Tag Archives: #pets

Latke time has arrived

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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/

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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October has arrived, an important month in my calendar as it is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a month when Layla wears her purple harness to make a statement.


I am a proud Domestic Violence Survivor and this month we speak out about abuse, violence against women and children and by doing so we pray that if one victim reads our blog and it helps her we have done a Mitzvah. (Mitzvah is Hebrew for a good deed).

Domestic Violence has been going on for years, through the centuries, but it is only in the last 40 years or so that organizations started forming to help victims, give them a safe place, assistance with starting their life over and so much more.These women that work in the different organizations I call heroes as they do such amazing work they deserve a big shout out.


When we speak about it, we must not forget that many pets are stuck in the middle of Domestic Violence relationships and they do not have a voice so we need to be theirs. 


Many women stay in the relationships for their pets safety and I was one of them, I would not leave my pet behind as it would mean me abandoning my pet who was like a child to me. She had kept me going through it all so how could I leave her !


Unfortunately having a pet does make it harder as there are very few programs/shelters that accept pets and that is something that needs to be changed. As I always say if mothers would not leave their kids why should furmoms leave their furkids behind. 


If you know anyone in a relationship, reach out to them so that they know there is someone there for them, give them the below link :

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

You cannot force a person to leave the relationship but letting them know they are not alone, is sowing the seed in their brain that it is possible.


Please take care everyone, be safe and most of all remember it might be scary but in the long run life becomes easier, happier and you are free,

With a woof and love Layla 

Remember Me Thursday

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Good Morning friends,


Today is a very important day so without hesitation we decided that our blog should be up today and not tomorrow as it is Remember Me Thursday.

I have always rescued, and only believe in rescuing and that is why this day is extra special for me.

On this day the world will share and discuss the importance of pet adoption, and shine a light on all orphan pets waiting in shelters and rescues to be adopted . We all come from different countries, religions but one thing we all have in common is the fate of the pets in shelters so we need to be their voice as they do not have one.

Those orphan pets in the shelters need homes, they want a warm bed to sleep in, good food, toys but most of all they want to be loved by humans so every time one is adopted you are saving two lives, the pet and yours.


We can help by spreading the word, changing the minds of people to open their hearts also :


01. Adopt and open your house to an orphan pet

02. Go to Remember Me Thursday Events in your area


PLUS I think the most important of all is to show everyone all over the world that adoption is the only way to go as the adopted/rescued pets deserve a second chance.

We want to say a special thanks to Mike Arms, President and CEO of Helen Woodward Animal Center, for creating this day to draw the attention of the orphaned pets sitting in shelters and by lighting a candle will draw people to their fate of euthanasia.  Thank you Helen Woodward Animal Center for permitting me to share this poem by Mike Arms.

Thank you for allowing me to share this poem


So let’s all get together, light a candle and save the shelter pets and give them the good life they deserve,


Thank you with love from

Layla   (my rescue from a shelter)

#seethelight

National Disaster Preparedness Month plus Give Away

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TGIF !!!!!!!


Good morning all my friends and how are you all doing ? 


Over here in the Layla neighborhood we are still indoors most of the time because of the smoke in the air and I told Mom it is getting boring BOL.


September is National Disaster Preparedness Month for everyone and although it is in June for pets I personally think doing it twice a year reminds us to make sure we are prepared.


This is such an important month as with what is happening all over the world we need to be prepared especially for our fur babies as they depend on us in every way to keep them safe.

We always remind everyone to check their emergency bags, make sure they are up to date and nothing has expired, check our pets microchips, documentation and that the bag is ready to be picked up and we can go.


While I was checking our bag I started thinking about things I felt were missing for Layla so we decided to do a review on some new products by Tropiclean to add to our bag.


I am always looking for natural products, no chemicals where possible and these are really amazing and happy to share with you all. I am going to confess that Layla is a Tropiclean dog LOL as I use most of their products on her as they are safe, and with her allergies work really well.


01. Flea and Tick Spot on Treatment, Layla is a roller in the park, nothing like rolling on the lawn and I always worry about fleas and hate all the chemical flea products on the market so I tried their flea and tick spot treatment which is made from Cedarwood oil, Peppermint oil and Almond Oil. Since I put it on her I have not seen any fleas and she is not scratching, phew. 

Madam Roller : https://youtu.be/pRLmpF6cn5k


I also want to add that they have flea and tick prevention products for your house and yard.

02. Oxymed Soothing Pet Wipes, love these as they are easy to put in my purse or have in my emergency bag and they help with itching and hot spots. They are made with purified water, glycerol, mild coconut cleanser, oatmeal extract and fragrance.


