Tag Archives: #pets

March is Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month

Posted on by — 12 Comments ↓

TGIF !!!!!!!!!


Woof to all my paw friends from my neighborhood.


We have been very busy here so Mom is staying out of mischief.


Last weekend I had a fluffy sleep over, Pierre and Leopold came to spend the weekend with us and their Mom was moving. It was fun to have guests although I did sleep a lot BOL.but best part of it was the treats as Mom was giving to our friends so I was getting also. I was hoping for a midnight feast like you have at sleepovers but mom told me that once my teeth are cleaned the treats are over. I do not agree with Mom.


I also went to the park this week and Mom found out that they have a small dog meet every day at 11.30 so she is going to start taking me to meet small dogs. I am really excited.


Now for something very important for all of us : Mach is Pet Poison Prevention Month, something we need to remember especially with spring around the corner and lots of humans will be spring cleaning and working in the garden. Below you can see all the poisons that can mace us sick.

Hazardous Foods :

Chocolate, Coffee, Grapes, Onions, Garlic, Alcohol, Macadania Nuts, Avocados

Hazardous Chemicals

Insecticides ,Pesticides, Cleaning Products, Fertilizer, Anti-Freeze, De-Ices.

Other :

Fabric Softener Sheets, Raw Hide, Plants (see list below), Children Toys

Plants:

Safe Palm, Tomato Plant, Daffodils, Ivy, Gladiolia and many more. Check on line before you plant to make sure they are safe.

Signs of Poisoning

01. Gastrointestinal signs : Vomiting, Diarrhea, Drooling/ hypersalivating, Nausea

02. Internal Bleeding : Coughing of blood, , Vomiting blood, Pale gums, A racing heart rate, Weakness or lethargy

03. Kidney Failure : Halitosis (“uremic” breath), Vomiting, Diarrhea, Excessive thirst or urination, Absence or decreased urination

04. Liver Failure : Jaundice/icterus/yellow discoloration to the gums, Weakness or collapse secondary to a low blood sugar, Dull mentation, acting abnormally, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Black-tarry stool (melena)

If you think your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, call (888) 426-4435. A consultation fee may apply.

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone 

With a woof and love from Layla 

Are you ready ?

Posted on by — 22 Comments ↓

How are you all doing and we are praying that you are all warm and safe.


This past week has been fun for me, as the coffee shops are slowly opening for outdoor coffee and dining on so Tuesday Mom and I went to meet up with my favorite aunt Alice and they had bagels and coffee. Mom spoiled me with some egg and bacon from hers which was yumm. It was fun to be outdoors and see Auntie although it was chilly and we were all bundled up.

On Wednesday Mom decided to take me on an adventure, she wanted to do errands which are not in our neighborhood so she took me with her. It was so much fun and one of her favorite butchers had a sale on beef so guess who won -me me me. Mom stocked up on beef neck bones for me, Beef for jerky plus so much more. Mom carried everything of course while I sat in my backpack so by the time we got home Mom was exhausted from carrying it all.

Yesterday Mom made me jerky (I now have a big bag in the fridge) plus she made my food for the week, so we can call Wednesday Layla’s Day.

Now I put on the title Are you ready ?

We have been following the news about the terrible storms in Texas plus other areas and other countries and that makes me always check our emergency bag to make sure all is good there. I keep in the bag 8 boxes of water (easier to carry if necessary) plus I have 3 big bottles in the fridge, freeze dried dog food for Layla, the first aid kit, candles, flashlight plus other necessities. These items are crucial for any natural disaster and everyone should have them in their house. I also have small sachets of instant coffee with small sachets of coffee creamer as I could not live without my coffee hot or cold. 


So who else is ready ? With climate change anything is possible anytime and we must be prepared.


On this note we want to wish everyone a wonderful safe weekend, for those in the freezing cold try stay warm and our prayers and thoughts are with you,


With a woof and love from Layla

PS. Mom told me to remind you that February 20th is Love Your Pet Day but she loves me every day

Pet Theft Awareness Day

Posted on by — 16 Comments ↓

Good Morning Everypawdy and TGIF !

Another week in February is over and it has brought us a very important day and that is Valentines Day.

It is a day that we spread love all over the world, spoil ourselves or our partners or pets with love and special gifts, so what are you going to spoil your pet with ?

My Valentine

February 14th is also Pet Theft Awareness Day which is meant to call attention to the importance of pet identification methods. It is a day to show how much the presence of an animal can enrich a family and also the responsibility that goes with it. It encourages those with pets to take steps to ensure the animal’s security and their own peace of mind.

