Manhattan Fun-Weasley Visits Mile End and First Run

Over our staycation in August we decided to take Weasley to First Run, AKA The Tompkins Square Park Dog Run, this was the first dog run established in the city and last time Weasley visited (link here) he was too young to go in.  Since we all love food before we decided to visit a sandwich shop, Mile End, that has gotten some good reviews (they have out posts in Brooklyn and Manhattan).  

  
Weasley did a great job waiting patiently with mom while his dad got our foodables.  We tried Poutine, a Montreal specialty apparently, that consists of fries, cheese curds, and gravy and at Mile End some really amazing smoked meat.  OMP (oh my pug) was it ever good.   We at it at the park and shared a bit with Weasley.

He would have liked more but we felt it was a bit rich for a pug (or as Weasley suspects we just didn't want to share).

After our lunch we took Weasley into the small dog run which sadly was pretty empty and most of the dogs were not interested in playing with a young whippersnapper.  Then, horrors, we saw a rat in the dog run.  Eeeeek!!!!  So we left pronto.   We did get this picture of Weasley getting a hug from his Dad.

After the dog run rat debacle we decided to go for a walk.  We passed this cool coffee shop with a canine friendly sign and decided to get some iced coffees there.

We decided Weasley deserved a treat too and luckily we passed a pet store with a dog friendly treat dispenser outside.

For 25 cents we got Weasley two liver biscotti.  He so wants one of these in the living room, then he says we can make some real use of our change jar.

Monday Mischief-Graduation!

Weasley here:  On Sunday I passed a big puppy mile stone.   I graduated from Basic Obedience at It's Your Dog in Sussex, NJ.

For the past three months every Sunday I  have been making the hour and half trip there and back first to attend puppy pre-school play group and then Basic Obedience and finally today was the big day!   I got my diploma (and they even gave me a big bone biscuit!).

I got lots of claps and cheers, mom and dad where both so proud of me.  After graduation they took me shopping at the doggie boutique next store Maxwell and Molly's Closet.

 


I got a pair of yellow duck PJs and a squeaky bulldog toy.

Thanks to class I can  now lay down patiently while Mom takes my photo (provided she remembers my treat.)

 

This bulldog toy is awesome!

Dad got something too on the way home we stopped at a farm stand and bought a Peach and Blueberry Pie a reward for all those long drives he made and how patient he was waiting for me and mom to finish classes.

Mom hung my Diploma on the refrigerator:

It was a busy day and by early evening I was all ready for bed time in my new jammies.

Weasley's First Trip to Central Park

Over our vacation in August Weasley took his first trip to central park.  He visited the Boat house, the lake, the Bramble, and Castle by the Bramble:

Checking out all the fun things to see and do.

These two adorable Papillons where at the park cafe with their owner.

The dogs at the Le Pain Quotidien Cafe in the park nearly outnumbered the humans (the coffee and croissants where pretty great too)

After breakfast at the Cafe we walked past the fountains and the boat house and lake.

 Next we walked through the bramble the most woody section of the park, there are a lot of bird watchers there.

 

At the end of the Bramble is a castle or Fort that is very popular with the tourists.

Mom, Dad, Tubby, Norbert, and Ping used to live on the Upper East Side so after leaving the park we decided to walk through their old neighborhood and past the old apartment.

Me and Dad outside the Whitney Museum.  Mom likes this museum a lot, too bad they don't let pugs in.

This is the old building Mom, Dad, Tubby, Norbert and Ping lived in while Dad was in Graduate School.

My first trip to Central Park was so much fun I can't wait too go back!

Monday Mischief-Growing Up!

Weasley here.   Mom can't believe that just a few months ago I looked like this, a tiny baby.....

Now I am a big mature, young man pug!

Of course mom still thinks I'm a baby.  She is wrong though because I have gotten too big for puppy play group, now I'm ready for Basic Training: Obedience 101!   I go to training at Its Your Dog in Sussex County, its almost an hour and a half from our house, but they offer a puppy play group and Basic 101 class combo that mom wanted.....and Sunday was the first day of 101.

To get confident I followed my Pal Sid's advice on Confidence Shirts.  Mine are from Cafe Press, they use American Apparel t-shirts and they can put saying on your shirt.  They have a million pre-made shirts with sayings from movies and books that mom goes nuts for.   So to get my confidence up I put one of my new shirts on Sunday morning:

See, confident!

In case anyone's interested this is what my shirt says:

It is a reference to a silly character Freddie Threepwood from some stories written by one of mom's favorite author's PG Wodehouse the shirt is pretty cool, but I was dissapointed to learn that there are no actual Donaldson's Dog Joy Biscuits.

Mom made a special obedience class morning breakfast, Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (of course she really made the pancakes for herself and Dad) but I got a taste which sort of made up for the Donaldson's Dog Joy Dissapointment.

Lemon Cream Cheese Blueberry Pancakes from  Food 52 

Serves 6

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

2 eggs, seperated

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

6 ounces cream cheese cut in small pieces

1 table spoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons lemon juice

zest of one large lemon 

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk. Add cream cheese and mix until cream cheese has separated into uniformly small lumps, about the size of large cottage cheese curds. Stir in melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.
   
2. Add dry ingredients to wet, then stir to combine. Whisk two egg whites until stiff but not dry; fold gently into batter.
   
3. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan over medium high heat, until a drop of water sizzles. Lower heat to medium; butter or oil pan. Drop batter into pan by 1/3 cupfuls. Once the batter has spread, drop in the berries. You might want to drizzle some batter to cover them. These need to be cooked a bit longer than you might expect; they won't bubble as quickly or as much as plain pancakes. Turn down the heat if necessary, to keep them from over browning, and let them puff up to their full extent after you turn them, which will take 2-3 minutes. Serve maple syrup.
   
   (Keep pancakes warm by placing a plate over a pot of simmering water and place the pancakes on the plate as you cook batches, this keeps them warm but prevents them from drying out as they would in the oven).
   
   
   
   
   After pancakes we got in the car to drive to class.  Unfortunately I had to take off my confidence shirt as mom thought shirts in class might not be the best idea, maybe she didn't want the other dogs to be distracted by my awesomeness.  I was excited when we got to class and already to get going.
   
   
   

   

   Basic 101 Here I come!

   
   

 I was the youngest dog in class by about 6 months and I was the only one for whom it was the first class.  So I studiously watched the other older dogs perform the exercises first:

I can do that, no problem!

The class was mostly on leash walking and I  totally nailed it.  After all the point of walking is obviously to get to all the exciting things as quickly as possible.   Mom seems to think I didn't do quite perfect and was saying some things about the need for more practice at home, and sighing a bit as she tripped over my lead.   The trainer lady fitted me for a front fitting harness.  I think this was because I am so super cool that the lady just wanted to get me a new cooler grown up dog harness instead of my old baby one, but mom says it is to stop me pulling.

Any way class was a blast and I managed to eat about 7 good size freeze dried tripe treats.  I can't wait until next Sunday!

Friday Fun-Weasley's First Trip to The Dog Park

Weasley made his first trip to the dog park two weeks ago, but we never got around to sharing the pictures.  He went solo since the older guys are not much for dog parks any more, except Tubby, and Bob has never been a dog park dog.   We thought Tubby might be distracting for Weasley and that solo was the way to go first.  He seemed to have a good time and the best part was that on the way out we met a beautiful Shepherd mix who was 15 years old!  I love running into seniors unfortunately my camera died and I did not get a picture of the older gentleman.