What you do for love for your Senior Dog

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TGIF!!! The weekend has arrived, which means we can all recharge our batteries and get ready for the new week.

Day light savings has messed with our lives and I am sure you all feel the same. I personally hate it as I am getting less sleep and Layla’s routine has gone upside down which is taking its toll on me. Layla now wakes me up at 5 in the morning to go potty and her routine is to potty, I then put her back in the stroller to come home but Madam stands up in the stroller which means she wants to go again so I take her out and all she does is stand and stare into space till I get fed up and put her back in the stroller and bring her in. She then will bark at me for her snuffle ball with treats, I will crawl back into bed and once she is finished with her treats and then goes back to sleep. Thank you, daylight savings.

Being a Senior Dog Mom is trial and error, adapting your life to theirs and all of a sudden, your life revolves around theirs and you lose a lot of freedom. I am not complaining as Layla is my child, I love her to the moon and back, but I am exhausted 24/7 also and I feel sharing with you will prepare you for the future.

She has a new quirk of sleeping on the floor in front of the front door, which is fine when I am home but when I go out I have become afraid I will squash her when I come back in so I got a baby gate which I put up at the end of the corridor and put her there before I go out so I have no more worries about her now. She has freedom in the entire apartment, so she is perfectly safe.

One of my worries at the moment is when the rain starts what am I going to do to keep her busy, so she does not sleep all day so although she has her snuffle balls I need to find other activities for her to keep her brain active. So, over the next couple of weeks, I will google searching for ideas LOL.  Madam does not like plastic, rubber or wood so I cannot get her a puzzle as from experience she will not touch them. She has me trained well LOL.

She has become a picky eater when it comes to treats and I am very fortunate that my pet store allows me to exchange open packets and get credit because I have bought her three different packages of treats this week with fish which she loves and all of a sudden not interested so we have been back and forth to the store to exchange them, thank goodness they know me so they are laughing with me.

As you all know Layla has been having kidney infection and a UTI which are all healed but I have been looking into supplement to help them stay healthy and found one with Cranberry and Blueberries. One of the things I have noticed since she is on it is she more aware and energetic so today when I decided to take her to her favorite park with a train ride I asked her if she wants to go Bye Bye she jumped up wagging her tail like she did in the past and I just grabbed the camera to film it as it made me so happy. For that she could bark as much as she wanted. See the video below.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Dzbichoh7vk?si=LNbj7Gxm1ZAYkr8z

The weather was gloomy and chilly, but we hopped on the train, both of us bundled up and off we went. She was so happy to be outdoors and wandered around happily keeping me on my toes, but it was worth it. There is nothing like sitting on the lawn on a chair watching the boats on the bay, it is relaxing and helps me recharge my batteries. It was a wonderful 3 hours of no electronics just the outdoors and the birds and the bay and of course Layla.

https://youtube.com/shorts/RRGDehtUcmE?si=wnnFckGHEFfjDBDc

They grey skies

Wearing my fancy jacket made from an umbrella

To bark or not to bark today that is the question ?

I am taking each day as it comes this weekend as they are talking rain, and I am praying there will be a break so we can get out.

 

So now you know what is happening in the senior Layla Neighborhood

Have a wonderful weekend with a woof and love from

Layla

November is Adopt A Senior Pet Month

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TGIF!!!   Woof, hello my friends and how are you?

November has arrived, which is an important month for me as a senior as it is Adopt A Senior Pet Month and there are so many that have been dumped in shelters by selfish humans and are suffering now. Let us open our hearts and homes to a senior so that they can live happily and loved for the rest of their lives. It means so much to me and I cry when I read the stories. Watch the rescuers trying to save them all, find fosters and work relentlessly to make sure all shelter pets have homes especially the seniors.

The excuses that the humans give for dumping is all lies and as I woofed to Mom those humans should not be allowed pets in the future, there is no excuse to do what they are doing and I often woof to Mom may Karma get them.

This is my video I woofed on asking everyone to adopt a senior pet.

https://youtube.com/shorts/GHWR48gsGCw?si=DUv5XxKZ0PTvRVYB

Now another topic we must not forget is on November 1 was Cook for your pet day, yup we need to stay healthy and home cooked food is the best and healthier than the kibbles and cans as your Mom knows exactly what you are eating and there are no preservatives. So I asked Mom to share with you my favorite home cooked food so you can all make it at home, cos sharing is caring.

