The Many Friends of Mr. B

The other day while we were trying to get the backseat of the car ready to pick up our friend, we were moving Mr. B's many stuffys that he left in the car. We came to the realization that Mr. B has too many toys best friends. 

His first best friend with us was a jumbo Spunky the Spider dog toy, that he picked out on his own on the day that we adopted him. But poor Spunky was quickly turned into a carcass of a stuffy by Mr. B and we would see him carrying a random leg and sometimes the head around the house. 

Now that Mr. B has learned to not destroy his stuffys, he has developed quite the collection of best friends. In addition, Mr. B's favorite human friend, our dog walker from Dogma Petcare, gives Mr. B a brand new stuffy bone that he loves so dearly along with other stuffy friends every Christmas.

Also, Mr. B tends to find new best friends along our daily walk, but they are never allowed into his house, so they are just close acquaintances, which is a good thing since there is at least two stuffys in every room of our house.

Since Miss M is not allowed play with any of Mr. B's friends, A has sewn Miss M her own best friend.

Can there ever be too many best friends?

Also:
Our most popular question: How we trained Mr. B not to destroy his stuffys
Why we think Mr. B is part stuffy
How Mr. B brings his stuffys on walks

DoggyStyle: How we Made a 'Dog Bedroom' in an Open Space

We've found a lot of people have misconceptions about having bigger dogs in the city. While we've realized big dogs don't need big spaces, we've also learned ways to help our dogs and their stuff blend into our space. 

We have an open floor plan, so when you first walk in you might see this without realizing there is also a 'dog bedroom' in the room. 

Can you see the dog bedroom yet?

We decided to move the sofa up a bit to crate a type of partition with a comfortable living space and a separate dog space. So along with the console behind the sofa, we also have this:

 Miss M gets to hang out in her crate, Mr. B gets to 'den' in his tepee, and they have their toy bin right next to their bed. We like that it's not noticeable, it uses wasted space, and the dogs are still involved by being in the main space.
What are some other ways you've learned to incorporate your pooches into your space?

P.S. And this is how we made our 'dog closet'
P.P.S. How we personalized Mr B's toy bin and made Miss M's crate pretty

Things to do in Chicago with Dogs: Maxwell Street Market and Rubi's

While we spent a lot of our summer doing this, our outdoor opportunities are becoming more limited with the cold weather approaching. To keep Miss M from going through 'people withdrawl', we're always looking for opportunities for the pups to get out and about in the city, and our new go-to is open year-round.
Maxwell Street Market is historically important in Chicago where it was once considered the largest open air market in the country. Now it sells everything from produce to socks to tools to toys. Our favorite part is the food area, complete with: tacos, tamales, agua de frescas and chocolate filled churros.

 Since we've been going, we've developed quite an addiction to Rubi's Tacos; these are the best tacos we've had in the city, and probably the best tacos we've ever had! All the tortillas are handmade; they are pressed and cooked right in front of you as you're waiting. They use all fresh, authentic regional ingredients; we've tried the asada, cactus, zucchini flowers, al pastor, spicy stewed pork, and huitlacoche. They are only open on Sunday's during the market, though they post very tempting photos on their Facebook page throughout the week. We love stopping by after our SociaBulls walks (we even brought our friend Zoe!). We usually take our food to go, or just sit along the curb.

 Our other favorite part is seeing Chango's mom. If you haven't seen Chango on Instagram ...you really are missing out. Chango has the best costumes, and he is also in BadRap's calendar as Mr. October! You can follow them on Instagram at: Evemexicana.

What other things are you doing with your pooches as the weather is getting colder? 

PS. Since a lot of people on our Facebook page have been wondering....this is where we got our scarves.

How to prepare your pooch for a Street Festival

My Sunday morning ritual with Miss M (since our bachelorette days!).

