or not you can manage a dog on your own, it is entirely possible.  Tons of people do it and do it really well!

In June I adopted my dog Stanley from New Leash on LIfe. Over the past few months, I have quickly learnt some crucial steps in puppy singledom. I have outlined some things below.  They are things that I have found that work for Stanley and me in our particular situation.  

Creating a Canine Community

 One of the most important things I was able to do with Stanley, from the beginning, was to create an extensive canine community.  I suckered people into being really invested in him.  I talk about him all the time, update pictures on facebook constantly, have play dates, etc.  Basically, I network my dog.  Stanley has an extensive community of chosen family, many of which have keys to our apartment and know how to walk him/feed him.  This is crucial in moments when you can absolutely not get home on time.  Stanley has a handful of uncles, god-parents, emergency contacts, best friends, and kinships.  Fortunately for me, I have a very people friendly dog who will let anyone walk him.  I also am lucky to have close reliable (dog loving) friends who live nearby.  Find those people who want dogs and for some reason or the other can’t have them.  In my experience, they get just as much out of having a dog around as you do by having the extra help. 

Planning Activities 

 Not only am I a single parent, but I am also a single parent that works ALOT.  Which means after I work I want to come home and hang out with my pup.  It is difficult to balance still being social and not feeling guilty for leaving Stanley at home all day and then at night.  Occasionally, this has to happen, but I try to avoid it as much as possible.  I have tried to integrate Stanely and my social life as much as possible.  I shamelessly am that person who asks, “Can my dog come?”

1. Hosting: I try to host as much as possible.  If I have volunteer meetings I try to get people to come to my house (by enticing them with snacks and beer).  This way I still get to do the things I need to do, but also get to hang out with Stanley-- and he loves having the company because of all the attention he gets.
2. Dog Friendly Activities: Thankfully I have a lot of friends with dogs so we will try to plan doggy dates as often as possible which accomplishes many things; dog socialization, puppy time, and friend time!  
3. Suggesting Dog Friendly Places: Try to suggest dog friendly places as often as possible.  Restaurants with patios.  Dog friendly bars.  Long walks.  Movies in the park.  Hiking expeditions. This is a lot easier to accomplish in the summer since there are so many more outdoor activities.  
4. Dog events: Join and go to dog specific events.  Groups like Sociabulls is really helpful for this.  Dog specific environments have been really helpful for Stanley and I.  It is a concrete time that we have together every week that I know to schedule around.  Stanley gets to see other dogs and I get to see other people.  Also, it tires Stanley out and he sleeps the rest of the day which allows me to do chores, laundry, grocery shopping, etc.  

Training

I know people always harp on the importance of training.  The idea of training can sound totally exhausting and can be frustrating at times, especially if you have just worked all day, walked your dog, cooked dinner and you just want to sit and have a minute to yourself.  Yet, training has such a great long term reward.  The training process has been a great bonding time between Stanley and I.  Learning how to communicate with one another has made us closer, more efficient, and our time together more enjoyable.  Although our training is still a work in progress, having a trained dog is a lot less work than an untrained dog.  Instead of spending my time cleaning up after him and disciplining him, we can spend more time doing enjoyable things together.  

Budget

As a single parent and a non-profit worker, I often feel restricted by my budget.  Unfortunately, it is not in my budget to have a dog walker everyday or take Stanley to doggy day care.  This would be an easy solution for people with the financial capability to do this.  Stanley does have a dog walker once a week (on the day I work a really long day) and who can serve as a backup in case I do get stuck at work or want to do a dinner date after work.  For me, this is more manageable than trying to afford someone to come everyday.  Stanley is not lucky enough to be able to go to doggy day care either.  I try to compensate for this by doing those free doggy activities I have mentioned previously.  Doggy play dates, walks with other dogs and their people, sociabulls, etc.  We try to find as many free doggy activities as possible which allows me to save more money to put in Stanley’s emergency fund.  Additionally, Stanley also has puppy insurance in case something ever does happen to him.  

