Tag Archives: #dogblog

Are you prepared ?

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June has arrived and it is important month for us pet parents. It is the month where we should make sure we are prepared for any disaster that can happen and our bags are packed and ready to go.

Living in San Francisco which is earthquake city I am prepared and check my bag once every six months to make sure all is good. With Layla aging and now on medications I have got extras in the bag, so I do not have to worry if we must run.

In the bag I have food for Madam, I have put freeze dried food as she eats homemade, boxes of water, water bowl, food bowl, leash, poop bags, first aid kit and so much more. I also have a wonderful carrier which expands on all sides to enlarge it so I can put her inside it, and she will be safe plus I will not have to worry about her wandering off especially as she is going blind.  There is also a file with all her important info which includes a document with emergency contact if something happens to me. Her microchip is up to date, like her tags with an emergency phone number in case my phone is not working. My plan is if we must run to put her in her backpack and carry the bag, so she does not fall and hurt herself.

 

For me LOL, some instant coffee and creamer, crackers, and some cans of food but not much as the bag is so heavy with all her stuff. As I say I can live off bread and water, but she needs proper food. I also have a sleeping bag, flashlight, battery operated radio and I put to protect us from winds which San Francisco does have a beach canopy which will give us some shelter.

Being prepared can be a life saver for our fur family plus being prepared makes my life easier as I do not have to worry If something happens.

Are you prepared? Tell us what you have in your bag as hey maybe I forgot something. Please keep microchip and tags information updated at all times.

 

So, everyone, get the bags ready, please be safe

Happy Pride everyone, get rainbows flying in the wind,

 

With a woof and love from Layla

 

I have become a Snuffle Ball Addict, Layla

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Woof it is Friday, and this weekend is a long weekend. Do you have anything planned that is special?

Here in the Layla neighborhood, there have been changes as Layla’s sight is just about gone so am learning with her to navigate life without being able to see. It is not easy and learning daily how to make it easy for her plus keep her busy especially her brain. She does not want to walk like she used to, has become afraid plus she is so busy sniffing she knocks her head on trees ouch, which is concerning me so am looking into getting her a halo which hopefully will help. What I have read about them is most dogs regain their confidence so am praying that will happen for her too. Things she used to like to do she does not want to do anymore, plus she is petrified of going downstairs so am carrying her which is not easy, but we are managing. At least she will walk up the stairs phew.

With all this happening I won a couple of weeks ago a $ 25 Amazon gift card so bought her a snuffle ball. Layla has never been a toy lover but this snuffle ball has hit the jackpot. She loves it, wants it all the time and it is keeping her active and busy in the house. Yes, it is stuffed with treats but am putting homemade chicken jerky in, tiny bits and the ball is rolling. She worked it our quickly and she is a happy girl. I do have the snuffle mat also but this ball is so much better for her.

See the video below of her playing with it :

https://youtu.be/XRdZrmR_kMI

Another thing I have done is put her food on a place mat instead of the bowl which has made her eating a lot easier and not knocking it over.

I knew this would happen because of her cataracts but one thing is knowing and another realizing it has happened. I am not going to let it get us down and try carry on with life as normal.

Our plans this weekend, Saturday is to go to a concert in one of the parks in the city, I will take her carrier instead of backpack so she can lie comfortably in it and feel safe plus this way I can sit back and relax and of course enjoy the concert. It is Indonesian dancers, and I am excited to see them.

On Sunday will be garden time, which she still loves and feels safe roaming around or lying in the sun. I personally need the outdoors as being indoors can be stifling after a long week.

 

Monday which is a holiday I am just lying low at home with her.

So, these are our plans this weekend, filled with fun and quality time together,

Have a safe wonderful weekend everyone,

With a woof and love from Layla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aging is not easy

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Woof hi friends,

Growing old is not easy and watching Layla age is frightening, worrisome and stressful also. I sit each day wondering how time has gone by, how she is changing in some ways, and it concerns me.

I am blessed to have an awesome vet who I can email, ask questions, and always get a reply to my questions which saves me stressing her out by going to the vet, unless we both agree it is important. I was at the clinic this week to pick up her Gabapentin and my vet caught me while there to tell me that she is going to be away till July as she volunteers every year in Africa with the Cheetah Conservation. So that would mean if I needed a vet, it would be someone else from the clinic. I love the clinic as they told me where I can buy her Gabapentin for half the price so next time, I must order some will do so.

