Month: January 2019

It is Layla’s Gotcha Day 31 January

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Wednesday has arrived and tomorrow is Layla’s gotcha day. I cannot believe she has been with me for 8 years WOW, it seems like yesterday she arrived a matted mess from the shelter.
I am not sure how many of you know her story, but she was one of the unlucky ones to be dumped by her family at the age of about 6 for the same reason everyone else dumps their pets, no time.

I saw her online sitting in the shelter, the photo said it all, my friend rescued her and another brought her to me and the rest is history.  Layla has come a long way from being a scared shy dog and I am blessed daily to have her in my life.

This is one of the reasons I think I am so paranoid when she does not feel well whether upset tummy, allergies or anything else and I am doing my utmost to keep her as healthy as possible.

She has always hopped with her left back leg up and the vets have never worried about it, but with aging I have become more concerned so have been doing research on different products which will make sure she is not in pain or uncomfortable.

Through my research I came across this company, Restorative Botanicals that make Hemp products specifically for pets plus humans and contacted them as their products sounded exactly what I was looking for for Layla.

They were kind enough to send me their 4 Paws Hemp Oil Extract which  supports Weary Muscles and Joints, Calming Disposition and Overall Health. It is made with Certified Colorado hemp, cod liver oil and cold pressed organic, virgin hemp seed oil, in a well balanced nutritional blend designed to keep your companion feeling calm, healthy and comfortable.

Since I have been using it on Layla I have noticed her to be calmer, especially with me starting a new job and not home in the afternoons, when she walks she is not hopping as much unless she starts running which is not that often. It is something I have been looking for and so happy I found.

Another product I received from them and I am so happy with this is their 4Paws PET Hemp Extract Topical Relief Balm. As you all know Layla suffers from allergies and then of course it causes hot spots. I am so against all the topical sprays so when I saw this I thought to myself WOW, perfect for her.

You all know from my last blog we went to the beach about 10 days ago and Madam has been scratching since. Between that and the warm weather last week and park, Missy started a little hot spot and I immediately rubbed the balm on her. It worked wonders, she stopped chewing on herself, calmed down and I found that within one day the hot spot was nearly healed. It was so great to see that and not have to worry about her getting an upset tummy from licking it, as the Hemp Extract Topical Relief Balm is safe and relaxes her, in a nutshell a must in a persons first aid box.

The company also surprised me with a gift of Muscle & Joint Cream which I have been using on my ankle and feeling so much better plus a bottle of Spice Flavor Restore Calm Hemp Oil Supplement which is really helping me to stay calm.

I want to say thanks to them for making our lives calmer and mine more relaxed for sponsoring us with these products.

If you want to learn more about them, below is their link:

https://www.restorativebotanicals.com/?rfsn=2263342.782237

The difference I have found with Layla when it comes to CBD oil or Whole Plant Hemp Oil, I am more and more preferring the Whole Plant Hemp oil as I am finding she is calm but not sleepy, eating better and much more herself. I personally think in the future I will be using Whole Plant Hemp oil with her and not CBD oil.

With the research I have also learnt the difference between Whole Plant Hemp Oil and CBD Oil and am happy to share here so we all understand it better.

Within the hemp plant, there are numerous cannabinoids and other phytonutrients.  A good full-spectrum hemp oil will include all of this material in the same proportion that occurs naturally in the plant – and that’s our belief – for maximum effectiveness, you need a full-spectrum, whole plant extract.  Plus, when all of these materials work together in the body to support the endocannabinoid system, it’s known as the “entourage effect”. (Thank you Rick from Restorative Botanicals) for the explanation.

“CBD” (CBD isolate) products contain only the CBD cannabinoid without all of the other beneficial materials – and therefore may not be as effective as the full spectrum whole plant extract.

So the question now is what am I going to do for her gotcha day LOL. Madam is spoiled all year round so decided for her birthday am going to get her her favorite for dinner, chicken livers and gizzards mixed with chicken, she will be in heaven from that.

