Well, we've made it! It's been six weeks since Oliver's heartworm treatment and he has done wonderfully. At the six month mark, Oliver will be tested for HW again and the results should be negative. Of course, we hope he will be well settled in with his forever family by then. In the meantime, I am happy to report that Ollie is out of the woods. Let the training, playing, and search for an adoptive family begin!
Ollie went to the Piedmont Park dog park this past weekend. He finally got to roam off-leash amongst all the other dogs. He played a little bit here and there, but mostly just walked the fence line by himself. He seemed to be happy just observing and enjoying the freedom of the outdoors. I really have never met such a mellow dude. I think I'm going to make him an "Adopt Me" vest to wear next time we go out.
We stopped by AARF Pet Central and picked out a fancy new harness for Oliver on Sunday. It's a Kurgo Tru-Fit and it even came with a seatbelt attachment. It seems to suit him quite nicely. He doesn't pull at all, but I'm sure the harness is more comfortable for him on long walks. Plus, he looks so handsome wearing it!
Oliver has accumulated several nicknames since we've had him: Ollie, Olls, Olivard, Vard, Vards, Vardo, Mr. Vard, Olaf, Aardvard, and Olivander to name a few. He knows he's only allowed to get up on the guest bed, not ours or the couch or any other furniture. He's learning how to sit very well and knows that he's only supposed to chew on his busy bone if he's in his dog bed (as seen in the picture above). He doesn't beg, but he does counter surf. He knows where the goodies are and is tall enough to reach them. We're working on this...
When we brought Ollie home six weeks ago, his ears had this weird crusty business along the edges. The right ear was even missing its tip. I think it was from old fly strikes. He was picked up as a stray, so it's not a huge stretch of the imagination to think he may have spent a lot of time outside exposed to something like stable flies. We were given a medicated soap to use on them and did so every other day. Ollie was very patient with us even though we could tell it was uncomfortable for him. The med-wash eventually dissolved the crustiness away and now Oliver's ears are healed.
I'm just so glad that I have great things to report about Oliver. Going through his heartworm treatment was a little scary even though he was only super ill for five days; I had no experience with this beforehand and was nervous about the process. Now to be able to say we're in the clear is awesome. Oliver is a trooper! Hopefully we will have exciting adoption-related news to share soon.