 

Her anxiety has gone through the roof which I think is from her losing her sight slowly, so have come to an arrangement with a friend of mine that if I have appointments and going to be out of the house for more than 3 hours, I take her to my friend to stay for the time I am away. It seems to be working as the couple of times I have left her for long periods she has peed on the bathroom carpet which she does not do at nights or when I am at home. She is quick to tell me she needs to go out by barking at me. I spoke to the vet about it and she is not concerned so I am not worrying either.

She gave me a big fright this week by running down the stairs in our building and slipping and falling, yelping while going down so I carried her the rest of the way and put her on the ground, and she trotted like nothing had happened and peed. She is eating like a pig; all her supplements and Dr Harvey’s dog food so thank goodness her diet is balanced and healthy. Yes, I am still cooking her protein, supplements that she gets are Fish Oil, Green Lipped Mussels, and the Vetricyn Senior Supplement so in a nutshell she is eating better than me LOL.

So, life in the Layla Neighborhood is changing daily but we dealing with it, we did go to our friends garden over the weekend which was fantastic, the weather was perfect and she roamed around all happy. She loves being outside but not in dog parks or anywhere noisy, like me she loves the peace and quiet of outdoors.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, be safe

With love from

Layla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April is over and May is arriving

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Woof all my friends,

Can you believe it is the end of April, this year is going so quickly. We had a busy last weekend which was pawsome but tiring.

On Saturday we went to DogFest. It is an annual Dog and Kid event held in the park not far from where we live. It is an annual fund raiser for one of the Elementary Schools in our area. A fun filled day, chaotic with lots of booths selling dog products and other items.

Layla with age is not doing well at events anymore, she has become afraid of all the chaos plus her sight is going so with all the people and dogs I carried her on my back in her backpack. She is happy sitting in it and very relaxed They were handing out samples of different treats which she was very happy to snack on especially the different jerkies LOL.

I was very surprised that there was only one Rescue Organization there this year as there is normally all of the Bay Area Rescues, but I think a lot of people are still getting back to normal lives.

On Sunday we went to chill in my friends’ garden which was great. Layla loves going there as she is alone wandering around, sniffing, and exploring plus she feels safe as there is no one else there. It was wonderful sitting outside in the sun, drinking tea and chatting. It was a fantastic morning and just what I needed.

Saturday is a very important day in the National Pet Holidays, it is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. I have always adopted from shelters as they need homes and will not support Puppy Mills or Breeders. I am aware that people will argue that there are some very responsible breeders, but you cannot change my mind as too many pets are dying in shelters because of the over population.

So, Layla is woofing to everyone please #adoptdontshop and open your home to a shelter pet. They have been let down by humans and deserve a second chance. Share this with your friends, family or co-workers to go to a shelter on Saturday and adopt a new fur kid.

Have a wonderful weekend, be safe

With a Woof and Love

From Layla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let us shop to help Ukraine

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TGIF !!!!

Hi from San Francisco, it is hot here at the moment so we are hibernating inside so that we will not melt LOL.

We are going for walks in the shade and yesterday we went for tea and kvetch time in the garden for a couple of hours which was great especially as there is shade.

 

 

NOW do you know what day the 8th of April is? Today is a new awareness holiday that I have not heard of before, National Dog Farting Awareness Day LOL and below you can see what Layla must woof about it. Out of the mouth of babes.

 

As you all know I have been working social media in my spare time for Ukraine animals especially Transform a Street Dog Organization which is in San Francisco and who is doing amazing work there saving the animals.

To support and help them financially two businesses have made wonderful items which all profits go to Transform a Street Dog. I have bought Layla the bandanna and am getting a t-shirt for myself.

Below are the designs and website links.

 

The design on the t-shirts

Link : Dachshund Delights :  https://www.dachshunddelights.com/NEW_c_79.html

Thank you April for supporting Transform a Street Dog and allowing me to share your design here.

 

The Bandana that I have ordered for Layla

Link :  ProtestPups :   https://protestpups.square.site/

Thank you Nata for all the work you are doing and allowing me to share your photo here.

Transform a Street Dog :   https://transformastreetdog.org/

 

So, with Easter around the corner how about getting a bandanna for your dog or cat (yes there are for cats) and for Mother’s Day get yourself a t-shirt. You are getting something new and giving back at the same time.