I am now off to work, Layla is sleeping, everyone please stay warm in these freezing temperatures, take care and be safe

With a woof from us

San Francisco is sunny

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Happy Wednesday Friends,

Thank goodness the week of rain is over and we are having some sunshine as it is needed to dry off everything including us LOL.

We had a great busy weekend as usual and the weather being good even made it better especially as I had Monday off, nothing like a long weekend to pamper Layla with quality time.

On Saturday we went to the Women’s March where Layla became little woman LOL. There were a lot of people plus many dogs which I was surprised to see. It was wonderful to be there and although we did not March as Layla was not happy with all the noise and I had given her some CBD oil before we left, I decided to come home when they started. Yes she was in the backpack but so antsy I was getting back ache from her moving around. So we took the bus home and got off in the park and relaxed there for a bit. It was a great day in all.

On Sunday we just chilled, relaxed and did nothing but normal walks in the nice weather, perfect for me to recharge my batteries and for her to get some exercise.

 

Monday we had a big adventure, a friend of mine with his two dogs decided to go down to Chrissy Field which is a great dog area on the beach so off we went. Layla was happy trotting along as long as her paws did not get wet LOL. It was so nice sitting on a blanket on the beach, looking out at the sea and Golden Gate bridge, drinking coffee and chatting. A perfect day in so many ways. Layla was happy although came home sandy and itchy poor thing but I immediately rinsed her off with some warm water and apple cider vinegar just in case there were any bugs LOL and then she ate and went to sleep.

 

I cannot believe that 8 years ago Layla was dumped at the shelter and how far we have come together, from her fear of people to a lap dancer today and so much more.

So that was our weekend and now back to work, housework and all the mundane things while Madam chews on a bone and relaxes. Life is good in the Layla Neighborhood.

On this sunny message we are saying to everyone be safe in the cold weather, and those in the Southern Hemisphere stay cool as we have been reading about the heat waves and fires.

With a woof and love from Layla

Middle of January already

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Morning Everyone from rainy San Francisco,

Today we are expecting a major rain storm which means me getting wet but BOL Mom has to go to work so she will be swimming there while I sleep cozily in my bed. This is the life, Mom working, I have food, treats and a warm bed while she is out there suffering, I like that and call it Karma as she makes me walk in the rain.

It will be soon my gotcha day and Mom and I were discussing how I was dumped in the shelter and how lucky I am today especially when she sees the amount of dogs that have been dumped, it breaks our heart and she told me she wish she could afford a brother or sister for me. I am not sure if I want one though as I love being the only child.

Since I took Layla off the dog food and only cooking at home including her veggie smoothies I have noticed she has lost some weight. She was never over weight so this is worrying me a bit. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday about it as he only cooks for his dogs and has a senior, a little older than Layla and he told me that the same thing happened to him and I must not worry. He did suggest I only use the brown meat of the chicken as it is fattier and add a little brown rice to her food for carbohydrates. So as I got a Power Cooker as a gift from friends I made up some brown meat chicken for her yesterday with a little brown rice and of course all the veggies. When I made the smoothie of the veggies, zucchini, carrots, spinach, parsley, peas and green beans, plus some apple and blueberries, I added the rice so she would not know she is eating it as she spits the rice out LOL. She ate all her food yesterday and today so I am hoping this will help solve that problem and if not her annual vet visit is next month so will ask the vet. She is not drinking more than normal which I am relieved about.

I am finding it hard to find in some ways the perfect balance as I am always worried that I am doing something wrong so if anyone has any input am open to it. She is also getting a teaspoon of goats milk in her food, plus green lipped mussels and coconut oil.

This past weekend was basically most of the time indoors because of the rain and next weekend I think it is going to be the same. The Women’s March is on Saturday and I am debating whether to go or not, Layla in her backpack of course but will decide on Saturday when I see the weather forecast.