My bowl of home cooked breakfast

 

Recipe

Pieces of Chicken and if you allergic to chicken you can use beef.

Filet of Tilapia as fish is very good for the brain.

Chicken Gizzards as they are yum and crunchy.

Veggies: Carrots and pumpkin for fiber which is important for me as I am a senior, if Mom has other veggies like zucchini, cauliflower, peas or green beans she adds them also.

She puts it all in the Instapot, adds apple cider vinegar: Why Apple Cider Vinegar, here are the benefits :

It is a  digestive aid to regulate digestion and relieve digestive upset.

Works as a natural supplement for the urinary tract system to prevent urinary tract infections, bladder, and kidney stones.

Mom steams it all till ready, then she lets it cool down. Blend the veggies into a smoothie with the chicken broth. Mix all together and my food is ready.  When cool she puts in plastic containers and freezes.

When Mom puts in my plate, she adds the following supplements: Lions Mane and 5 Defenders from this company https://shop.realmushrooms.com/?ref=488 You have 10% off with LaylasWoof coupon. Oops did I forget to tell you I get their calming supplement also and it so yummy plus Mom drinks their Hot Chocolate with Mushrooms which she says is the best.

 

Muscle Formula from this company https://myospet.com/?aff=852  and finally the All In Senior Supplement from this company https://vetericyn.com/

So, in a nutshell I am eating a very balanced healthy diet and not overweight either.

Another thing Mom does to prevent UTIS or any other infections she wipes my Tush each time I potty with Tushy Wipes from this company so am clean all the time. They have great grooming products and all healthy and safe.  https://www.earthbath.com/collections/all/  You have a coupon for 10% off with LaylasWoof15.

The most important thing of all is of course my candy in my snuffle ball, oops did I say candy, I meant treats and they are so good and crunchy from this company and I am telling you it is a must have. https://farmhounds.com/ and you have a 10% discount with this coupon YumTreats0311.

It is now my bedtime and I need my beauty sleep as I am a senior and sleep is very important to me,

My new favorite place to sleep cos I am guarding the door

Have a safe weekend everyone with lots of fun,

Love Layla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November Pet Holidays and Observances

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November Pet Holidays and Observances

 

Month

  • Adopt a Senior Pet Month
  • National Senior Pet Month
  • NationalPet Cancer Awareness Month. 
  • Epilepsy Awareness Month

 

Week

  • 3-9: National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week
  • 10-16: Human Animal Appreciation Week

Day

  • Nov 1: National Cook for Your Dog Day
  • 1:  International Pet Groomer Appreciation Day
  • Nov 7: National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day
  • 12: World Animal Enrichment Day
  • 15: National Shop with your dog Day
  • 16: National Slobber Appreciation Day
  • 17: National Black Cat Day
  • 17:  National take a hike day
  • 18: National Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) Awareness, Research and Education Day.
  • 19: National get a pal for your pet day
  • 23: Wolfnoot Celebrating the spirit of the Woolf, originates in New Zealand
  • 23: Thankful for my dog day
  • 30:  World Pet Day

And we must not forget Thanksgiving, have a great month everyone

With a Woof and love from

Layla

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween

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TGIF! Happy Friday all my friends, can you believe it is the end of October and that means Halloween.

Mom is like a child BOL when it comes to Halloween as she loves all the costumes, the fun in the streets and of course the candies, but at the same time she makes sure I am safe and enjoying myself.

This year we are not going anywhere, Mom feels it is getting too much all the crowds so we decided instead to share with you some photos of our past Halloween including a photo of my sister Baby and what Mom dressed her in which still makes Mom giggle.

I am a little ballerina, Layla

My personality, a princess but I can be a devil also, Layla

Baby as a fire hydrant

We hope you will enjoy the photos as much as I am enjoying sharing then with you.

Please remember to keep us safe as there are Halloween hazards for your fur babies and especially make sure your cats are safe inside especially if they are back.

 

Happy Halloween Everyone, please do not eat too much candy or your dentist bill will be high oy vey and please keep all chocolates and candies away from us.

Lots of love and hugs from

Layla

 

 

Why do we have adventures.

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TGIF, the weekend has arrived, and I am still not sure what our plans will be.