Layla woofs thank you so much.

Have a wonderful weekend and please be safe

Layla

 

Life is slowly changing

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TGIF!!! Spring is here and the weather is warming up slowly which means us being outside more.

I am really looking forward to getting out of the house more now that we can although I am still wearing my mask, events are starting to pop up and life is slowly getting back to normal.

This Saturday I am going to the Ballet, something I have not done in so long and really looking forward to getting out of sweatpants and putting some normal clothes on, what a concept, Yes I will be wearing a mask but it is really exciting.

This month also Dog Fest is happening, one of my favorite Dog Events which is exciting although Layla does not enjoy events anymore but thank goodness for the backpack which she loves we will be going.

I took Layla to the Shi Tzu meet up last week and she did not enjoy herself unfortunately, she was ready to go home the minute we got there and in the past she always walked around all the fluffs but this time she tried running out of the park so I put her in her back pack and she relaxed and was happy, so was I relaxed and did not have to worry about her.

 

We had brunch with a friend last weekend also which was great and of course Layla was begging for something LOL.

Update on her health, her vet emailed me the lab results today which I am trying to decipher but am relieved 95% is good, her heart is good for her age.  I emailed the vet with some questions which hopefully will get her answer within the next few days. Layla also went to the Eye Doctor and her left eye does not have an infection but because of her cataract her eye is not making tears so its dry and therefore the redness in her eye. The vet will not operate at her age but has put her on new drops which seems to be helping, phew.

So that is what is happening in the senior Layla Neighborhood, we both aging gracefully.

Have a great week and be safe

Layla

 

 

 

 

 

Gotcha Give Away

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Friday has arrived, first week in February and Mom has been celebrating my Gotcha Day the whole week. Some of my friends know my story and how Mom found me but am going to share again.

When my fur sister passed away, Mom was with no fur kid and hated coming home to an empty house so after three months she decided to start looking again for a new rescue fur kid. My Uncle was in Los Angeles on business and his friend who lives there is a rescuer offered to help me, she is now my Aunt Cindy. Mom saw me on PetHarbor, emailed Aunt Cindy who went to the Carson Shelter, met me, called Mom and the rest is history. It was an online love affair.

Every year we celebrate my Gotcha Day with lots of treats and my favorite Costco Chicken, yummm, it is the one day in the year Mom does not watch my weight.

It has been 11 years since Mom rescued me, I am now about 14+ years old and Mom has become really strict with my diet, making sure I eat healthy and as she cooks for me my diet has to be very well balanced.

I have been eating Dr. Harvey’s Holistic Dehydrated food for some time but when Mom read about the Paradigm, a green superfood mix she knew she had to get it for me as it is made with 6 dehydrated vegetables, plus herbs and multi vitamins. It has not starchy vegetables or grains so it helps me keep my weight. It is easy to prepare, you mix the food with hot water, add fish oil, let it stand for about 8 minutes and then add the protein you want to add.

Mom also decided to get me some of Dr Harvey’s treats which I love and will never say no to, she got for me a bag of the dehydrated Wild Alaskan Salmon Bites and because Valentines Day is around the corner what could be better than a bag of dehydrated Chicken Hearts. A great way to show your love for each other.

Layla chomping on her new treats can be seen on this video : https://youtu.be/5cdeY0ttlek   

Dr. Harvey’s link to read more :https://www.drharveys.com/

There is a coupon for 10% : LaylasWoof10

So, to celebrate my Gotcha Day and Valentines Day we decided to share these goodies with my friends and are having a Giveaway.

The Giveaway is for US residents only, you must be over 18 years old to enter. 

We were given these products to review by Dr. Harvey’s.

Below is the link to enter and we wish everyone good luck.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7d1ec19c54/?

Now am going to finish my dinner and everyone please be safe and stay warm.

Woof with love from Layla

Thanksgiving is around the corner

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The weekend has arrived, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah around the corner plus with no rain in the forecast we are trying to get adventures in before the rain arrives.

So last week we went to the Embarcadero to look at the Bay, breathe some sea air and just be outdoors. It was chilly but sunny and a perfect day to be outdoors.

Madam was happy running around, watching the seagulls and Pidgeon’s and of course eating some treats because how could I let her starve. I had taken a coffee with me and it was just perfect, relaxing and just what the Doctor ordered.

