Quarantined

Determined not to let our bad experience ruin all future dog park excursions, I took him back to the dog park today and put him in the small dog section. Since no one ever uses the small dog section, he was essentially quarantined. We stayed for about an hour or so. He got to sniff dogs through the fence and run along side it. I also played fetch (yes, I was the one fetching) and ran around with him. Loki's behavior was fairly calm and normal. Aside from his apparent desire to be in the main area, he was happy.


I thought that there would be fewer dogs today, since it was a Monday. But, no. There were plenty of dogs this afternoon. I think I'll try going to the dog park daily (or as much as possible). If there are only one or two dogs, I'll go in the main area. Otherwise, we'll try the quarantine. I hope that works.

I think the dog fights must have traumatized him. His behavior has completely regressed. He was doing really well for almost half a year now. But in these past couple days, he's been very snappy. He's not afraid to express the fact that he does NOT like being picked up or handled. He even gets snappy when you just pet him! Admittedly, I'm a bit more cautious about touching him in any way, and I'm sure that he can sense my negative energy.

I try to remind myself that sometimes unfortunate situations occur, and his bad behavior can be corrected. It just takes some time and patience. Still, I'm a bit heartbroken by how snappy he is toward me.