So life has not been that exciting this past week thanks to the rain and I think we are going to be stuck inside till the weather changes.

For those that are in the snow or colder weather, stay safe and warm

Woof with love from Layla

I am aging gracefully

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Good Morning Fur friends and Hooman friends,

One week into the New Year and it has not stopped raining since Saturday. I have been singing rain rain go away Layla needs to walk and play but it is not helping.

Layla has never liked the rain and it stems from her having been an outside dog in her past life as I call it so it is a battle to get her out when it rains and if she sees her raincoat she goes and hides in her box and stays there. So the past week I decided to try a new approach with less stress and it seems to be working.

In the mornings I let her sleep for as long as she wants and when she feels she needs to go out we go out, she tells me by getting up and walking towards the door. I am doing that also during the day or evening by letting her tell me and wow what a difference it has made. She is more relaxed, happier to go out and not fighting me with the raincoat. It might not be long walks like we are used to but at least she is going out to potty. I cannot believe that I never thought about this in the past but as I am saying to myself better late than never.

Layla will be 12 this year, like me she is aging and with it comes all the new quirks or triggers and am having to deal with them on a daily basis. She is also losing her sight in her left eye which does not make things easier. She does not like going out in the evenings when it is dark so her last walk is like 6 or 7.

Her new fear is clapping and when we in the dog park if someone claps for their dog she dives under the bench to hide. I am not giving in to her by leaving but the opposite I pick her up and cuddle her to give her a feeling of security. There are days that it works and days that it does not. Treats always work though LOL.

Our lives are changing because of it, I am working through her fears/triggers/quirks on a daily basis and learning at the same time. Thank goodness her appetite or water consumption has not changed which is keeping me more relaxed. I have also found an amazing chew for her, not as hard as bones but it keeps her really busy during the day in this weather. It is a turkey tendon and she loves them. My pet store has a great deal at the moment of buy 3 get one free so have stocked up on them to keep her happy.

She is still doing zoomies when we enter the building, full of puppy energy and as I call her Ms. Piss and Vinegar, that she is. She even plays more with her squeaky toys lately which is awesome as I love watching her jump on the bed and grab one to squeak like crazy.

I have started a new part time job which is taking me out of the house for about 4 to 5 hours each day and thank goodness I do not have to deal with anxiety as she seems to be handling this really well.

So that is what is happening in the Layla Neighborhood at the moment, we are stuck indoors because of the rain, Jazz playing in the background so life is good here for us two old ladies.

How are all of you coping with the cold weather and rain ?

Stay warm and dry and please remember pets are family and need to be kept indoors safely,

Have a great week with a woof from Layla

And the New Year has arrived

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Good Morning Friends,

How are you and we hope you have all recovered from the holidays and over eating LOL, we have managed to relax in the middle also.

January is a special month for me as it is the month that I ran from Domestic Violence and found my freedom and it is the month that I rescued Layla also, we call it the month we found our freedom.

It has been a long journey, there have been ups and downs like when I lost Baby but whatever the negatives have been I am so happy I did it, saved Baby RIP from the abuse and although life is not perfect today I would rather have this life than what I had.

Rescuing Layla is a bonus, she has given me so much laughter, love and friendship which is things money cannot buy and I am so blessed to wake up to Ms Piss and Vinegar every morning.

Today and the next couple of days are for Layla Christmas Tree heaven as everyone puts their trees out to be picked up so she when going for walks pees on all of them. I often wonder what is going through her mind when doing it as when we visit friends over Christmas we watch the dogs to make sure they do not pee and then overnight they have the freedom to do it whenever they want. They must really think we are nuts.

Many are asking what resolutions we have made for New Year and going to be honest have made none, am going to take each day as it comes, cross every bridge as I get to it and make the best of the year as possible. Of course though the most important is keeping Layla healthy and happy.

So as Layla starts her morning nap we both want to wish everyone again a Happy Healthy 2019.

Woof with love from Layla