Jake will sleep until I get up. During the week I get up around eight and on weekends I sometimes sleep until noon. Doesn't make a difference to him.

….......

Jake woke up in the middle of the night with a rash and itched non-stop until morning when I was finally able to get some benadryl. This got me thinking I should put together some sort of dog first aid kit. Are there any other medications I should have on hand?

Every day Jake and I go for a hike in the Pacific Spirit Park in Vancouver. I've gotten to know a few regulars and for months now I've been hearing stories about the "other basenji" in the park. With over 30 miles of trails and countless twists and turns, I figured the odds of ever meeting the dog were pretty low. Well, today was our lucky day because when we came around a bend, there was a large group of dogs milling about with a little red and white basenji right in the middle of things. I had never seen another basenji before so I was super excited! When the owner saw us he laughed and said "That must be Jake! I've heard a lot about him". It didn't take long for our basenjis to find each other and, after a careful sniff, a spirited game of tag broke out.

We spent about 15-20 minutes together and it was so cool to see them get along. Their mannerisms were so similar…from their playfulness and sense of pride, to the fact that both of them completely ignored us, it was a nice reminder that I'm not the only one crazy enough to own a basenji.

I started marathon training on the weekend and took Jake on a 13 km (8 mile run) and he did fine. He hardly moved the rest of the day but it was kind of nice…

@eeeefarm:

O.K. I would have guessed ocean…...because of the rather large driftwood......but your QTH is Edmonton. Yeah, I know about wreck beach. My best friend used to live in Vancouver.....

Haha yeah, I've moved…Guess I forgot to update my status here.

@Kipawa:

Doggies can run around nude there in the winter though. Really superb pictures - what camera do you use?

Ha exactly! And thanks, I have a Panasonic dmc lx5. It's a top range point and shoot…Don't really feel like committing to a DSLR at this point.

@eeeefarm:

Wonderful pictures! Looks like your dog is having a great time. What lake…...or river.......is that?

It's actually the pacific ocean :p

Wreck Beach is a famous "clothing optional" beach in Vancouver but it's gotten too cold for the nudists so now Jake and I can enjoy it.

The only sounds I can consistently coax out of Jake are the ones where he sounds possessed.

Step 1: Flip him on his back
Step 2: Tickle/Rub his spine area
Step 3: Wait for the demons

He'll make other noises when he feels like it but I haven't figured out the "triggers" yet.