The Daily Parker

Politics, Weather, Photography, and the Dog

Unhappy doggy

Cassie went to the vet this morning for the wellness check required by (and paid for) by the shelter I adopted her from. The vet took a look at the incision site for her spay surgery, which Cassie has been licking frequently. You can see what's coming:

She is not taking it well:

She looks so sad, I can't stand it. But if her spay incision gets infected, she'll need a cone a lot longer than 10 days.

Poor dog. I'll make sure she gets extra cuddle time tonight.

Lovely weather, lovely walk

Cassie and I walked to Horner Park in search of a dog-friendly area. She has a lot of energy, even after this:

Unfortunately, even though the Chicago Park District claims Horner Park has a dog-friendly area in its northwest corner, no such area exists. The city has begun constructing a new dog park on the southeast corner, but it hasn't opened yet.

Now that we're home, and I've opened all the windows (a process Cassie found intensely interesting), she began a solo vocal composition in rondo form: we have neighbors, the neighbors talk to each other, we have neighbors, we have birds, we have neighbors, we have squirrels, and finally, we have neighbors.

She has now passed out under my desk. And stopped commenting on the neighbors.

All quiet on the canine front

Between two hours of walks, a visit to the Empirical taproom, and playing with every dog in four neighborhoods, Cassie is tuckered out. I am also. I'll have video tomorrow morning. Right now she and I are on the couch watching Zak Snyder's Justice League, which so far has been worth every minute. As has the snoring puppy next to me.

Someone found a duck

Cassie has spent the last 15 minutes running back and forth in my house carrying this old stuffed duck:

Yep. Part retriever.

Update: 15 minutes later, I found stuffing all over the living room. This did not deter Cassie from her duck, though it was a bit limp.

Off-leash time

With the likelihood that Cassie won't get into daycare for another four weeks, I decided a lunchtime trip to the nearest dog park might help. We encountered a bunch of dogs on the way to Challenger Park, but only one surly old Bichon Frise inside the park. Yet she did not seem disappointed:

She also avoided the puddles and the mud, for which I am grateful.

First 24 hours: she's a keeper

Cassie has had an adventurous and full day: several rides in the car, visits to three—count them—three pet stores, and lots of walks. At our first pet shop of the day I picked up a cord to secure her while in the car, which did not stop her from winding up in the driver's seat when I got back from running into the grocery.

Exhibit:

And just look at that punim!

She'll get another half-hour of walks today. I really would like her to learn how to heel, though. She wants to say hello to every dog in Chicago. This has to stop.

The only bad part of the day came when I talked to the guys at Urban Pooch, the doggy day care where Parker went for years. The earliest Cassie can get in to have her social evaluation is April 15th. That's sub-optimal. I'll have to get all my friends with dogs to come over and play with her in our parking lot before too long.

Cassie

I seem to have a new addition to my family:

The jumping-into-the-front-seat thing will not happen again, however. We're getting a car harness tomorrow.

Updates as conditions warrant.

Begyle Brewing, Chicago

Welcome to stop #15 on the Brews and Choos project.

Brewery: Begyle Brewing, 1801 W Cuyler Ave., Chicago
Train line: Union Pacific North, Ravenswood. (Also CTA Brown Line, Irving Park)
Time from Chicago: 16 minutes (Zone B)
Distance from station: 1.6 km (200 m from CTA)

Note: Begyle informed The Daily Parker in July 2021 that they ended their dog-friendly policy. (They still make great beer.)

But also note: As of August 2023, they've re-thought their dog policy. Dogs are once again allowed on the patio!

Begyle is one of my favorite taprooms in Chicago, and not just because it's (a) close and (b) dog-friendly. They also make really great beers.

For the Brews and Choos project, I dragged my bête noir all the way to the taproom and back, which, at his age, took quite a while. And then he was a bit overwhelmed, so didn't get any rest while there:

It was so busy they had a dog quota going (only 12 allowed at a time). Parker got the last spot available for a few minutes.

Because I know their beers pretty well, and because this was not the last stop for the day (though it was for Parker), I had three small tastes, including my favorite of their beers:

Megapixel is their latest IPA, crisp, light, and a bit maltier than you'd guess. Freebird, my favorite of their beers, is also an IPA with it's great balance, a hint of lemon and grapefruit from the citra hops, and its relatively low alcohol content (4.5%). Finally I tried Flannel Pajamas, an oatmeal stout with a great balance between hops and maltiness, though it does read slightly hoppier than most stouts.

Begyle's taproom is one of my favorite places to dog-watch and read. I heartily recommend it.

Beer garden? Sidewalk seating
Dogs OK? Outside only
Televisions? No
Serves food? No, but BYO is fine, and sometimes there's a food truck outside
Would hang out with a book? Yes
Would hang out with friends? Yes
Would go back? Yes

 

A note on dogs. Begyle's Brett Knickerbocker reached out to The Daily Parker on 6 July 2021 with this sad news [which they updated in Summer 2023]:

Over the course of the pandemic we have lost our upstairs space, which was crucial for extended seating. We are faced with a much smaller footprint going forward and want to focus on saving space for humans wherever we can. We had days during The Before Times in which 50% of our taproom was occupied by dogs and it was simply overwhelming for our staff (and many of our guests). As much as we love our furry friends, we feel that being a dog-free zone is the right move for us.

Parker loved going to Begyle, and I'm sure Cassie would have does as well. But, hey, they have to make the right choices for their business.