City Dog: How to Fully Exercise your Dog with Shorter Walks

We all know how important exercise is for a well-rounded pup, and we've always depended on our Daily Walks to give our dogs the physical and mental stimulation they need. Though, as the weather has been getting colder, even the dogs don't want to be outside. Here are some things that have worked for us to fully exercise our pooches even when we're on a shorter walk.

Making the City Your Obstacle Course

Our dogs expend more energy by running, climbing and jumping, so we're always on the lookout for standard city-fare to use as obstacles. Our pooches do weaves around trees, jumps over benches, and even just doing step ups on the raised stairs that line the sidewalks. (We do consider our pooches' joints, and make any hops or jumps low.)We like to think of it as the pooches' version of parkour.

Including Mental Challenges

Practicing training is always a good way to mentally exhaust our pups, and we've learned how practicing sit-stays and down-stays on elevated objects is a good way to give them confidence while practicing willpower. When we find abandoned benches or raised barriers, we spend a couple of minutes practicing our sit stays before moving on. The added bonus is there are so many distractions outside in the city which makes it even better practice.

Backpack Training

We love how using the backpack keeps our pups focused by giving them a 'job', plus carrying a bit of extra weight can be a bit more exhausting if you're going on a shorter walk. Here are some other ways Mr. B uses his backpack. 
What are some other ways you've learned to tire out your pup when you aren't going on longer walks?

Also:
How we practice mental exercises in our home
Mr. B carries our groceries
Tricks on Walks

SociaBulls: The Walking Season

Since this weekend marked one of our coldest walking dates in awhile, some people have been wondering how far into the season our Chicago SociaBulls walking group goes.

The truth is....living in Chicago makes us a hardy group. Since most of us don't have backyards, we always need to walk our pups. And it does make it that much more enjoyable doing it with a big group.

Plus, once the cold season hits, it's almost like we have the city to ourselves. We aren't encountering as many runners, bikers, or even off-leash dogs. We're excited to head to some new locations that can accommodate our big pack.

To learn more about our group, join our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook page for more photos and updates. And check out the Hikabulls page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking.

You can also 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).

Pooches: Dog's Eye View of the Northalsted Halloween Parade

Still daylight, the pooches race to the evening parade

Remember how we said Halloween lasts an entire week in Chicago? This year's final Halloween event for the pooches was attending (and walking in!) the Northalsted Halloween Parade on Halloween evening. This adult-themed costume extravaganza throughout the Boystown neighborhood featuring: Miss Foozi, fire juggling, character bands, crazy costumes that you thought you'd only see on TV...and a pet parade to start it off!
We have heard that watching videos of pets actually improves productivity, so check out  Mr. B's eyeview video camera meeting people and walking in the Halloween parade.

Also:

Deja vu

Another cute video of pups in costume to 'improve productivity' (at the bottom).

Our other favorite parade in this neighborhood

DoggyStyle: Dog 'Fall-Cleaning'

We've been living in denial for too long, and with the Halloween festivities over we've finally accepted that it really is fall. Though with Mr B accustomed to this, the pooches weren't too happy about the changes. Here are some changes we've been making for the pooches in our home with the approaching fall season.

How our Outdoor Couch is Stored as a Dog Bed:

While we spent all summer lounging in our outdoor room, with the cold weather approaching we need to take our couch pillows in so they don't mildew. Which also causes problems because we have limited storage space. So, we learned to store the extra cushions in their Molly Mutt beds.  Even though we have a waterproof liner, we also put an extra trash bag around the cushions just to make sure there aren't any accidents. And the pooches get an extra firm bed.

Making the Hardwood Floors Warmer:

Knowing how our short-haired pooches tend to get a bit colder, we like adding extra sherpa around the house for the pooches to perch on.  We like that it camouflages as regular home decor, while providing an extra bed for the pups.