Layla is off her antibiotics; I am praying we kicked the infection and life can get back to normal whatever that Is in this household. Layla rules the house and I jump to attention for whatever she barks about, it is insane but that is how it goes here.

Madam suddenly does not want to eat chicken as I was hiding her medication in it so on Monday we went to the markets and bought chicken gizzards and she is now a happy old lady and Mom is happy also that she is eating but by the photo below you will see who the Boss is.

I want chicken not gizzards, did you hear me Mom

 

The reason I do adventures with her, trying different parks, going on the train and so much more is to keep her brain going, different places mean different smells and I am always looking for a new place which is easy to get to, I do not drive, so all is on public transport and her being in a stroller I am learning I have to go to easy accessible places as living in San Francisco there are lots of hills and pushing the stroller up them is not easy especially as the princess has a new game, get comfy in the stroller then stand up to walk, and she repeats herself most of the way so by the end of the day my back is killing me. Another reason I do them is I have found if she does not go out for a couple of hours during the day, she sleeps a lot and then in the evenings wakes up and wants to go out every hour, barking to get her own way and it is exhausting for me and I have started eating cold dinners LOL.

So, what we have done the past week, last Saturday we went to the park on the Bay. The weather was perfect and it was just so relaxing to be outdoors by the Bay where I could watch her and the boats on the Bay. Layla was wandering around. All of a sudden, I could not see her, nearly had a heart attack and then turned around on my chair to see her scrambling through a gap in the hedges. She was caught on a branch thank goodness, so I had to untangle her and bring her back to the lawn. Thank goodness the hedge is along a wall so she could not have gone far phew. But once back on the lawn she was happily walking around and of course doing her weekly bark in the park, once she started napping, about 2 hours later, I packed up and brought her home. These outings exhaust her, so she normally naps when we get home and phew I manage to catch a nap also. Lucky me.

I smell something in the grass

On Sunday and Monday, we went to the park around the corner from my building, it was great to just sit outdoors, she do her thing and of course bark and me drank coffee and relaxed. The weather has been perfect for these outdoor days plus good for her. Plus being in that park she knows where the benches are where some of the dog people sit with all the treats so off she goes like a bullet to beg from them. I keep an eye on her and if there are a lot of big dogs there, I pick her up and put her in her stroller and push her there. There are only two people she can get treats from so if they are not there, I just bring her back to the blanket and give her a treat.

Sunshine on my face feels awesome

The video below shows Layla trying to get into my bag to get the treats LOL

Life with a senior dog is not easy, tiring especially when they wake you up in the middle of the night or 4 in the morning to go potty but I would not change it for anything as I am very blessed to have a healthy happy blind senior that is getting me out and exercise.

So, all my friends, as you can see, Fall has arrived, we are busy and each day that it does not rain we are outdoors for a couple of hours each day.

Have a wonderful weekend, Be safe,

With lots of love from Layla

 

We have been busy

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TGIF !!! Good morning all my friends, we hope you are all well and safe.

I have been debating whether to write this week about what is happening in Israel but as an Israeli I cannot keep quiet so all I am asking from my friends is that they say a prayer for all the pets that through the massacres have lost their families, are now orphaned and I pray they all find new safe homes.

I am attaching a link from a newspaper that broke my heart and made me really think about all of them : This is what is said in English as the article is in Hebrew “We just left the slaughter area at the party. We cleared the bodies. The horrors that we saw will never get out of our heads. The only thing that came out of this life is one cute little dog ”   Tomer Peretz

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=874483190704433&set=a.258252685660823

We have been very busy the last two weekends so will now share our adventures as life needs to carry on and Layla loves going out so this is what we have been doing :

Two weeks ago we went to a dog event, a place I have never been to which was fun and visited a friend of mine who had a booth there and she has the cutest most well mannered dog so Layla said hi and I sat and chatted with her for a bit. We then wandered around checking the booths and from there walked to our favorite park where Layla was happy to sniff a lot, bark of course and then nap LOL. Her favorite past time.  From there we came home as I needed a nap also so we just chilled and relaxed at home the rest of the weekend.

Phew thank goodness my butt is not that fat, Layla

Layla and Musk

Wandering around the cool damp grass

 

Last weekend was Fleet week in San Francisco. There was a lot going on in our park next to our house but because of her in the stroller and always wanting to jump out I decided not to go but instead took the train to our favorite park on the Bay where we chilled, she wandered and barked of course and after an hour or so fell asleep. I sat a bit longer but when the Blue Angels started (I don’t like) she woke up, seemed to be a bit anxious so I packed up and came home to relax.

