Tag Archives: #blog

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

June has arrived woof woof

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June has arrived which is exciting as although it means the middle of the year it also means more time outdoors and enjoying the fresh air, the smells, the sun, and we must not forget it is Pride Month so all the Rainbows are flying and the city is getting geared up for all the Pride events.

Which of course means more adventures. I am so excited.

Now as you all know I am aging, yup, nearly 17 years old but I have the energy of a puppy although the one problem I am having is Sundowners. That is when

It comes to 4 o’clock in the afternoon I start barking, and barking, and although I have been outdoors, played with snuffle ball, eaten my food, I bark. This is really hard on Mom as she gets a headache and stresses about me which does not help that much. She takes me out about every hour to relax a bit but when we come in I start all over again, so Mom is eating cold dinners, the jazz music is blaring to help me calm down and Mom worries about the neighbors, oy vey.

What is it ? By “sundowning” sleep more during the day and remain awake, disoriented, and agitated throughout the night. This is another reason Mom is relieved thee weather is warming up cos we can be outdoors more although I shnooze a lot in the park.

So Mom has been looking for a solution to keep me calm in the evenings, not too sleepy, as she worries about my heart when I am anxious. We have tried different supplements but have found the perfect one for me and it tastes like chicken livers yumm. It is from my magic mushroom company Real Mushrooms and is amazing as it is really helping me over here. They call it Mushroom Relax Pet Chews and are fantastic. The ingredients in them are :

On top of looking for something to help me relax Mom has been trying to find something that will keep her calm through these stressful times and being a coffee drinker was trying to find something to put in her coffee and this is what she has found and it is really helping her, I can see the difference in her in so many ways plus her brain BOL is working better again.  The verdict is Lions Mane Mushrooms, the powder form that she puts in her coffee and everyone is happy.  On top of that Mom decided to try out the Mushroom Hot Chocolate Mix  with 5 Defenders™ which is a unique blend of the top immune boosting mushrooms: Turkey Tail, Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake and wild harvested Chaga.

Mom told me to tell you she makes cold brew coffee and adds the chocolate mix to it and it is delicious, best coffee to drink in the dog park.

In a nutshell we have both gone on a Mushroom binge and everyone in this house is happy as the products are keeping us healthy, yes just to remind you I am on the Lions Mane supplement also and 5 Defenders supplement too.

You can read more on their website which is easy to navigate and has so many ideas plus recipes WOW

https://shop.realmushrooms.com/?ref=488

This review was sponsored by Real Mushrooms.

 

Now I need to stop telling Mom what to write, as I want to go outdoors and enjoy some sunshine, have a wonderful weekend everyone, have fun and make memories

With love from Layla and Mom

 

 

It is April Fool’s Day Tomorrow

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Good morning, friends,

They say Spring has arrived but in my eyes it is an early April Fools joke as it has been stormy and rainy here all week and I am not laughing.

I have once again been stuck indoors excluding going out for potty breaks in my stroller and I said to Mom I need to get out and smell, sniff and see other people, life is boring at the moment.

My raincoat made from a broken umbrella, recycling is very important and I am ready to roll now in the rain

Mom has been keeping me busy with my snuffle ball but she is making me eat my food first before getting treats and that is so unfair. Who agrees with me.

Gobble Gobble B=Gobble so I can get some treats

Woof it is snuffle ball time

So as you can read nothing exciting has been happening here but tomorrow weather permitting we are going on an adventure woof woof woof

I am so ready to go out of this house for an adventure, when we going ?

Have a safe weekend everyone,

With a woof and love from Layla

 

What a wet week

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TGIF !!!!

 

Hi everyone and oy vey today is Friday the 13th. This day brings back so many memories of my childhood with my grandmother who was so superstitious that it drove all of us crazy. I must admit that thanks to her I wear a Hamsa all the time around my neck and has a blue stone in to protect me against evil. Layla has one on her harness too. (In Jewish culture, the Hamsa hand represents protection from evil and a reminder to pray. Five is a significant number in Judaism and is considered the number of protection)

Her blue stone fell out and I have glued new ones but they do not stay in, the fish on the hand symbolize luck and in the circle below the loop you will see Hebrew word Chai means Life

Some of my memories of my grandmother was her spitting on her hand and then touching her head, always avoiding walking under ladders and the funniest of all was when my sister crawled through a window to open a door so my grandmother made her crawl back through the window or she would not grow. We were not allowed to put keys on the table, we had to set our shoes in a certain way and the list can go on and on and I am giggling here while sharing.

