POV: A Pug on a Road Trip

Hi there. It’s me Mowgli.

If you have been following along, you know I have been riding shotgun with my hooman on her 4-month road trip across the United States. My hooman is a recently divorced empty-nester on a road trip that will take her across the United States, visiting friends and family, and hopefully figure out her next best life. Even though I don’t have opposable thumbs, I’m hi-jacking this blog post because I wanted to take a minute to get a few things straight, for the record.

First, no one asked my opinion on this hair-brained scheme. I’ll never forget the day, Saturday, March 5, 2022. I woke up leisurely, as I always do, and I aggressively ate my boring breakfast of kibble. When I had finished, my hooman came at me with my harness. I hate that thing. So I stubbornly ran under the table. When she finally coerced me out from under the table with some cheese, she snapped that contraption on me and loaded me into her Bronco. She hooked me up to my doggy car seat which I must admit is pure luxury. Before I knew it, we were off. I thought we were headed to the Home Depot, where I am everyone’s favorite and all the workers give me treats. But we just kept going and going and going. I was very perplexed, so I just slept and kept my mom company by snoring loudly. She likes when I do that.

Initially, all this traveling made me out-of-sorts, I wouldn’t eat or drink. If you know me at all, that’s never a problem. I was distraught. What is wrong with this woman? Was she having some sort of mid-life crisis and was I going to pay the price for it? Only time would tell.

I eventually got used to the driving and became the best co-pilot out there. Although my hooman wishes I could navigate and find the best gas prices along the route, I still don’t have opposable thumbs and struggle to make her phone work for me. Besides, your homie doesn’t have time for that…only naps.

We have officially completed the first half of our Next Chapter Best Chapter Road trip. From my point of view, here are the good, the bad, and the ugly things that have happened to me – a Pug on a Road Trip.

The Good:

Meeting my long-lost furry relatives.

My preference is for humans, because they give treats and pets, but I did come to love the relatives I have met along the way:

My cousin Sir Vandiver Brandon of the Great Salt Lake. I like to call him Van, he’s more of a goofball than a fancypants as that name would imply. Van took me to his school where I was called chonky, but also sweet, so I let the body shaming comment go. It was my first time at a school, so I was happy to have Van show me the ropes. We also went on walks around the city, where he showed me his favorite pee spots and when our hoomans went out we guarded the house by sleeping soundly and not moving at all.

Lolly, the Belle of the Esplanade. My hooman loved to take Lolly and me on walks together on the Esplanade overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Lolly had lots of hooman friends she introduced me to, specifically the retiree bunch that gathered early in the mornings. They gave lots of free pets. I liked that. I am a bit concerned that Lolly may have a drug problem. My hooman left my doggy suitcase on the ground and Lolly ate all my pain meds. Our hoomans went straight into panic mode, but thankfully Lolly was a-ok. Just a bit sleepy and constipated after that binge. I’m wondering if we may need an intervention.

Aurora, aka Naughty Kitty. Naughty Kitty was not fond of me at first but did come to tolerate me by the end of our stay in Redondo Beach. Thankfully I am hard of hearing and did not hear all of her hissings at me when I walked by. She may have been reacting to my snorting, but let’s face it, cats are a hard bunch to read.

Hoomans still love me.

I have seen so many hoomans along the way and thankfully I am still the favorite. I’m not sure if it’s my svelt body, my squished face, or my floppy ears that steal the hearts of humans everywhere. My real mom, Zia even hosted a party in my honor in a mansion in La Jolla, CA. I’m pretty much an A-lister now. All the cool kids follow me.

Visiting new places.

I’ve been to so many new places including 10 new states, 3 National Parks, the Pacific Ocean, the Wasatch Mountains, and so many dog-friendly restaurants. I am a world traveler. And, we’ve got 61 days left of our trip!

My hooman is so gullible.

One of the things I have loved the most on this trip is how I have my hooman wrapped around my little toe bean. My favorite example is how I pretend I can’t walk up three flights of stairs at our Salt Lake City Airbnb, and so she carries me up the stairs in her arms.

Like a baby.

I’m no slouch, I know what I’m doing.

---

The Bad:

Nap, Interrupted.

My hooman keeps me so busy, that I’m not getting my usual level of napping in. So rude. I love when she is so busy working I get some long naps in the books.

Dazed and confused.

We are moving around so much, that I never know where I am going to be when I wake up! We have stayed in eight different places, from my hooman’s friend’s homes to hotels, to family homes and even a glamper!

Capsule wardrobe?

It seems like my hooman only packed 3 outfits. She wears the same things over and over again. She’s weird and lacks imagination.

Being influential against my will.

My hooman is trying to make me an influencer against my will. She’s constantly taking my picture and making videos of me. She loves posting these videos on TikTok, then laughing at me. There has got to be a law about this type of exploitation. If you are a lawyer, please hit me up. I could use some pro-bono work.

The Ugly:

Oh bother, let’s be honest. If traveling the country, seeing exciting things, watching my hooman live out her dream is ugly, then I don’t want to be pretty. We are only halfway finished, I can’t wait to see where we go next!

Thanks for following our journey! Follow me on Instagram @mowglithemanpug and my hooman at @susanskimmel