First Summer's Picnic.

Happy Fourth to all our American relatives and friends!

Timeline: 3rd of July

It's been a fickle weather, today. Morning was cool. Lunchtime was dark. Early afternoon was sunny.

Packed a lunch and went to the Park. It was Spike's first summer picnic in Toronto. But the camera's battery became low and I was not able to snap Spike's photographs.

As usual, he barked at the other dogs taking a walk, even at some of the joggers and bikers. Like his butler, his uncouth side sometimes shows.

Pedestrian traffic was light; so Spike was able to run (I holding the leash) and almost went down the stream.

His taste for food has changed drastically. He ignores dog biscuit and dry food and prefers the canned meat and house food, and my own biscuit.

He does not have pedestrian taste when it comes to food; he's starting to acquire a taste of house food - lobster, tofu, even chili spaghetti and fried chicken. Can't feed him pink salmon because I don't know how he'd react to fish.

And his taste for music is much like the budgies'; jazz , classical, and oldies pop.

Yesterday, I played Mozart's (Piano Sonata K. 310 and Serenata Notturna) and he turned in his Bed (a thick, large throw pillow) and posed like Cleopatra with his flea collar dangling like a jewelled necklace. No, Spike's not a gay dog.

Lately, I started to call him "Shadow" because he follows me wherever I go. So, he's got two personalities; Spike the rowdy one, and Shadow, the follower.

When I whistle at Tommy, the budgie, Spike would become agitated and bark incessantly, a behaviour which I could not understand. Jealousy? Could be.

I would have attributed this explosive temper to PMS if Spike were a she.