Out and About with O'Keefe

O'Keefe seemed to be settling in so well that I thought I'd take him for a walk in a busy area to see his reaction to having dogs, cars, kids, etc. around while he was walked on leash.

He was  a bit nervous but handled himself well - stepping back when a reactive dog had a fit in the distance and tail wagging and ears up when a 5 year old girl asked if she could pet him.

We started out with some time on the beach to sniff at things and hopefully give him some time to relax after the car ride before we started walking. He was alert and nervous but not overly so.

We were walking along Ruston Way on the Tacoma Waterfront. Anyone who's been there knows that on a sunny Sunday it can be overwhelming and yesterday was no different than usual. An incredibly long, slow train was passing on the other side of the road for most of our walk and the sidewalk was thick with dogs, kids on scooters, runners, walkers, wheelchairs, strollers, etc. There are a lot of smells down there too with the bay on one side as well as the seafood company and several restaurants.

We kept is short since I didn't want it to be a bad experience for him. I can't say he loved it but he wasn't thrown off by it much either. Next time we'll probably stick closer to home where things are quieter and we can work on his loose leash walking skills - something I'm not the best at teaching.