Switching to Our 'Fall Leashes'

Just like I take the time to trade out my summer and winter wardrobes, we've started doing the same with the pooches. While we love our his & her matching collar and leash sets, it can be just as much fun to be fall inspired. Miss M chose a dark purple "Purple Swirly" and Mr. B went a bit collegiate with the "Brown Argyle" (it's even the finest bit corduroy!) from Sirius Republic.  I think having fun collars and leashes even makes walks like this that much better.

What are some other changes you make in your home with the seasons?

Also:
Since we'll be indoors all winter, we'll be doing a lot of this.
Using our rugs as training tools

Things to Do in Chicago with Dogs: Halloween Parades and Daily Walks

Ever since we've realized dressing up our dogs makes our pups more approachable, and encourages more people to come up to meet our pitbull-type dogs, Halloween has become one of our favorite holidays. Luckily for us, when you live in Chicago it lasts an entire week. And it's perfectly normal to take your dog out on a daily walk in full out costume.
Since it was colder, the pooches wore their hoodies under their outfits without ruining their costumes (remember when your parents made you wear a coat over your Halloween costume?). And Miss M succeeded in becoming the most Unhappy Butterfly....ever.

 We also stopped by Miss M's old stomping grounds where Ruff Haus was having a pet parade and party. The neighborhood is known for its Halloween festivities, and I think there were at least 40 dogs in the parade (or more?). Former foster dog Bessie Belle was even the parade leader. While she has been diagnosed with aggressive sarcoma, the big tumor has been removed and she is in good spirits and smiles. I could barely capture a photo of her because she kept trying to smooch me behind the camera.

 There were so many great pooches in costume ( I couldn't capture them all!) but there was a hipster pup complete with skinny jeans. And we did get to see former foster SuperLevi in his other alias...the most Pensive Bumblee Bee...ever.
PS. The smiley little gal in the corner with the crazy ears is Ariel from New Leash on Life, and she is totally available! She is 35 lbs full-grown, almost like a "Teacup Shepherd".

And if you were ever wondering what a dog costume parade looks like from the dog's view, documentarian Mr. B took a video with his very own camera:

How does everyone else's pups celebrate Halloween?

Also:
We love these shocked faces of passerbys checking out Mr. B's costume
Mr. B uses character study to fully wobble and walk like a turtle in this video
How much do Chicagoan's like dogs in costume?

Pooches: On Dog Compliments and why Facebook Banned Me

Since we started our little blog, we are always humbled (and often blushing!) by all the nice comments and compliments our pooches receive.

At the same time, we know there are many even more amazing pooches and proud owners out there. Sometimes it does make me a bit sad, because I wish everyone had the chance to hear these types of compliments about their very own pooches.

The hardest for me is when I see the Facebook voting contests where there are some dogs who received hundreds of votes, and other dogs received only a few. I know when people put their photos up there, they have the same type of hope that people will see the special thing in their dog that they know. And it upsets me to see that not recognized.

I want everyone to get these types of compliments, so whenever I'm on a dog contest site I like to leave comments recognizing the nice attributes of each dog. And once you get started liking and commenting on the photos, you can't just like half of them, and you need to make sure everyone gets a nice comment.

Apparently, Facebook doesn't like this. And they banned me, because I left too many comments. (And now I feel like a stalker!)

We really do love seeing everyone's pooches, and we would love it if you could share photos of your pups on our Facebook page so everyone can see them! (Though we are still banned and even banned from liking and posting comments on our own page!).

SociaBulls: A Halloween-themed Walk!

With Halloween quickly approaching, and Chicago being an intense Halloween city, we had a costume-optional themed walk this weekend:

 While there are several dog-themed Halloween events that we love attending, we also know that sometimes these can get a bit chaotic with so many dogs in so little space. We love how our little walk does allow all the dogs to participate in a comfortable environment.

 We were amazed with the creativity of so many pups, and it was a sight to see so many of us walking together all decked out:

To learn more about our group, join our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook page for more photos and updates. And check out the Hikabulls page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking.

You can also 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).