Puppy Dog Tales

If you're ever in Evanston, Illinois, get over to Central Street and check out the restaurants and shops just WEST of Green Bay Road. As main drags go, Central Street isn't considered Evanston's downtown shopping area. Not by a mile. In fact, it's about a mile away from the heart of the town in a quiet little world of its own. If you want a landmark, Ryan Field, Northwestern University's football stadium, is also on Central Street, just a couple of blocks EAST of Green Bay Road.
          Most stadiums I know are on or near the college campus, but Ryan Field is smack dab in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, surrounded on all sides by houses and apartment buildings. As you're driving along a leafy, tree-lined street, suddenly a huge football field looms up in front of you, out of nowhere. A little disconcerting if you're new in town.
          You can always park in the stadium lot and stop for a hotdog at Mustard's Last Stand to keep up your strength on the walk to the stores and eateries. MLS is a classic college wiener shack that butts up on the edge of the parking lot. On game days the place is as crowded as an El train during rush hour. And not much bigger.
          But today, no hot dogs for me. I parked a few blocks away by the Happy Husky Bakery, about ten steps off Central on Prairie. My plan was to purchase some Pupcakes and various other handmade baked birthday treats for one of my granddogs, Mishy. Their website doesn't do the place justice, but it's a place to start especially if you're looking for specialty dog and cat foods -- www.happyhuskybakery.com. You can order whole cakes for your dog if you give them a day or two. They like to let the frosting sit overnight so it's just the right texture for spreading. Yep. You'll be paying good money for these baked goods.


This is Mishy, aka Mimi, or Kongzilla, one of my two granddogs. She is two today. She's wearing that lovely pink tulle birthday collar so you know she's a girl. Otherwise, you might think she's in drag. I have never seen a more muscular, athletic, female dog. Perhaps because her father's name is Tank. She is definitely not anybody's bitch. Even with that girlie outfit on.

This is one of the happy huskies from the Happy Husky Bakery. He is named Astaire. At the request of one of the owners, he is showing off the universal handshake trick. The other happy husky, partially hidden, is Ginger. Get it? Fred and Ginger? Or, in this case, Astaire and Ginger. 

There's the birthday cake we couldn't buy. So we took some of the smaller bone-shaped Pupcakes instead. 

The cookies on the top shelf are peanut butter, the heart-shaped ones below have cheese. And I forget the rest of the flavors, but they all sounded so tasty I ALMOST tried one myself. 

Some of the fancy food you can purchase for your pets. 

 Mishy popped one of the balloons, because she does things like that. March 11 is free nail trimming day, if you and your dog are in the area.

This is the entrance to Happy Husky Bakery. I guess I could have put it first, but that requires planning. 

Rocky, left. Mishy, the birthday girl, right.