Jamie Murnane

Pugs are very sensitive dogs. Their smashed-in faces make it more difficult to breathe, especially in extreme temperatures. So it hasn't been any surprise that my seven-month-old black female, Stella, has been avoiding being outside longer than she has to. Before her cabin fever can get any worse, we decide to take a trip to Roscoe Village's private dog club, Of Mutt and Men, for United Pug Meetup Day.

The meetup is organized by Dee Dee, the ringleader of the Chicago Pug Group, a club of local owners who swap stories, trade training tips and ask for or offer advice. Typically, these monthly meetups are held outside, at dog parks or the Montrose Dog Beach. But apparently Stella is not the only dog in the group who dislikes the cold, as more than thirty pugs take over Of Mutt and Men, including Dee Dee's own black males Stuey and Guiness, Maya and Gabby (sporting #1 Cubs Fan and #1 Sox Fan shirts, respectively), Otis, Diesel and many, many more.

For more than two hours, pugs of all ages and sizes run around chairs, duck under legs and create general chaos, as expected. While a never-ending swirl of fawn and black whizzes around in circles, from one end of the building to the other, many of the owners stand to the side, much less social than their dogs.

Here, you are known by your dog, not your name. "My dog is ____," replaces "My name is ____." And that's OK. Because at a pug meetup, the people hardly matter.

(2006-01-10)

Also by Jamie Murnane

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Feeling Ernest
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Indisposable cameras
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Still curious
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