I so want to give this dog a bath!

But doc said no bath for two weeks post neuter. I'm still finding the occasional wood tick. I'm going to brush him this afternoon so will be able to look for more and hopefully that will be the end of it. His coat is so dense at the base that it's hard to feel for them until they get a little bigger. I can still rely on my sixth sense when it comes to finding wood ticks on dogs. For some reason, I can give random scratches somewhere on the dog and it seems that's where the tick is.

We went to the dog park yesterday, early, meaning before people get off work. We were the only ones there for a bit. Then Sugar (yellow lab) showed up, and then Murphy (Shih Tzu). 

Bunker did well with both. He followed Murphy around the most and eventually when Murphy's owner sat down, Bunker was right there begging for attention. I also sat down, mentioning Bunker would be available for adoption soon. She laughed, but said he was definitely a sweetheart. As we sat there, two more dogs came in. A black lab mix and what looked like a schnauzer, or maybe a mix. 

They took the longest time in the entry way, Woodson and Brett were standing at the door, and the woman asked KJ to call them away, which he did. Their dogs came in a bit aggressively, so I took hold of Bunker's collar. As the woman was walking toward us, she commented on how Bunker wasn't getting any exercise. I smiled, mentioning that this was his first visit. 

I continued talking to Murphy's owner, Murphy was under the picnic table we were sitting at, Bunker standing in front of me. We turned to watch the black lab behind us on the fence line. Murphy's owner commented on the fact that the lab wasn't neutered. We turned back around and the next thing I knew, the lab was on top of Bunker, coming up from behind him. I stood up, not letting go of his collar, pulled him around, giving the lab a knee, and was able to break them up without getting bit. We both started walking away. Me toward KJ at a different table, she just started doing another lap of the park. The lab started following us, I turned and said "NO!" which made him turn back. We gathered up and left. I don't know if Bunker gave this dog a look, or if the dog just snuck up (on me, probably not on Bunker), and attacked. Bunker, being freshly neutered, may still be giving off hormones, too. But he was getting along great until this other dog arrived. I'm thinking we'll give it another shot this afternoon, but I'm not sure. Most of the regulars get along just fine, so I think Bunker will be fine. 

Two cell phone pictures.

Later we left Bunker loose in the house while we ran a quick errand and he did great!
I asked the vet about the garlic chews I've been giving Brett and Woodson and he said they're great for digestion, but he wasn't sure how well they worked with keeping the ticks and mosquitos at bay. Other people at the dog park are telling me they have found ticks on their dogs. I have not found a single tick on either Brett or Woodson, so until I do, I'm going to say the chews are working!