Sitting on my Aunts lap

https://youtu.be/07zQskd54ZE

As we all know, Thanksgiving is around the corner, shops are full, everyone stocking up with food, sales are starting and the city is slowly going crazy. I have no plans for Thanksgiving this year, lying low which I love to do and just relax. I will make Madam some turkey for definite with veggies, so she does not feel left out.

Thanksgiving treats for Layla

Thanksgiving pet safety :
  1. Keep the food on the table 
  2. No pie or other desserts for your dog
  3. Yeast dough can cause problems for pets, including painful gas and potentially dangerous bloating.
  4. Put the trash away so your dogs cannot find it
  5. Be careful with decorative plants.
  6. Quick action can save lives.

So on this note Layla and I want to thank everyone for helping her stay healthy, Dr Harvey’s, Vetercyn, Her vet Dr Gervais, Vet Vision Clinic and so many more who have spent the last year with us, BUT Layla would like to say a special thank you to everyone reading our blog, following us on social media.

BUT before we forget please please if you are shopping on Black Friday put on your list food, treats or toys for the pets that are in the shelters so that they can be spoiled also, thank you

Have a fun family Thanksgiving with lots of laughter,

With love from Layla

 

 

 

 

Layla went on an adventure

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TGIF !!!!!!!

Friday has arrived and they are expecting a sunny weekend phew as I would love to be out of house for a couple of hours with Madam.

I love adventures with Layla and every weekend I try to take her somewhere where she can run off leash and of course sniff new smells.

Last weekend we hopped on the Tram Line and went down to the Pier to see the sea lions and walk along the Pier and Bay. It was a beautiful day, just perfect and we had a wonderful time.

I let Layla run on leash but free from my hands and she was so happy to have that freedom, lots to sniff of course and she was fascinated with the Bay sticking her face through the wooden fence checking everything out. It was adorable to watch her and with her age she loves these outings.

Waiting for the tram in her backpack

 

 

 

 

Watching the bay

See video : https://youtu.be/1juNpuQfD7E

 

Layla was at the Vet Opthamologist recently where they found she is having really bad environmental allergies with her eyes and they have put her on a new eye drop. When I heard the price of the medication I nearly had a heart attack – 400 dollars for a bottle WOW. The vet told me to order them from Canada so I did research and bought 3 bottles for 130 including shipping. Big difference and they arrived yesterday so hopefully these will work. They are called Nevanac but I am calling them eye gold. I am praying they will help her eyes and get rid of the redness and itching.

Otherwise she is really healthy for her age phew.

So that is what is happening in the Layla Neighborhood, Bossy Barker orders me around, I jump to attention and we are taking each day as it comes.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,  be safe

With a woof and love from

Layla

 

 

Remembering Baby

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November is here

 

TGIF ! Phew it is Friday and I am really looking forward to this weekend, to kick back and relax, I need it. Madam on the other hand is full of energy so am sure my relaxing will be walking her also.

 

On Sunday we went to a Halloween Party in the Dog Park, it was fun seeing everyone, especially those I have not seen for so long, catching up and eating delicious food.

 

I decided not to stress Layla out with a costume this year but instead put on her, her tie dyed jacket made by a friend of mine and she went as a San Francisco dog from the 60’s. There were some cute costumes and it was a lot of fun, although Layla does not do well at events anymore so she was ready to go home within a few minutes.

Herkules the Mayor of the Park and Layla

Halloween always brings back bitter sweet memories for me as I remember the last time Baby dressed up for Halloween, our first one in San Francisco, see the photo below. It was the last event we did together as 5 days later she passed away from IMHA.

I found this costume at GoodWill and did not realize what it was till I got home and laughed so much

It came on suddenly, from one moment running in the park and within 24 hours she was listless lying on her bed refusing to eat or drink. I at the time lived around the corner from the vet so I ran her there and by the time they figured out after tests what was happening, there was very little we could do for her, she spent her last night at the clinic, went into a coma and I held her in my arms as I let her cross the Rainbow Bridge. It was one of the hardest days in my life and I miss her in so many ways to this day.

 

So today I decided that the blog would be a memorial for my little trooper, my rock, who went through so much with me but we survived it all and once we were free, in our own home she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

 

Everyone please hug your fur kids, make memories and remember we are all blessed to have them share our lives with them.

 

Have a safe wonderful weekend

With a woof and love from Layla