February is here

January is over and February is here. I cannot believe how fast the months are going that I am slowly getting mixed up with days, weeks and months and thank goodness I have a monthly planner next to my laptop as I would be getting everything mixed up LOL. Anyone having the same problem ?


On Sunday we celebrated Layla’s Gotcha Day in my friends’ garden which was awesome. Just sitting outdoors, she wandering around like she loves doing and us humans drinking tea and chatting. Layla also got spoiled and came home with a bag of beef and beef bones. She was in her element. On Monday her new blanket arrived which she loves so the brat was totally spoiled as always. (I had also made her some beef jerky)


Otherwise we have been lying low as such, going for lots of walks, she comes with me to the supermarket which she loves as everyone pets her, and this weekend with the weather warming up I am planning to do something, I need to get out also LOL.

February is also Responsible Pet Owner Month – did you know that ?
What are our responsibilities :

Today Thursday, I took her to an Eye Specialist as she has had red eyes for months now, we thought it was allergies, then they found ulcers which cleared up but the redness is not going away. The eye specialist checked her, complimented me on how healthy she is but I learned something also. Layla has cataracts  (for some time now, nothing new) which we are not going to operate on because of her age, but what is causing the redness  is her lenses are hardening and thus becoming inflamed. We are going to try a new type of drops and see how it goes. 

I personally would like to try something homeopathic for once but the vets are stubborn and will not listen. So I am hoping the inflammation will go away because otherwise she is acting like normal, eating well and in a nutshell I cannot complain.


So like everyone in the country or all over the world, our lives are very quiet most of the time, staying safe and healthy and praying life will get back to normal soon.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, be safe Layla 

Happy Gotcha Day 01.31.21

January is nearly over and that means it will be Layla’s Gotcha Day !

I cannot believe it is 10 years since I adopted her from the Carson Shelter.
I so remember looking at all the photos on Petfinder and Petharbor, seeing this matted mess and knew in my heart she was the one.


The 10 years have been wonderful, she is an amazing little dog, full of energy at the age of 14 and excluding her eyes which we are having problems with and she will be seeing a Eye Specialist next week, I cannot complain.


Layla, we have Aunt Cindy to thank for pulling you from the shelter, Uncle Mike for bringing you to San Francisco, Uncle David for allowing us to have outdoor time during the lockdown in his garden, Aunt Alice for taking us on adventures during the lockdown where we can get out of the city and everyone else that is part of our life.


And Layla a big big thank you for keeping me sane through the hard times, making me walk a lot as you love your sniffs when we walking and thanks to those sniffs a two block walk becomes six and what would be a half hour becomes 2 plus hours, but would not change it for anything. If your tail is wagging and you happy then so am i, never mind my morning coffee is always cold.


I pray to have many more years with you and as I always joke we are growing old together, we both have eye problems so we are two peas in a pod.


January is freedom month for both of us, it is the month I ran from Domestic Violence and the month you were freed from the shelter. So each January I reflect on what has happened since, count my blessings and look forward to what the New Year will bring us.


Happy Gotcha Day !!!!!!!!!


Love from Mom

We had an adventure

Good Morning friends,


Friday has arrived and we have had a wonderful week.


On Wednesday my Aunty Alice phoned Mommy and said weather is beautiful lets get out of the city. So Mom packed my picnic bag with my food, blankie and one of my pet carriers so that I could sleep comfortably in the car and off we went.


We drove along the coast to Half Moon Bay. What a beautiful little town where we stopped at a great fish restaurant and Mom and Aunty got some lunch, Mom’s favorite fish and chips. 


We then drove to a beautiful area facing the beach and sea where there were picnic tables, unpacked and sat back and relaxed. It was so much fun wandering around with lots of new smells. The only thing I could not do is go on the beach as dogs are not allowed, that is not fair although Mom was happy as with my itchy eyes the sand would not have been good.

Below is a video of Layla running with her tail wagging, the ground was so uneven the movie turned out jumpy sorry.

https://youtu.be/q2ceL0p9qII


While Mom and Aunty were eating I was spoiled with treats and my dinner which was so so good. After about 2 hours we packed up and drove slowly home.

I was so tired by then so I crawled into my bag and went to sleep till we got home.


It was just what we needed to be outdoors, especially breathing in the fresh sea air and relaxing, throwing all stress into the sea. 

Aunty Alice always has surprises for Mom and me and this was a wonderful one, thank you Aunty  Alice.


Yesterday I went to the groomers, that is one place I hate but as Mom told me I have not been groomed in nearly a year because of the virus, if we could do it we must as I will feel so much better after being pampered. Mom was really happy as our groomer has opened a new place not far from our house so I was safe and in good hands.