In 1988 it was started by the Last Chance for Animals organisation, Pet Theft Awareness Day is aimed at educating animal owners to keep their pets safe from thieves. With almost 2 million pets being stolen annually in America the threat is real. That is why it is so important to have pets microchipped,  wear a tag with all your information as it will be easier to find your pet if G-d forbid it is stolen.

Below is a list of tips on how to keep your pet safe.

Tips on what to do if your pet is stolen.

Other important tips 

  • Keep your dog indoors when you’re not home. Outdoor dogs should be kept safely behind a locked gate. It only takes a couple of seconds for a thief to steal your pet from your yard.
  • Walk your dog on a leash.
  • Keep cats indoors. Indoor cats live safer, longer, healthier lives.
  • Make sure  your pets has a collar with an I.D. tags, and licenses. Microchips are also very important also.
  • Report suspicious neighborhood activities and/or missing companion animals to the police and animal control. 
  • Keep recent photos of your pets.
  • Spay and neuter your companion animals. Fixed animals are less likely to stray.
  • Please do NOT tie your dog up outside of restaurants, coffee shops or stores, and never leave any animal unattended in a car.
  • Please do NOT use “free to good home” ads to rehome your pet, they can fall into the wrong hands, if you cannot care for your pet anymore contact rescue organizations in your area.

PREVENT PET THEFT BEFORE IT HAPPENS!  Report any suspicious activity, or animal cruelty and neglect to your local police department and animal control office.

On this note we would like to wish all our friends Happy Valentines Day, we hope you have a wonderful day filled with love BUT also please keep us pets safe,

With a woof and love from Layla

February is here

Posted on by — 14 Comments ↓

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 

Latke time has arrived

Posted on by — 9 Comments ↓
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

Thanksgiving thank you letter

Posted on by — 10 Comments ↓

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 

October is over but our voice will never be silenced

Posted on by — 14 Comments ↓

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 

Pets in Shelters

Posted on by — 18 Comments ↓

Happy Friday to all our friends, the week is over and the weekend is beginning phew.


As most of you know I am doing at the moment a workshop to become a Domestic Violence Advocate and as this month is Domestic Violence Awareness month I want to discuss having a pet in a shelter.


This is a subject that I have seen discussed on many groups on Facebook, and how important it is for a survivor to have her pet with her in the shelter so am going to share my story here.


I was fortunate to be able to take Baby into the shelter with me towards the end of my stay, before I moved over to another shelter and then transitional housing.


It was fantastic having her with me again and I was really blessed but people also need to understand Shelter policies also so I do understand why shelters say no. They are not being selfish but in a way practical and this is why :


01.There are children in shelters who are going through trauma and might be afraid of pets 

02. Allergies from pets

03.  The shelter staff are overloaded already so if you are running around sorting out your life you are adding another burden to the staff as your pet is in your room.

04. Shelters have curfews so if your pet needs to go potty at night you cannot take him/her out.

05. Not all shelters can you give you a single room so you might be sharing with someone who does not like pets.


When I was in the shelter with Baby I took her out just before the curfew started, I had my own room which made it easier but her food and water was in my room, she was not allowed in the public areas because of the reasons I listed above, when we did go out she was on leash and was on leash when we got back till we got to my room.


This is food for thought and that is why in so many ways I feel there should be some kind of program for the pets to ease it for everyone and I do know that some shelters are slowly opening their doors to pets.


Would love to hear your input on this.


Last Friday Layla and I with friends went for a picnic in Golden Gate Park. It was a beautiful evening, relaxing, good food and lots of laughs. It was just what we needed and a beautiful start to a weekend.

What I did for Layla’s food was instead of taking her home made food I took with me Freeze Dried Kibbles which she thinks are treats from Raw Paws Pet Food – she loves them. The flavor I had was Beef and then I had with me as a treat their Freeze Dried Minnows which she cannot get enough of.

You can see their awesome products on their website plus you have a coupon for shopping : Layla15 – Happy Shopping

https://www.rawpawspetfood.com/


This weekend our plans are to go to the Shih Tzu Meetup which I am really looking forward to as it is a different park and I love that park as it is so big you can do social distancing.


Have a wonderful weekend everyone, be safe

With a woof and love from Layla

Living with an abuser

Posted on by — 12 Comments ↓

TGIF !!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday is here and we are having a heat wave and it’s hot that I am melting so Mom has all the fans going, a cooling mat and lots of cold water. We have not been out much because of the heat.


I am aware that many of you have read about Baby but I wanted to share with you what it is like to live in a Domestic Violence Relationship with a dog (pet) who is your furkid.