Cool as a cucumber in my cooling vest

Me and the sailors

Being on the Bay is the best for me as I totally relax plus do not have to worry about her as there are no dogs so she is safe wandering around sniffing and napping which makes my life more relaxing.

I love this view

On top of all this we did her senior blood panel this week, she has no liver problems, phew but does have a kidney infection and it does not matter how much water she drinks she seems to be dehydrated to am making sure she drinks a lot and I wake her up in the middle of the night to drink more.  She is on antibiotics for two weeks and hopefully they will clear it up.

So never a dull moment in our house, but cannot complain because as long as she is a happy healthy 17 year old I am happy.

On this note we are sending prayers to all our family and friends in Israel, please be safe everyone and have a wonderful weekend,

With love and hugs from

Layla

 

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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Good Morning,

October has arrived and with it the Month of Domestic Violence Awareness. This is very close to my heart as I am a proud survivor.

I am one of the lucky ones that managed to get away with my little dog, hid at a friend and then moved to a new city where we were both helped.  If I had left my dog I know my ex would have carried on abusing her so the minute I could run, we ran.

She since has passed away, but she was my inspiration, my hero, my trooper and my lifeline through those dark days, and when she passed it was when I was finally in my own home so she knew I was safe, and could then open my heart to a new pup, and Layla arrived to live with me.  Layla wears a tag that says: Shelter Survivor which speaks for both of us.

Today I am not going to talk about me, but “The Power and Control Wheel” of Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence. This gives us a better understanding as to what happens behind closed doors, and why so many victims stay in the relationships.

  1. Threats – The abuser will threaten to kill or abuse the pet during the relationship or if left behind. (I stayed in mine to protect Baby.)
  2. Isolation – Refusing vet care for the pet. Isolating the victim that the pet also suffers as it is not socialized with other dogs. It is as if you are living in a cage.
  3. Emotional Abuse – Giving away or killing the pet to take away her source of unconditional love.
  4. Economical Abuse – Refusing to permit her to buy pet food or vet care
  5. Legal Abuse – Custody battles over pets. This is heart breaking as they file charges against the victim claiming theft if she leaves with the pet.
  6. Intimidation – Harming or killing the pet and then saying to the victim “Next time it will be you…..” They do this to family and friends who assist with the victim and pets getting away.
  7. Denying and blaming – Blaming the victim or the pet when something happens.

An abuser will want to control everything, and if he or she does not have that, we, the humans, kids or pets become the victims of his or her anger, although he/she will never admit it.

So when people reach out and talk about wanting to leave a Domestic Violence relationship but cannot leave their pets, these are some of the reasons and I from experience would have rather carried on suffering the abuse to make sure Baby was safe, than left her in a house where she would suffer.

Today things have changed and there are Domestic Violence shelters that are allowing pets or they will know where your pet can go and be safe.

Pets do not understand abuse the way we do and they should not have to suffer at the hands of an abuser of any kind as they give us the unconditional love and loyalty that unfortunately humans do not do.

Be safe, have a wonderful week, with a woof of love from

Layla

 

National Domestic Violence Hotline Phone number : 800-799-7233

Red Rover – they help Domestic Violence Victims and their pets https://redrover.org/domestic-violence-and-pets/

 

October Pet Holidays and Observances

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Fall has arrived, the weather is cooling down but that does not mean we do not celebrate our pets. October is important to me as it is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Pets are victims too. We must not forget them.

Month

  • Adopt a Dog Month
  • Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
  • Black Cat Awareness Month
  • National Pet CBD Month
  • National Pet Wellness Month
  • National Pit Bull Awareness Month
  • National Service Dog Month
  • National Domestic Violence Month – Pets are victims also

Week

  • National Walk Your Dog Week – October 1-7 (First Week of October)
  •  National Wolf Awareness Week.- October 15 – 21