Don’t tell Mom but I feel awesome BOL.


Storms are expected over the next couple of days which means rain so we are going to be locked inside as I hate the rain so we are both relieved we managed to get to Half Moon Bay on Wednesday and take advantage of the beautiful weather.


I am so tired now, Mom has gotten me ready for bed so am off to sleep here, I need my beauty sleep,


Have a safe wonderful weekend everyone, stay warm and eat lots of treats,
With a love from Layla 

The New Year has arrived

TGIF !!! 

We took a break from blogging as I wanted a bit of a break from social media and now the New Year has arrived it is the start hopefully of new adventures.


Being on lockdown is getting harder as I think poor Layla is bored walking the same directions every day and desperately needs a change and so do I.

In the past month we have managed to do one really great adventure and that is spend a day at Lake Alpine which is about 3 hours from here. It was heaven and wish I could do it daily but unfortunately cannot. I went with a friend and took a picnic including a picnic for Madam, found a place to park and sat on a ledge off the road. Layla could not venture too far as it was dangerous but she was happy just to be outdoors and be spoiled with some of my sandwich LOL.


Other than that we are once a week going to sit in a friends garden, social distance and drink tea and chat while she wanders around.


Every January I also celebrate my freedom from my ex and the abuse and am saying daily thank goodness I am not with her during the lockdown, it would be hell.  

So I am looking for easy fun things to do with Layla where possible and one she loves LOL is going to the supermarket with me, it is the highlight of her day and thank goodness it is across from where we live. Her favorite pet store is not far from me also so I try to go once a week with her there and she gets totally spoiled with treats. 


I was saying to a friend the other day now I know why I hate zoos as sitting in lockdown is like being in a cage and it can be monotonous and I am sure animals in cages feel the same way.
So let us all pray that 2021 will be a good healthy New Year, with lots of new adventures, fun and just being able to see friends and chat without worrying so much about the virus although wearing a mask is a must.


We want to wish everyone a safe Happy 2021

with love and hugs Layla 

Merry Christmas Everyone

TGIF !!!!!!!


It is a week before Christmas and I have been watching cars go by with trees on their roofs, people carrying them, on bicycles and it is such a great feeling to see some happiness in the city the past weeks with all the gloom around.


Unfortunately this year there are no events like in the past years and as I am not going out much because we are on strict lockdown again I decided to share photos of past events that we attended and had fun.


The first is a very special memory where in the dog park I would go to with Baby and they every year dressed up a tree and hung photos of all the dogs in the dog park which was so much fun, as the lights would sparkle with all the photos and we would stand around, drink something and celebrate. I hope one day to be able to do it with Layla.


Another memory is the Santathon which they have every year in San Francisco when everyone dresses up as Santas, the town goes red LOL and you see many drunk Santas pub crawling and having fun. It is also very special as one of the pubs does a toy drive for those that need toys. 


The other event not happening this year is the Skivvie run which is a fundraiser for the AIDS Foundation where in the Castro Area everyone runs in skivvies and have fun, it is a great event and wonderful fundraiser.

So we are stuck in the house this year but Layla was spoiled and got a $ 50 gift card for Hanukkah for our favorite Pet Store so am going to spoil her with something this week although the brat is not short of anything.


I have been really spoiled also with Hanukkah gift cards to different stores and I plan to for once spend on myself not the brat LOL plus I got an Emeril Lagase Air fryer Pro which has a dehydrator so in the New Year am going to be trying different meats to dehydrate for the Madam. Am really excited over this gift.


As we sit here, see the Christmas lights in different houses, lighted up Christmas trees and people laughing and smiling, I am happy to see that everyone is making the best of the worst and that is fantastic as life is too short to sit and moan. 


Please keep your pets safe this Christmas, 


Merry Christmas Everyone, may you have a wonderful one with your family, make memories and enjoy  !!!!!!!!!!!!!


With a woof and love from

Layla

Latke time has arrived

Layla eating her latkes out of a dreidel shaped bowl

TGIF all my furfriends,

Winter has arrived and with it the different holidays for different religions. In our house we celebrate Hanukkah although Mom does fill a little stocking for me also every year so I do not feel left out.

I am very spoiled, 8 days of Hanukkah and then Christmas also, and then BOL Mom counts her pennies to see how much she has spent on me, what a life, I cannot complain.

Unfortunately because of the lousy Rona, we are on stay in place orders again like in March so there will not be any fun Santa events like we do each year including me visiting Santa Claus. Mom I think is going crazy slowly cos she keeps singing Rona Rona go away, please do not ever come back any day but her lousy voice is not helping.