So Friday the 13th brings back so many memories for me and what a wonderful weird life it was with all the superstitions.

Now lets go over to this past week, what a week !!!! Climate change is really happening and the storms in San Francisco is proof of it, the rain has been relentless, the hail, thunder and lightening WOW it has been hard to take Layla for long walks as we swim not walk plus Layla has this new thing of standing and staring into space so we stand for like 10 minutes every time getting drenched and that is how we were caught in the hail storm also. Thank goodness for the stroller and plastic cover I picked her up and put her in immediately and we ran home LOL.  Two wet old ladies, me and Layla.

Today thank goodness it did not rain so we went for a long long walk about 5 times, I am exhausted and Layla is sleeping at the moment. I hope she sleeps through the night which has become a new thing of her waking me up at about 2 to go potty and then we come inside, she moans for a treat of course and then I sit on the floor with her till she settles down and goes back to sleep which can take at least a half hour if not more. I am slowly becoming a zombie from lack of sleep and Layla is full of energy as she sleeps during the day also. It is a hard life for her LOL.

But however I share all this, watching her age is heartbreaking, and I would not change any of her quirks however irritating they can be sometimes, she is my fur kid and needs the best of best love and attention.

Her snuffle doodle bug was the best thing I ever got for her I think, she loves it and lately when she does not want to eat her food because of the supplements, I put the food in the snuffle doodle and she sniffs it and eats her food that way, it has become a game so am washing it all the time and cleaning the floor also. Never a dull moment here.

Doodle Bug Time

So no adventures this week, only swimming in the rain and trying to stay dry, have a wonderful weekend everyone, stay warm and dry and please be safe,

With a woof and love from

Layla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January is here

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TGIF !!!! It is Friday and what a week we have had.

San Francisco has been wet with rain for over a week, Mom is not happy as walking me in the rain is making her wet and cold all the time BOL but as she says we need the rain.

I am getting old, so I love to go out in the middle of the night, I moan to Mom to tell her and then sit and wait for her to get out of her warm bed, get dressed and bundle me up for the cold weather. I think it is fun and wag my tail while Mom curses under her breath.

Mom surprised me this week to help me stay extra dry and warm from the winds and bought me a plastic stroller cover, so I sit under a tent as such and do not get wet. We learnt the hard way last weekend when it was pouring, and my stroller became a pool it had so much water in plus everything was wet, so our bathroom turned into a laundry room with everything drying.

There were no small ones in the store so bought whatever size I could find and it is working

Because of the rain we have not been out that much, and the past 24 hours have been really bad so we are doing short walks so that I can potty, but the best is coming home for treats and snuffle ball time which keeps me busy.

I am very lucky as I have a raincoat made out of an umbrella that a friend of Mom made for me, so while Mom tries to hold the umbrella, I wear one BOL and it keeps me warm and dry. Mom also bought me some fleece t-shirts which I sleep in so am cozy when I am in the house.

Layla loves sleeping with her head under the bed LOL

So, I should not complain as Mom does her best to keep me healthy, happy and warm in the cold weather and she dries me off when we get home and changes my clothes also so I am always wearing something dry.

That is what is happening in our neighborhood, please be safe and warm everyone,

With lots of love

Layla

 

 

 

 

Booo Halloween has arrived

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Good morning, friends,

 

Halloween has arrived and that means lots going on and lots of yummy treats.

 

Last Sunday we went with Aunt Laura and Coco and Thomas to a Halloween event which was organized by a vet clinic called Dr. Treats, yes can you believe a name like that BOL. It was a parade on Union Street in San Francisco and all the stores along the way gave us treats so it was a yum parade and Mom found two new doggy treat stores which I hope she will take me back to as I need to try everything.

 

I am riding Dr Treats car vroom in my costume

 

Mom insulted me with my costume although everyone loved it, you can see my thoughts about it on the video below.