Days

  • National Black Dog Day – October 1
  • National Fire Pup Day – October 1
  • National Walk Your Dog Day – October 1
  •  Canine Companion Day – October 2
  •  Feast of St Francis of Assisi – October 4
  • World Pet’s Day – October 4
  • Kindness to Animal Day – October 4
  • Catober 9th October 9th – Universal birthday to all shelter cats that birthdays are unknown
  • World Animal Road Accident Awareness Day – October 10
  • Vet Nurse Day – October 13
  • National Pug Day – October 15
  • Global Cat Day – October 16
  • National Feral Cat Day – October 16
  • National Pets for Veterans Day – October 21
  • National Pit Bull Awareness Day – Octobber 22
  • National Make A Dogs Day
  • National Black Cat Day (U.K) – October 27
  • National Fetch Day – October 28
  • National Cat Day – October 29
  • National Treat Your Pet Day – October 30

Have a wonderful October everyone,

Love Layla

 

Our New Year is starting

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Good morning Everyone,

Friday has arrived and with it today we celebrate the Jewish New Year. Our New Year is based on the Hebrew Calendar, and we are celebrating the year 5784. It starts at sunset this evening and ends on Sunday evening as in the Jewish Religion our day starts at sunset and ends at sunset.

We wish everyone a Sweet New Year and  we celebrate with the following :

Apples and Honey for a Sweet New Year

Pomegranate seeds which symbolize plentiful for the New Year

A round Challah (special bread) which symbolizes a reflection of the continuing cycle of years and seasons

Another symbol is the blowing of the Rams Horn, Shofar which symbolizes continuity and a hopeful future. The Shofar is blown in Temple during the service.

Below is a video of what we say to everyone !

https://youtube.com/shorts/1tu_QJ5PxOs?si=TEH1s558T1I9GvN_

To start the New Year I decided to take Layla for her senior check up at the vet today. I am blessed to have a wonderful vet who understands all my quirks as a Jewish Dog Mom. We discussed her health over all which she is happy with but wants to do a Senior Panel of blood tests to check her liver and kidneys which costs a fortune so am waiting to hear from my insurance if they will cover it. I am just relieved that for her age, nearly 17 she is healthy, not over weight, heart is good and she is walking great for her age. So will be praying I get the okay for the tests so that I can get them done and relax totally. We also discussed her grooming as she needs a haircut but because of her age and anxiety I am scared to take her as it normally a 3 hour ordeal for her and my vet said to step back from that at the moment.

Smiling in the park this week

Napping in the park this week

On behalf of Layla and Me we are wishing everyone a safe happy healthy New Year and may it be prosperous,

With a woof and love from

Layla

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month

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Woof Hello all my friends.

Did you know September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. Are you prepared?

We are family so we all must be prepared, humans and we pets so if something happens we can just leave the house safely. With climate change and weather conditions changing all over the world we must be prepared just in case we are caught off guard. It is a worry and I worry especially since Layla has aged and become blind what would happen if I am not home so I have come to an agreement with my neighbors that when I go out for a couple of hours they are warned just in case and I leave a pet carrier out with her harness inside so that they can grab her safely and leave the building.  It might sound crazy but for me I feel more relaxed knowing she is safe plus I have a sticker on my door saying blind dog inside with instructions that the pet carrier is there for her to go out in as she cannot walk fast.

Being prepared with a disaster bag is so important also. I have one prepared with items for Layla and me, including food and water. Living in San Francisco where earthquakes can happen without a warning, I would rather be safe than sorry.

So who is prepared and what do you have to grab to get out safely ?

Last weekend being a long weekend and the weather being perfect I decided to take Layla down to the Embarcadero or Promenade, it is easy to get there on train ride each way and they have a wonderful lawn there where I sat back and relaxed while Layla ran around tail wagging and happy. Umm did I say sit back and relax LOL I was chasing after her to make sure she did not leave the lawn and land up on the promenade which was full of people, dogs, bikers plus so much more. She had so much fun and actually at one point lay down and fell asleep. It was a great couple of hours, relaxing and there is nothing like smelling the sea air of the bay, watching the yachts sailing by, the seagulls flying around and the calm blue waters was so calming.

Lots of new smells

Smelling the flowers

Am thirsty

You can see on the video below how happy she was running like there were no problems in the world, a happy Layla is a happy Me.

https://youtube.com/shorts/WJ2grRFtkHw?feature=share

This weekend I have not thought what to do am going with the flow but am sure we will do something fun together, make memories and be outdoors enjoying the weather while it lasts.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Stay safe,

With a woof and love from Layla