We adopted Baby from a shelter, she was the best thing that happened to me when I was in the relationship as I finally had someone who loved me unconditionally and gave me someone to look after plus so much more.

wearing one of the sweaters I knitted

My abuser did nothing for her but buy her some clothes, and I was fortunate to get money to buy her food although when possible I would share my chicken with her. She was a cute little dog, very good and walked off leash all the time. 


The major plus with having her was my ex never walked her so I was able to get out of the house and walk her alone which was a time for me to breathe and try to relax as much as possible without the verbal abuse. She loved those walks as much as I did as there was no tension in the air. 


My ex would hit her with a newspaper whenever possible for no reason, she would be locked out of the house in the heat for no reason (I many times was locked out with her), and I was threatened all the time that if she got sick there would be no vets and she would be put down only.


I was always relieved when my ex was at work as I would do everything to spoil her and keep her as happy as possible, fearing the time when my ex would return home.

When I decided to run, and like many, I could not leave her behind, and that is why I took my time leaving as I wanted to know that she would be safe with me wherever we went. I had even packed a tent just in case and I would have slept on the streets if I had to although we were fortunate. The rest is history and I have shared with you in many other blogs.

Layla for me is a blessing, when I rescued her I vowed our house would be happy, stress free and I feel sometimes out of guilt because what I went through with Baby I spoil Layla as much as possible and have in so many ways become her slave LOL but I have no regrets either.


Last weekend we finally managed to have a little adventure and went to Golden Gate Park with a friend, the weather was cool, I had my coffee and we just relaxed outdoors in the shade which was heaven. Layla of course wandered around a bit and then she did her park thing, lie down and watch the world go by. It was the best gift I could have had just being outdoors breathing fresh air.

What Layla does not know is that we are going for an evening picnic today to the park again and I am so looking forward to it. 


So once again I am telling everyone if you know someone in an abusive relationship, reach out, tell them you are there for them if they need it,  and even if they do not immediately take up your offer, them knowing you are there is very comforting for them.


Here is the link for the National Domestic Violence Hotline :
https://www.thehotline.org/

Be safe, take care and have a wonderful weekend Layla 

Running from a Domestic Violence Relationship

Posted on by — 16 Comments ↓

TGIF !!!


As you know October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and I am sharing my story today again as it is 10 years since Baby passed away and feel, she being my hero should be remembered.


It is easy to tell victims to run but it is a complicated process and can be very difficult especially if your abuser controls the finances so something I always tell victims is hide somewhere in the house or outdoors if safe, a small bag with your documents and whatever cash you can save. Put in that bag whatever your abuser will not not notice is missing as to not cause anymore friction in the house. 

If you can and a friend or family are aware of the situation talk to them about helping you get away if you do not have a car and try to carefully plan whatever you can ahead which will help making the hard decision a little bit easier.


Please note that there is a shortage of rooms in shelters so try have a back up plan so that you do not land up on the streets and try find someone to take your pets that they will be safe. An abuser will not hesitate to harm your pets if you run and they are our furkids so we need to make sure they are safe.


Baby was my hero, she had kept me alive during the relationship, because of her I was able to go for walks and so much more. She kept me alive and thank goodness I had her in my life. 

When I ran I was fortunate to have a friend who picked me up from the house with my dog and hid me at her place till I could get out of the city. I did not have money as my ex controlled the finances so whatever I had was very limited but I sold jewellery to help me buy a ticket to get out of the city where I was living.


Upon arriving in San Francisco I found that shelters did not allow dogs so a wonderful Domestic Violence Organization stepped in to foster her while I was sorting myself out. Since I ran things are changing and slowly pets are being included and the DV organizations are talking more about pets and assisting those that have them.  


She joined me in the shelter about 2 months after I got there, stayed with me in  transitional housing and then we finally moved to our own home, a place to live happily with no drama, a peaceful happy home. 
About 3 months after we got into our own home, she suddenly contracted IMHA and within 48 hours passed away, 5 October 2010. It was one of the hardest days in my life as my angel had gone and I was left alone trying to sort my life out. 


My home was empty, lonely and I felt that it was not fair that when I finally could give her everything she left me but as a friend of mine said to me : She came into your life when you both needed each other (she was a rescue) and left you when you were safe so that you could open your home to a new furkid.


Three months later it happened and I rescued Layla and the rest is history.
So what I have decided to do is to give back and at the moment I am doing a workshop to become a Domestic Violence Advocate so that I can hopefully help others, pets included and be their voice.


If you know anyone that is in an abusive relationship, reach out, offer help and then let them decide what they want to do, BUT if they know that you are there for them and their pets it will hopefully make the decision a lot easier.


Take care everyone, be safe and remember you are not alone,
With a woof and love from Layla

The Domestic Violence Hotline : https://www.thehotline.org/