City Dogs

Yesterday the four of us drove the straight, flat, line up to Chicago, and we're staying at Loews House of Blues, where the decor is funky, the beds are comfy, and the motto is "Loews Loves Pets." Though to be fair the keycard professes Loews' love for kids as well. Apparently Loews also loves people who drink until they can no longer stand up, as evident from some of the lobby scenes John and I hurried past last night.

It's Tillie's first time in a hotel, but Jada, the old pro, is doing a nice job setting her at ease. Having dogs in a hotel is usually something of a novelty, and other guests are continually amazed to look down and notice pooches on elevators, etc. And so it didn't surprise me when the woman across the hall gave us a long stare yesterday as we brought the dogs down the hall toward our room. But the stare was different from the surprised looks we usually get from other guests. This one was much more judgmental, scrutinizing, and even a little scornful. I thought at first that this person hated dogs, but then I heard her ask her companion which size crate she should use for hers. Baffling. (I was also baffled at the notion of having more than one crate on hand.)

It all came together, though, when the doorman asked us later that evening if we were here for the dog show. Unbeknownst to us when we made our reservations, this weekend is the International Kennel Club of Chicago's annual show. That means that the hotel is crawling with all kinds of purebred, perfectly "conformed" pooches. Last night we saw four weimeraners and two little dignified curly haired dogs whose breed we don't know but that we're sure is rare. And every time our dogs get the stare down by the ones on the other end of the lead (i.e., not the dogs). They are for the first time being sized up as show dogs, which is rather funny, given all their adorable imperfections (Jada's rather beefy for a whippet and is missing some teeth, and Tillie has awesomely crooked ears and, my vet tells me, a serious overbite). And neither is terribly obedient.

They both seem to enjoy the attention, however, and we are getting a kick out of constantly being asked if they're in the show. One valet guy even confided in us that our dogs looked like they had a better shot than some of the others he'd seen. Fierce!

All told, Jada and Tillie are handling the pressure quite well, and they also seem to be enjoying checking out Chicago. They, like their human companions, seem to be getting quite a buzz from navigating busy sidewalks, and just being near water. They also seem to be learning that the big city can be a little bit tiring for small town dogs.

It's definitely a good thing these narcoleptic hounds are not in the show.

Comments

[plm]

Something else Loews apparently loves: crazy interior decor. That's one helluva wallpaper-carpeting-bedspread combo in the first pic! P.S. That mirror would look mighty fine over the mantle in 107A EB. Just a thought....

[katka]

Yes! Bring that mirror on home!
The photos are adorable.

[dhawhee]

Ha! Agreed that the mantle needs *something*, though maybe a mirror that suggests those who look in it are stars might be the last thing any English department needs. Tillie's already acting a little bit cockier.

Speaking of the decor, I tried to take a shot of Jada in the hallway, but the her leopard print coat blended right in with the carpeting, if you know what I'm saying.