Being a single puppy parent can, at times, be difficult and feel totally overwhelming.  However, adopting Stanley has been the most rewarding experience.  My quality of life has sky-rocketed.  Stanley has brought so much joy and happiness to my life.  I truly can not imagine going back to being dogless.  

What are things that other people have figured out? 

SociaBulls: What to Know When Starting a Dog Walking Group

(Miss M arrives at SociaBulls in style)

Lately we've been getting a lot of emails from people interested in starting their own responsible dog-walking group.We loved getting advice from our mentor group HikeaBull in California, and we're still learning as go along. We categorize all of our SociaBulls related posts on the icon to the right, and here are some of our FAQ's:

Setting Rules and Structure:

The most important thing is to have a positive structure everyone understands which creates a safe and comfortable place for dogs of all socialization levels. HikeaBulls wrote this really great guest post about the key rules to setting a positive structure. And here are some things we've learned about creating a positive structure within a densely populated city. 
All of our members complete a new member application where they initial that they understand all of the rules.
We have also had some questions about the importance of no dog-to-dog greetings;here is our stance on it.

Choosing locations:

The locations are just as key to creating a positive space for the pooches to walk. We don't publicize any of our locations or walking times on the Internet because we only want the members involved in the walk to be at that location (you can never be too careful with the information people know about you on the Internet!).
We've tested a lot of spots in the city, and this is what we learned about finding good locations to walk. 

Integrate Dogs Slowly:

We have found that it's easiest to start with a small group (we only had 6 of us on our first walk!) then add dogs slowly. All of our new members attend their first walk dogless. It's this type of "orientation" that allows them to fully understand the structure of the group without the excitement of their own pooch. Here is how we work on integrating dogs into the pack. This post specifically explains how we manage our growing group.

Some other helpful posts:
Using bandanas to communicate
What Really Happens on Water Breaks
The Importance of Dogless Walkers
Great things that have come from the group
When Miss M and Mr B were the only Members of the Group

We would love to hear from anyone who has started a new group or is thinking of starting a group. What is your best advice, or biggest questions?

Plus, read about all the different types of dogs who walk with our group and why they walk: Honor (The Gift of Learning to Relax), Maria (Not Letting Age be a Limitation), Sophie (Finding a Safe Place and Building Confidence), Torre (From Learning about Pitbulls to Developing an Ambassadog),  Estelle (Waiting to Be Noticed), Franklin (A Small Dog in a Big Dog Group), Gordon (Learning to Be Social and Have Dog Friends),  Nabi (A Shy Dog Making Sense of a "People World") Sprocket (Teaching a Dog When it's not Time to Play), Lola (Living in the City with a Dog who Fears Strangers),  Zoe (The Dog who "Loves Too Hard"),  Izzy (Being a good pitbull ambassador while working with an energetic dog) and Maize (Being social with an unsocial pup).

Plus, join our Chicago SociaBulls  Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check out the Hikabulls page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking and  this link from the DINOs (Dogs in Need of Space) group to read the discussion and see if there is a group in your area.  

Plus, join our Chicago SociaBulls  Facebook page for more photos and information about group walks. And check out the Hikabulls page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking and  this link from the DINOs (Dogs in Need of Space) group to read the discussion and see if there is a group in your area.  

Miss M's Kong Adventure

When we are out and about, we are usually with both pooches. Sadly there are times when one has to be left behind, which is always Miss M. It is funny that in the many years that Mr. B has been in our lives, he has never been left home alone, even when it is just Miss M with a vet appointment, Mr. B is there giving her moral support or maybe it is Miss M giving Mr. B comfort. 

So when we are in a position where only one pooch can come along, it is Mr. B putting on his leash and Miss M going to bed, but don't feel sorry for Miss M, the days she spends alone are dreams come true. 

Miss M has a first love and it isn't meeting new people, it is her love of food, actually her love of things she deems edible, which is almost everything. Now whenever we leave, including when we leave with Mr. B, she is more than excited to go to bed. 

