What a dog!

Today was O'Keefe's vet visit. He had a basic exam, vaccines, and heartworm/fecal tests. All the critical stuff was good. He tested negative for heartworms. He was Lyme positive but is asymptomatic, so we just pass that info along to an adopter. He had hookworms and whipworms in his stool but I've got Panacure for that.  (I gave him the first dose when we got home and am re-treating Trinity as well just for good measure.)


He was good at the vet, had no problems with the blood draw, and he loved snuggling with one of the techs. He showed some interest in a cat in the lobby but not serious aggressive interest. Still, I'm pretty sure he'd chase a cat who ran, who wouldn't?


After the vet visit we went for a walk on the Rivanna River Trail in Charlottesville, between Free Bridge and Riverview Park, about four miles. He's not great on a leash but not the worst I've ever had either. You can see that everything is new to him. He was curious about all the people we met and was friendly with those who showed an interest in him. He encountered joggers, bicyclists, and even two women dressed in too much pink and wearing roller skates. He met his first wheelchair. We encountered three or four other dogs and he gave them all appropriate greetings but was more interested in the people than their dogs. The only thing he didn't care for was the sound of a motor of some sort coming from an automotive shop near the trail. It was probably too much noise for sensitive shepherd ears.


I had forgotten what it's like to have a shepherd who isn't a high strung, neurotic mess or has some sort of problematic behavior. I keep expecting him to do something stupid. I guess I had forgotten what nice dogs they can be when they get a fortunate roll of the genetic dice and are raised properly.

It was a good walk, he's a good dog, he needs a good home.