Bailey seems to be getting a little more ornery as he moves into middle age. We're wondering if his hip displasia is causing him more pain and making him (understandably) more grouchy when it comes to playing with other dogs. I've noticed at the dog park that he tends to run around by himself and rarely engages in rambunctious behavior with other pups. This is a departure from his usual self as he was previously quite friendly.
Yesterday I let him out into the front yard and he got into a bit of a tangle with another dog (through the fence!) that resulted in some moderately serious injuries to his snout. Poor guy! He spent the rest of the day licking his wounds inside and he's sticking close by my side this morning. We greased him up with some antibiotic ointment and we're going to be keeping very close tabs on him to make sure that the scratches remain infection-free.