In bed she gets her incredible edible frozen Kong, but the excitement does not stop there. A and I go through painstaking lengths to hide treats as well as all the other treat filled Kongs around the house. Miss M's day alone becomes a grand scavenger hunt finding treats all around the house. 

Now not only does Miss M love when we leave for work, but she is more excited when we leave with Mr. B. She will run to bed and even start complaining until we give her her most favorite thing, her incredible edible Kong.

DoggyStyle: On Building a Dog Kissing Booth

 We all know Miss M is typically not impressed. Though the one thing that really makes her smile....meeting people and giving them smooches. You can see our little kissing bandit in action here.
This weekend Miss M's rescue group New Leash on Life Chicago, a 100% volunteer-run rescue, is celebrating their 500th dog! They are gathering all supporters, alumni, and anyone interested in learning more about the group to an event at a dog-friendly bar with a great outdoor space for grilling, drinking, a raffle, and debut of the new merchandise.
Knowing Miss M has a talent for smooching, she decided to use her skills to raise awareness and donations to help rescue more pups like herself, SuperLevi, Bessie Belle, and Boris the Bachelor. We had seen doggy kissing booths across the web, and we thought we would try building our own. Our booth is still awaiting final decorations, but this is what we figured out:

Dimensions:

We had the dogs practice sitting on a bench, and we measured that a comfortable space for them would be about 4 feet wide. We also measured that the dogs' average height is about 2 feet sitting or standing. Based on these measurements, we wanted to make the booth high enough where the dogs' faces would be the same height as an average person.  We built a platform that was 3 feet high, so when the dogs sat up straight they would be at human level. The surrounding painted walls are a foot higher than the platform (4 feet) to create the wall.
We were able to go to Home Depot (dog-friendly!) where they cut the boards to the heights we estimated. The workers were very, very helpful discussing the idea and the measurements we made.
We found some of the materials in their scrap wood section. We used the thiner boards for the sides, but we made sure the platform was reinforced with a thick base. One important thing we learned is to make sure the boards are cut as a size to fit into our car.

Making it Comfortable for the Pooches:

(Inside view of the Kissing Booth)

We wanted make a type of bench that was high enough for the pooches to peer out, but also long enough for them to lay down. We're going to put a bed or blanket on the platform to make it even more comfortable. We made a type of table using a thick plywood board (3/4 inch) supported by 2 x 4's which were screwed into the side walls for extra support.

(Platform table being reinforced by the walls)

Transport and Decorations:

These photos are still of the booth as a work in progress. When assembled, it's much too big to fit into our car, so we need to take it apart and rebuild it at the event. E wrote on the back of each board to remember which board is the front, left and right side and the top vs. the bottom. With the holes already in place he is just bringing the drill and screwing them in.
Once at the event, we thought we could either use colored circular stickers or paint over the screws to help them blend in. One of the volunteers is also currently working on painting the "Kissing Booth" sign at the top. And maybe a banner. Check out our facebook page for our final product!

We are keeping the pooches safety and comfort in mind. They have practiced sitting in the assembled booth. The booth at the event will also be away from the other action and dogs. And of course we will be watching to make sure they remain comfortable.

If you are in the Chicagoland area, we would love to see you at the event! You can find more information here on New Leash on Life's Facebook page.
PS. We know former fosters SuperLevi and Boris the Bachelor will also be attending!

Things to Do with Your Dogs: Outdoor Movies in the Park

Despite the impression many people might have of Chicago, we are a city of plentiful parks, green space, and an active Park District.
Besides having vibrant parks in each neighborhood, they've also started a summer movie series in each of the local parks where you can pack up a blanket and picnic dinner and enjoy an alfresco movie screening.
The added bonus for us is that these are dog-friendly family events. We even met up with our friend prettyZoe from Two Kitties, one Pittie.

We enjoyed tacos from nearby Big Star, with the pooches laying around on big blankets. We have found the secret to appeasing Miss M is to bring our comforter blanket which makes her feel like she has the privilege of laying on a bed.
They showed the movie Hugo, which was extra fun to watch outside. The only confusing part was when the dog in the film was barking.

