Mitch, Joby and Jim- A Love Story.

Some of you might have read my Observations column a few weeks back from Moncton where I talked about having dinner with Mitch Cooke and his crazy clan of Maritimers on Sunday night. It was that particular night that Mitch told me a little tale about Joby the squirrel. Go back on racerxonline.com and seach the Moncton Observations to refresh your memory.

About a couple of weeks before Moncton, my phone rang with a 902 area code and it was Mitch calling. After he picked my brain on how to whip a motorcycle correctly, he started asking me about Basset Hounds as he was just at Blair Morgan's place on the way back from out west and had taken a liking to Blair's Basset. He knew from my ramblings that my wife and I fostered the long earred, drooling little bastards and wanted to know all about them. So I told him the pros (cute, cuddly, loyal and not very energetic-that's a plus for me) and the cons (drooling, shedding and sometimes when they get mad, they poop on your rug) and he mentioned that he was getting one before Walton from a breeder.

And this past weekend he had Jim in his pits. Jim is a six-week old puppy and is wayyyyyy cuter and cooler than any of the old guys that I have at home. I really liked Jim and offered Mitch two of mine and a first-rounder in a trade but he wasn't having it. Anyways, between Joby the squirrel and Jim the Basset, I'd say Mitch is on his way to becoming the next Steve Irwin.

Here's Jim, the long-eared little angel. It's pretty funny to watch him trip over those things.

Jim and Joby, friends forever. Look at that walk, that's Hansel hot I tells you. Both photos by Dave Stennington