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/euzBhZ5KsIk?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/HWP5NajMaHI?feature=share

This Sunday we are doing two events, yes I did say two events, one with Aunt Melinda and the other with Aunt Laura and Coco and Thomas, it is going to be so much fun and the best of all is Mom has to push me in my stroller BOL and work off all the treats so she does not get fat.

So, I am happy to say that events are slowly starting to happen in San Francisco again woof and that is so exciting as it means going different places every weekend.

On a serious note, we must not forget :

Black Cats

Halloween season seems to spark violence against cats in general black cats, and therefore many shelters do not allow the adoption of black cats. Sadly, this does not protect cats that are normally outside from would-be sadists and other miscreants at Halloween-time. So please help keeping all cats especially black ones safe, whether feral or domesticated, they deserve to live a safe life like us all.

Also here is a list of hazards for us pets that we need to keep an eye out so that we can be safe :

 

On this note, have a Happy Halloween everyone, be safe, enjoy and do not eat too many sweet candies HA.

Now I have spoken, warned all my fur friends about the dangers, am off to sleep.

Woof with love from Layla

 

 

 

 

 

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

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This month is one of the most important months of the year. You might wonder why but it is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

The benefits are endless but most important it is an incredible rewarding experience to get the unconditional love and companionship from a loving dog.

I am aware of those that only one pure bred dog but there are so many dogs sitting in cold shelters waiting for homes including pure breeds that I strongly advise everyone to go to a shelter and open your heart to a dog sitting there. We, humans are to blame for the over crowding of shelters as people are so quick to dump their dogs at a shelter for ridiculous lies and excuses like we are moving, we having a family, the dog causes allergies, and the list can go on and on but instead of thinking of the poor dogs life they are selfish and think of themselves only.

Unfortunately, because of this so many dogs die each day in shelters while those snobs want a pure breed and instead of thinking of those dying, they pay some breeder for a dog, which absolutely makes me sick inside. Some of you might disagree with me on this point but this is my opinion and each to his own. I could not live knowing I paid for a dog from some puppy maker who keeps dogs like machines just to produce and when they cannot produce anymore dump them in shelters.  Dogs have feelings, souls and emotions and should not be treated like garbage.

Layla’s wise words :

https://youtube.com/shorts/gGUJQ2eBloM?feature=share

So on this note I am asking everyone to go to a Shelter, open up your heart and home and give a shelter dog a place they can call home.

Have a safe weekend and lets be the voice for the voiceless and spread the word to empty the shelters.

With a woof and love from

Layla

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you prepared ?

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TGIF!!! Phew weekend has arrived and thank goodness the weather here is cooling down, San Francisco has had such a heatwave I thought we would melt, global warming is slowly starting to happen here and all over the world. Are we all prepared for these changes?

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month and what else will happen this month? Are we really prepared in our house for one? What do we really need? It worries me as I wonder what if I am not home when an earthquake happens. Will Layla be, ok? Do any of you think of this?

I recheck once a month our emergency bag but I then say will I have time to pick it up and run when an earthquake hits, is too heavy, have I overpacked, it might sound crazy but would rather be safe than sorry.

So this is emergency bag :

Water / flashlight / batteries / radio / change of clothing / food for Layla and me / her supplements and medications / poop bags / dog treats / blanket / toy for her / first aid kit / copies of documents / cash / usb drives of all my computer files / my beach canopy that I could use as a tent and other sentimental items of mine.  It sounds a lot, but I still wonder if it is enough. I also have a collapsible pet carrier to put her in so she will feel safe plus her backpack to carry her out of the house (although with her age she is not comfortable in it) but it is safe, and she does not walk on the sidewalks in case there is debris and could get hurt.

I also say that I can live off bread and water, but her food is extremely important.

So, when all these disasters hit us, and however much we are prepared we all lose material items which for me is as I say, something that can be replaced, but the lives of the animals and birds cannot so it is so important to do as much as possible to protect them.

On this note I am asking everyone to be safe and check your bags.

Most important our pets are family and should not be left behind to fend for themselves as you are serving them a death sentence.

Have a great safe week,

With a woof and love from Layla