Big Wags Chicago

10/14/2025

Lincoln knows what's up.

10/13/2025

Bodhi and Lenny want to remind you that Christopher was a genocidal s*x trafficker. He enslaved indigenous people and brought them diseases like smallpox, measles and influenza. According to a CNN piece (https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/us/christopher-columbus-slavery-disease-trnd/), when Columbus and his people arrived on the island of Hispaniola in 1492, there were an estimated 250,000 indigenous people. By 1517, only about 14,000 remained.

Just something to keep in mind today.

10/10/2025

I know most of y'all reading this already know, but to those who might still be curious, let me be clear:

If you think it is a good thing that the administration is trying to deploy National Guard troops in ; if you think that the indiscriminate rounding up of who are just trying to live their lives and work in Chicago is a good thing; if you believe that what is doing is any sort of noble or good mission; if you think it's ok to fire pepper balls at peaceful and and priests; if you believe it's ok for federal agents to deploy teargas on a busy street near a school; if you think Chicago is a hellhole because we're a sanctuary city that welcomes people from all walks of life ...

then Big Wags Chicago DOES. NOT. WANT. YOUR. BUSINESS.

Any questions?

10/07/2025

Hey y'all!

So I'm always trying to find ways to help people communicate about their dogs in real time and share information and advice. I tried it with the Discord server and it didn't work, but I had a couple other ideas and I'd love your opinions on 'em.

Idea 1: Slack. So Slack is nice because in addition to the main channel, you can have separate sub-channels within it. So I could set it up with different channels for different topics and you can engage in any or all of them and even mute the ones you don't want to deal with. It's a lot like Discord in that regard.

Idea 2: Signal. Signal is a lot simpler. It would just be a group chat because you can't set up sub-channels. But it's easy to use and it's a secure form of messaging, so we could talk pretty openly, which is nice because while the main goal is to talk dogs, I also want whatever this is to be a safe space to talk about whatever's on our minds.

Neither idea is perfect, of course. The downside of Slack is that I think a lot of people use it for work and don't want to use it for personal-life stuff. As far as Signal goes, the main downside (at least I think) IS that it's just a big group chat. So it's harder to go back and find discussion threads you were interested in.

Anyway, those are my ideas. I'd love to hear what you think of them and which you're more likely to engage with. And if you have ideas besides these two, definitely let me know.

Pic of Bodhi and Lenny in my office for tax.

10/06/2025

Here's a question for y'all: Do you care that Big Wags Chicago is on ? I'm not just looking for validation; I'm genuinely curious.

Honestly, I'm contemplating shutting down the account. But if y'all find it useful and want me to keep it up, I will. So let's hear your thoughts. Pic of my dude Lincoln (wearing a hat of which his parents do not approve) for tax.

10/04/2025

Ziggy has feelings about ICE being in Chicago. He wants Chicago to be welcoming city for EVERYONE. Be like Ziggy.

10/01/2025

Heads up, Albany Park. A friend just shared this (I screengrabbed it and cropped out their name, so it's not a clickable link) on their timeline. Be safe out there, y'all.

09/29/2025

My only professional theater experience was with Corn Productions in 2003. I was the baby of a cast of misfits and they took me under their wings and taught me a ton.

It wasn't Broadway, but it was damn fun and I learned so much and got to hang out with a really fun group of people.

So if you can, throw a few bucks their way. Indepenent theater is one of the best things about Chicago and the folx at Corn do it well. And if you can't spare the funds, I totally get it. But sharing and liking Corn's post costs nothing, so if you could do that, I would be super grateful!

Cheers, yall!

Hi friends, it's me, Artistic Director, Justin Oliver Lance. Today we are launching a new fundraising campaign to save Corn. For the last few years we have been operating without the grants and funding we use to receive from different private, state, and federal programs. We have been able to continue our work as a non-profit thanks to past fundraising efforts, benefit shows, and of course our wonderful audiences. We did this all while keeping our ticket prices low and affordable.

But now, we are in need of some more support. In order to stay in our home of 25 years on Lincoln Ave, we need to raise some funds. This campaign will go directly to keeping our lease current and allow us to focus on bring you a packed 2026 full of original comedy.

We will share in the coming weeks what Corn means to so many people, from audiences who need a laugh to performers who have a home here. Corn brings to life art that may not have happened without our mission to build up emerging voices in Chicago.

We ask that you donate what you can, share this with your friends and family (and wealthy strangers) and help us Save Corn, and Save Comedy. We are offering seat dedications, free tickets, and even the naming rights to one of our two bathrooms, for the right price. Hell, you make a big enough donation and we'll do whatever you want us to do, as long as it's legal.

We have until October 31st to reach our goal. Thank you for your continued support.

You can donate here: https://givebutter.com/hCBxiq

With love,
Corn Productions

09/23/2025

I'm curious to see if this gets any traction.

Right now, Chicago restaurants are prohibited from serving patrons accompanied by dogs — either indoors or outdoors — unless that customer has a service dog. Ald. Timmy Knudsen's proposed ordinance would change that.

09/21/2025

Again, not dog-related, but important nonetheless. The message here is simple: Don't f**k with Chicago.

Homeland security communications show officials want to move operations following a protest in which demonstrators said they were hit with teargas.

09/20/2025

Not a , but I think this is pretty cool. It was just chillin' on my garage. There have been a bunch of mantises in the backyard of Big Wags HQ this summer. It's really cool to see the little ecosystem we have evolve.

09/18/2025

A glimpse into my home life.