Last night, Thursday 10th, Hanukkah started. For those of you that do not know what Hanukkah is below find a short explanation.

What is Hanukkah – it is the festival of lights when a miracle happened and the oil that the Maccabees found to last for one night lasted eight nights so we celebrate this by lighting a candle every night and eat lots of oily foods, the two main symbolic ones are latkes and donuts. I am going to be honest but I have not found donuts like they make in Israel here in the States and it upsets me, they should be round and stuffed with jelly (the jelly is put in the donut before it it fried so when you bite into it all the jelly oozes out.)

Chocolate Coins which we give to the kids and are called Hanukkah Geld. (Geld is Yiddish for money).  We also play a game with a dreidel – it is a four sided spinning top with Hebrew letters on and you win when it falls on one of the  letters.

We need to do the horrible and remind everyone what are the Hanukkah Hazards so our pets are safe.

Now for the best part, and as we do every year we are sharing Mom’s recipe for Doggy Latkes so everyone can make them for their furkids. We are also including for the pet parents so you can all enjoy (I have such a Jewish Mom BOL)

Doggy Latkes 
Ingredients and Method
One sweet potato grated 
One egg
Flour to bind it all together 
Mix all in a bowl, spoon on to a baking sheet which is covered with parchment paper, bake on 350 Deg till brown on top, flip over and carry on baking till ready (golden brown) Cool and serve it to them with sour cream or cottage cheese.
This recipe makes about 5 or 6 depending on the size of the sweet potato. 

 Human latkes recipe 

Ingredients and Method
5 Russet Potatoes peeled (you can do unpeeled also)
2 Eggs 
Breadcrumbs or Matza meal to bind it all together 
NOW to make life easier and tastier instead of crying while grating onions I use a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix.
Squeeze all the water out of the potatoes, add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.
Heat up oil in a frying pan, I use Canola oil, drop a table spoon of the mixture into the hot oil, flattening them a bit, fry till golden brown on each side, drain on a paper towel. Serve hot with either sour cream or apple sauce. Bon Appetit.

Happy Hanukkah everyone, have a wonderful time, enjoy the miracle of the lights and the yumm latkes,

With a woof and love from
Layla

December has arrived

TGIF !!!!!!!!!


December has arrived and we are having a warm one, no rain which is something we desperately need.


Over Thanksgiving weekend I had Trippe stay with us, Madam did a bark and growl but in the end settled down LOL. He is an adorable Tripawd but afraid of going outside so the walks with him were quick ones, and Madam took me on the long ones. It was so great having him and what I thought was really cute was him bringing his toy to me to play with him which is something Layla never does so I was really spoiled.


The only problem Layla had with him LOL was he loved to sleep in her bed and she was not happy, as soon as she moved he was into her bed like a bullet. He had his bed here but was not interested. 

At night they both hogged my bed and I slept dangling from the corner of my bed but in a nutshell I loved it.


Other than that San Francisco is going back to strict lock down so once again our outdoors will be limited to walks and some park time if I can do social distancing which sometimes is not easy plus Madam loves to walk around visiting others on their blankets and not everyone likes it.


December means the holidays are upon us, Hanukkah starts next week and I will share our Doggy Latke recipe on the blog, Layla gets spoiled for 8 days so I am not doing Christmas for her.


So at the moment it is quietish in the Layla Neighborhood, we are taking each day as it comes but am relieved she is healthy, happy and eating like a pig. Something new I have started with is giving her freeze dried kibbles as treats and she loves them. She now has a snuffle mat and loving it, keeping her busy sniffing all the time hoping something might be there.


Have a great weekend, be safe 

With love from Layla 

Thanksgiving thank you letter

Happy Friday Everyone !


Our Thanksgiving tradition is a letter to everyone plus Layla from me for being wonderful with us the past year, so here it goes :


Dear Layla,


2020 has been a hard year for us. The Covid19 arrived and with it meant lockdown which meant no more play dates with all your friends but you have benefitted by having me to yourself all the time and being extra spoiled where possible.


You have been an amazing little girl, I am so proud of you for dealing with it with me,  keeping me more on my toes but I must admit I sometimes sound tired I am loving our quality time.


This year has been a trying year in general sweetness, you hurt yourself and was on bed rest for nearly a month with lots of medications but thank goodness with love and perseverance you have healed and back to being piss and vinegar.


You are aging like Mom and with it comes new aches and pains, you now have ulcers on your corneas but like everything else Mom will make sure you heal from them. Between your eyes and mine we are quite a couple LOL.


