Jake’s big weekend

This weekend was a big adventure for Jake, and it wasn’t even about him.

We went to my mother-in-law’s house in the Waikato to celebrate her birthday with other family members and, since we were staying overnight, we brought Jake with us. Jake seems to enjoy all the attention he gets at these gatherings.

After a full day with the family—and his older dog-cousin Midget (a fox terrier)—his evening got interesting: Our niece and nephew were dog-sitting a puppy, a fox terrier-Jack Russell cross, and brought him to the house. Did I say puppy? Nuclear generator would be more like it—the little thing just wouldn’t stop!

Fox, as he was called, decided that Jake’s fluffy tail was a perfect toy, and frequently lunged for it, getting a mouthful of fur. After awhile, Jake became a bit annoyed and barked at him. Jake’s dog-cousin told off the puppy, too, but to no avail. Eventually, we picked up Jake and kept him in our laps (taking turns) so Jake could get away from the puppy (plus, he was tired). When the puppy left, Jake seemed almost relieved.

That night was cold—I don’t think I’ll ever complain again about Auckland being cold in winter. Jake slept firmly wedged between us to keep warm.

This morning, just the four of us in the house, Jake was relaxed (as the photo above, taken mid-nap, shows). But then we stopped by the niece’s house, where Fox was as full of energy as he was the previous evening. The photo below shows Fox and Jake nose-to-nose (though, being dogs, their noses were usually closer to other dog body parts).

Jake slept all the way back to Auckland, and slept much of the evening, too. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if he also spends most of tomorrow sleeping.

Jake always seems happy to have these little adventures, and he’s often tired after them. This time, that little dynamo called Fox left him especially tired. I was a very big weekend. Oh, and Nigel’s Mum had a good time, too…