this week in snoots

the perfect summer week does exist

I don’t know about you, but it has been hot as HECK out here all summer long, and we are finally enjoying some normal summer temperatures—thank snoot. We try to take the dogs on a lot of outings to keep them sharp and also to keep them guessing. We never want them to know our next move. So here is a little recap of the fun week we had and a little blurb about some exciting upcoming things!

We usually don’t take the girls out to eat with us because: 1) they think all food should be their food, so that’s a struggle, and 2) Abby will only settle for a set amount of time before she resorts to boofing at us, demanding that she has an appointment elsewhere and will not be late (the appointment being with the couch for a much-deserved nap). In the past, we have taken the girls to outdoor beer gardens a handful of times, but never brunch, so this was a new adventure. They did about as well as we expected—they settled for a little bit, ate their bones, and then decided they would like to leave. It was honestly A LOT of fun, and I wish we did it more with them. I am just always too acutely aware of how they’re feeling and what they’re doing, so it makes it hard to focus on anything else but them. We were actually stopped by a very nice family while at brunch; the mom almost gave herself whiplash looking between Cleo and Abby because she was so surprised we lived locally. It will never not be insane to me that there are people walking around that I have never met but who know my dogs. WILD.

Later in the week, we took the dogs to one of our favorite dog parks. It is partially fenced in with trails, an open field, and a stretch of overgrown grassy area that Abby goes nuts for. I had taken the dogs here last week, and they played in the tall grass and only got a little wet from a small stream that started from the recent rainfall. I thought it would be an easy after-work trip, but jokes on us: all the rainwater dried up to create the thickest, stinkiest mud that has ever existed. And what do noodles love? They love going in that stinky sauce. It’s funny because we have lived in Milwaukee for six years now and only just discovered this dog park two years ago. We had no idea how insane Abby goes for tall grass until we started coming here, and it is SO FUN to watch Abby run. She gets the most ridiculous look of pure joy on her face while bouncing through the tall grass, it is quite the sight to see. Please enjoy the video below of Cleo and Abby having THE TIME of their lives. It was fun to watch but also a nightmare to clean up after. Usually, mud washes right out of their coats, but this stuff did not want to get washed away. For reference, Cleo’s baths take 15 minutes max, but it took me 35 minutes to get the mud out of her fur. Abby was a similar story, but if you ask them, they will swear it was worth it every time. Even after all that time spent in the tub, they both still smell vaguely swamp-like, so that has been, fun.

We also took the girls with us to get a sweet treat! We had planned to stop at Bentley’s Pet Stuff to stock up on treats, but when we pulled up, we realized they had closed… ten minutes ago. Poor Abby was HORRIFIED as we pulled away without going in. The three loves of her life are tall grass, her dad, and going inside stores. So she was devastated and had decided she wasn’t going to talk to us for the rest of the night—until we decided that since we made the trip all the way out here, we would get milkshakes and a pup-cup for the girls to share. We rarely get the dogs ice cream, so this was a very special trip, and I think Cleo short-circuited a little bit because she was standing on her tippy toes and shaking with excitement.

The rest of the week was pretty low-key as we had house guests staying with us. We did squeeze in a few walks and one bigger hike, but mostly the girls just slept. Abby actually cut her nail at the beach two weeks ago. We had thought it was almost healed, but all the crazy tall grass zoomies reopened it, so we are probably going to have a more low-key week just so she can heal completely. Because guess what? Next week, we pack for our yearly road trip to MAINE, THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH. This trip has been all I have been thinking about all month, and I am so excited it’s almost upon us. The drive is pretty rough—about 18 hours. Abby is not a fan of road trips, so we usually stop somewhere at night to give her a chance to recover a little bit before finishing the remainder of the drive. It is always so worth it to visit family, sighthound friends, and to watch the girls frolic on the beaches. Abby has been to Maine twice before, and this will be her third time! Cleo and I lived in Maine in 2020 and have made the two trips with Dom and Abby. We also did a solo trip together in 2022, so we are Maine roadtrip veterans. I’m excited to document our trip and take you along on all our favorite hikes and beach excursions.

In other news, we recently signed with an artist to start working on a new merch line! It will feature three new designs, and one may or may not be a version of the beloved ‘oh very nice honey’. I’m so excited to show you those once we get everything finalized!