03. Waterless Dog Shampoo, it is deep cleansing and no rinse formula. It smells of Berry and Coconut so Madam smells very fruity.  The ingredients are purified water, mild cleanser, hydrolyzed plant protein, organic blend of while plum extract, cucumber extract, avena sativa oatmeal.  It also does not affect spot on flea and tick treatment either. This is a great product to have in my emergency bag as it does not need water and for those that go camping I feel it is a must also.


04. Tangle Remover, this is important to have for those dogs that get matted. It is a no rinse formula and for Madam who hates water this is just perfect.  Like the waterless dog shampoo it does not affect spot on flea or tick treatment.The ingredients are Purified water, hydrolyzed plant protein, organic blend of chamomile extract, kiwi extract, mallow extract, awapuhi extract, proprietary cationic emulsion, fragrance and vitamin E. Another one I will be putting in my emergency bag.


What I love about the Tropiclean products are they all made in the USA and are cruelty free. Plus for all cat parents they have fantastic cat products too.

Their link is : https://tropiclean.com/

I have been sponsored by Tropiclean and this Give Away is open for participants over the age of 18 and in the USA only.

Enter on the widget below :

:http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7d1ec19c52/?


Layla woofs good luck to everyone entering as she has put her paw stamp of approval on all these products and now she is going back to bed.

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone Be safe with a woof and love from Layla 

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

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TGIF !!!!!!!


Good morning friends, another week has gone by and this year is going so fast we cannot keep up.


The air quality has been really bad here in San Francisco because of the fires so we have not been out that much, short walks and I think both Layla and I need some real outdoors so tomorrow I might risk it a bit and take her to the park for an hour. 


Today, 28 August is a very special but sad day although for me the memories make me smile too.

It is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, a day that we remember all our pets that are no longer with us and are waiting over the Rainbow Bridge. So I am going to share with you some of the pets that are in my heart and have been part of my life.


I was blessed to grow up in a home with many different pets. We had Ceaser, a mutt,  who to this day when I think back about her I chuckle as she was scared of heights and used to go up to the second floor of our house and then howl till my Mom carried her down. She was the size of a Boxer and heavy LOL.

We had in the sewing room/playroom budgies who I loved till they escaped out of the window and were not found, their names were Fritzie and Freddy. In that room were also our little white mouse called Pinky because of her tail and Hammy our Hamster who lived next door to Pinky, we used to close the room door and then let them run around free every day.


In our bedrooms we had Goldfish and two Terrapins, oy. My great aunt told me we had to feed the Terrapins bugs and worms from the garden and she used to collect them and bring them to me to feed them, they were called Ron and Eth after a British comedy.

When the fish and terrapins passed away we buried them under an apple tree we had in our garden and from that day on my Grandmother would not let us eat the apples.


When we moved to Israel we found on the streets a mutt who we called Whiskey, who became a princess. She was living with us during the 1973 war so one of us kids were responsible for carrying her downstairs to the bomb shelter every time a siren went off. 


In those days there were no special regulations for dogs like today and when we left Israel and went to Europe, Whiskey flew back to South Africa where she was met at the airport by a Pet Hotel and stayed with them till we got back. I remember my Dad feeling bad that she had to be crated so he had a big big crate made for her although she was a Chi Mix. It was enormous.


Whiskey lived a very good life with us in South Africa, she would sit on a chair every morning and wait for her piece of cheese from my Father. I still chuckle over this one when going into the dining room and there she was on a chair.

When I went back to Israel I decided to get a cat, well I adopted a cat, thinking Sasha would be cute and small but Sasha grew to be a large cat but I loved him. He kept me amused all the time. A couple of years with Sasha and I rescued Shula, a Persian cat who was afraid of everything but after a couple of months she ruled the house. She was pregnant when I rescued her so decided to keep the kitten also, my Pichevkes (Hebrew for nick nacks). She was my baby and I adored her. All three cats used to get boiled fish every Friday night and were spoiled rotten. 


Sasha passed away at the age of 14, Shula at the age of 11 and Pichevkas at the age of about 9. 


I then came to the States where I adopted Baby, whom you all know about, she was my hero and ran away with me from the Domestic Violence Relationship, was the first to be in a  DV shelter in San Francisco and kept me alive in so many ways. Baby passed away about a year after I left the shelters, she was 6 years old after she contracted IMHA which has no cure.
When she passed away a good friend of mine said to me that She had come into my life for a reason, she knew I was safe so she left me so that I could adopt a new dog.


That is when Layla who is my Boss came into my life and my life would be so empty without her.


I unfortunately do not have many photos but all the memories are etched in my brain, and today being Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day I am smiling now thinking about all of them.


So let us all share some memories, thank all those pets over the Rainbow Bridge for being part of our lives, teaching us so much and I do believe one day we will all meet up again.


Be safe everyone,

With love and woofs from Layla