the littlest ranger...

At the recommendation of one of NewMama's friends, we visited a nearby lakeside park, which provided lots of new things for dogbert to experience!  

On a recent visit to the park, our walk was interrupted by a rather large Doberman mix who was overly curious about Ramsay.  At first I allowed it to approach, as we are trying to teach dogbert how to accept other dogs and learn the proper etiquette when meeting them. It's been a tough, slow process.  Normally, Ramsay gets very excited and barks at a new canine acquaintance but this time was different.  He seemed a little unsure of the big dog, who made it a point to sniff and lick Ramsay from head to toe.  After a quick visual inspection of the other dog, I noticed a couple of things:  1) its coat looked a little unkempt and 2) it seemed to have a tumorous growth on its back, at the base of its neck.  I instantly realized that this was an engorged tick and started (calmly) leading Ramsay away.  The big dog (referred to by Ramsay as"Messie" to describe its general state of being) followed - did not misbehave but just followed as if it were part of our pack.  I stopped several times and told it to stay (which it did), but after we had gotten a good 10ft away, it would track us and try to catch up.  I couldn't shake it.  I began to worry, as Messie was so persistent about sticking  her nose on Ramsay that he couldn't even get a moment to potty.  

Luckily, the father of a family who was fishing at the lake helped to remedy the situation.  He kept Messie at bay and shooed her in the opposite direction as Ramsay and I tried to continue our walk.  I thanked the man and introduced Ramsay to his family before we parted ways.  We didn't run into Messie again that day.

Before I loaded Ramsay into his crate for the ride home, I checked his coat and paws - no fleas or ticks!  The flea/tick treatment that I applied last week was holding up!  Of course when we got home, stankford got a nuclear-decontamination-style bath.   "Silkwood", anyone?  ;)

We returned to the park the next day and thankfully, saw no sign of Messie.  I hope SOMEONE has taken charge of the poor dog.  It seemed to listen and wasn't disrespectful at all - just very poorly cared-for.  Shame on its owners for allowing it to get that way.  All dogs deserve to be spoiled!  =)