We also had the chance to meet a friend who knew the pooches. Thanks for saying hi! We'd love to meet your pup too!

In Case you Missed It: Dog-friendly picnic blankets
Building our own Alfresco Movie Theatre
Deja-vu

Dog Gear: "Doggles"

I can never tell if our pooches are more excited about the activity, or actually riding in the car, but I do know one of Miss M's favorite things is to watch out the window and let her jowl blow in the breeze: 

Sure it's a generally harmless dog thing, but mostly because I'm this person I've realized it could be dangerous if our pooches get dirt, dust and debris in their eyes. Plus, isn't dog gear a great way to make our pooches more approachable?  We ordered Doggles brand doggles in size large. They have one strap that fits under the chin and one that goes around the back of their head. Our pooches haven't shown any discomfort or tried taking them off (though they are used to wearing a lot of costumes).
We think Mr. B looks a bit like Tom Cruise back in his Top Gun days (pre-couch jumping):

Though Miss M looks a bit like an SNL character:

Though she won't let anyone tell her she's not fashionable and thinks she looks quite fab:

Has anyone else tried Doggles or seen any pooches sporting them around town?

Also:
Other ways we stay safe in our car
Jowl-flapping

Pooches: The Old Married Couple

 Every time we're out with the pooches we have at least one person ask: "Are they twins?".
Not only can dogs not really be twins, but our pooches are very different kinds of pitbull type dogs. Miss M is brindle, jowly, lanky (and grumpy!). While Mr. B is gray, shorter and stockier.
They really do look very different....

Or do they...

It seems like our pooches are starting to morph into one single dog.
Or maybe they're just like the Old Married Couple who has lived together so long, they have just started to look alike.

Is this something common among dogs who live together?

Also: The Many Faces of Mr B

Why Miss M thinks she owns Mr B

DoggyStyle: "Deck Dogs" Dog Door Screen

We used to feel guilty that our dogs didn't have a backyard, but then we realized our dogs have something else. They are "Deck Dogs".

Since half of our year is spent like this, we make sure to spend as much time as possible outdoors. What was once a smallish deck has now become an alfresco dining room/ herb garden/ outdoor lounge /movie theatre.  Which also happens to be very pooch-friendly.
The pooches love sitting in our isolated area outdoors among the floor pillows (Glamping!), among the flowers and foliage, and the perfect views to see what the neighbors are up to.

Though we did find one small way to improve.
We recently discovered this magic mesh instant screen door which makes the pooches' indecisiveness less annoying. The screen is split, and held together by a magnet so it closes behind them without letting in any bugs, and they don't need to depend on us to keep opening and closing the screen door. It's also helpful for us when we're carrying plates off food outside and we don't have a free hand to open the door.

What other ways do you make your outdoor space dog-friendly?
Also:
Making a Dog-Friendly Deck
Why it's ok Our Dogs Don't Have a Backyard

Things to Do in the City with Dogs: Taste of Latin America Festival

While many people think there aren't many activities to do with big pooches, we've been able to find a lot of things we can all enjoy as a family. Last weekend we took the pooches out for a newer festival in west Logan Square: Taste of Latin America. Because loving food is something we all have in common.

The festival had a huge variety of local restaurants including food from: Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Belize, Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Mexico.
Which gave us a lot to try.  We had everything from Cemitas Pueblas to Sweet Bread to Agua Frescas (Hibiscus and Tamarind!), Arepas, Panades, and Platanos. Plus some jarritos, churros and coconut ices.

We had come in the afternoon, and we liked it so much we came back for dinner (we were so full the first time around and there were still things we wanted to try!).
The afternoon was a bit empty with no lines, but things were a lot more crowded in the evening which can be hard for the pooches. E stayed with them on a curb while I got the food. This actually helped them meet more people.

It has also been really fun running into people who know the pooches from the blog. We've been meeting so many people lately; thanks for saying hi!

Also: Our Facebook photo of Mr. B after his first taste of Chirozo
How to Prepare Your Dog for a Street Festival
More Diversity