We lost Uncle Matthew suddenly in September, he was my rock, kept me sane during the trying times, and losing him has made things a bit harder for Mom but she is doing her best to keep herself balanced and not stressed and you are doing an amazing job by helping with your licks and cuddles and of course waggy tail. I am so grateful for that big time.


We thank everyone who has helped us through these trying times, Shanti Project – you are all amazing, Shalom Bayit – all of you are amazing and so many more especially Pets Unlimited who have wonderful vets and have taken such care of you, been patient with me and my emails and helping me in so many ways to keep you healthy. Without all of you I am not sure where I would be.


And last but not least we must thank Aunt Barbara and Uncle David for all the hugs and pets which are treasured by you plus Uncle David thank you for loaning us your garden once a week for fresh air and time for Layla to run off leash.

And of course a special thank you to Aunt Alice for spoiling Mom and taking me one Sunday on an adventure.


We would like to thank all the great companies that have sent us their products for reviews from Hemp Oil, Supplements, Anti Itch shampoos and of course treats – they have all been loved by us in so many ways and we are really grateful.


So through the hardships there have been some treasured moments also.
I love you little Madam, you are my Boss and very Bossy also but would not change it for anything in this world.


Lots of love as always,

Your crazy Jewish Mom


Before we end this blog this week we want to remind everyone to please keep your pets safe over Thanksgiving and I know we all love to spoil them make sure the goodies are safe.

We are including the turkey treat recipe that I make for Layla on Thanksgiving so she is not forgotten LOL. I do not add the rice anymore. I bake it like a meat loaf, then cut into little squares and keep in fridge, freezing some for another day.


AND of course to all our followers thank you for reading our blog, laughing with us,  sharing your stories, we have become a family and we appreciate it very much.


Happy Thanksgiving everyone, Be safe, don’t overeat LOL.


With a woof and love from Layla 

National Senior Pet Month

Happy Friday everyone !!!


This month is National Senior Pet Month and am going to talk about living with a senior as Layla is 14 years old and aging.


Since she was ill in June I have noticed many changes in her which I am learning to adapt to but there are days that I find it hard as it is taking its toll on me also. 


We have been going through the past month or so her allergies so I against my will as I try not to give her medications put her on Apoquel as she was tearing at herself and thank goodness we have avoided hot spots, phew. I am also bathing her weekly which is helping with the scratching. 
Another issue I am dealing with is her not wanting to sleep. She is up and down all night  and if I can get her to sleep 6 hours without interruption I am happy, she is getting CBD oil to calm her down which seems to be helping. I need sleep at the moment LOL.


She otherwise is acting herself but a new issue is her barking at me when she wants to go out so off we go at all times of day and night, and Madam when she wants to walk we can walk which I do not mind but I do not like doing the side streets at night as it is not safe and that is where the arguments start LOL.


Today she is going to the vet, phew I managed to get an appointment as someone had cancelled as her left eye is very red, we have tried medications but they are not helping so the vet wants to check it out again.


Last Sunday, a good friend of mine took Layla away from me for a couple of hours to give me a break, they went to a different dog park, she took the backpack with her just in case but Layla did not want it. It was hard for me to be without her but on the other hand it gave me a break which was really needed as it helped me relax which I needed to do. She was very happy to see me when we met up again.  Thank you Alice as always.


She also got spoiled this week with a parcel of South African treats by a company called ROAM, they sent her freeze dried venison, Crocodile jerky and Cape Ostrich jerky and she is loving them all. In South Africa you can buy Ostrich or Buck Jerky in all the stores and it is delicious.


And she got a new bed, the reason is she sleeps under the bed LOL so wanted her to sleep on something so I bought her a crate bed which fits under there perfectly so she now has her fourth bed. I am hoping with winter coming she will be warmer and it will help her to sleep.


So that is what is happening here, we are both aging slowly and learning to adapt to it all.


Stay safe everyone 

With a woof and love from Layla 

October is over but our voice will never be silenced

TGIF !!!!!!!!!!
I cannot believe November is around the corner, this year is going too fast but hopefully it is a good sign and our lives will go back to normal soon. This hibernating is getting too much.


With October ending it is the ending of Domestic Violence Awareness Month although we must keep speaking out, using our voice for those that are being abused, whether humans or pets as they need our voices. 


The end of October means Halloween which is not being celebrated this year the way it normally is, my heart does go out to the kids that are missing out but am sure parents are relieved there will be no sugar rushes and fighting over candies.


Halloween can be dangerous for our pets so please look after them, make sure they are safe and do not get into anything toxic.

Plus please keep your black cats safe from the lunatics.


Happy Halloween Everyone, Take care and be safe,

Layla and Me