Almost Friday and a Turn for the Best!

Another week has flown by and Halloween is literally around the corner! I haven't thought much about costumes for Nala and Sylva this year since they have proven to be not big fans of wearing them! Nala just refuses to have anything on her head and gives me the stink eye when I approach her with something slightly resembling a costume. However our first bulldog Ozzie was less fussy with the dressing up thing, I think he thought himself quite dapper when he donned his pirate costume one year! Argh good ole Ozzie boy!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    o                                                                      Sylva has recovered quite well from his recent skin infection. I am not sure if it's a change in the weather or whatever allergens that lurk about but when he get's it, it's bad!

His belly turns a scarlet red and crusty bumps appear randomly on his back and sides. A visit to the vet was necessary. She put him on a course of anti-biotics and we were sent home with some medicated shampoo and instructed to bathe him 2 to 3 times a week. We have been hauling him off to the local Pet Plus and making use of their do it yourself dirty dog special. Five washes for $25.00! All of our scrubbing and adding an essential oil that our vet gave us, Melaleuca  oil, more commonly known as tea tree oil, has paid off! I have also been giving him an allergy supplement that contains probiotics, omegas and colostrum. 

So now that he is all better I am sure it's Nala's turn for something !! Be well all!

                                                            Syl tolerating the tub!                       

A wonderful weekend is coming to a close. Tomorrow Monday rears it's ugliness upon us but at least the doggies got out for a bit and enjoyed some fall weather. Nothing spells happiness like a ride in the car with the wind flowing through your jowls!

Have a good week friends!

Mundane Monday

Ugh, again! Wake me up around Friday will you?!

Ear Reflections

Another summer is coming to a close, too quickly I might add. Nala and Sylva are doing fine. A couple of visits to the vet for ear infections and skin irritations. The norm I suppose!

I recently switched their kibble from Zignature to Canidae. I was concerned with the news about grain free diets and their link to heart failure in dogs. https://ourpetshealth.com/info/is-grain-free-dog-food-killing-our-pets.  I expressed my concerns to my vet and she felt that the evidence was not strong enough to support taking them off their current diet but since Zignature was number 2 on the list I thought I would play it safe. Besides its good to change it up for them every now and then. They seem to like as well so we will stick with it for a while!

"Nala holding still for a ear clean out, Good girl!"

With the weather cooling down we will be spending some more time outdoors, maybe some apple picking or cornfield mazes or maybe just some more snoozing on the backyard deck!

Fall y'all! See you soon!

Spring Fever

So here we are fast forward to spring. Over the last few months we had our share of vet visits between Nala and Sylva. 

Sylva had somehow mystically injured his right rear leg and was hopping around like a contender in a three legged race one Sunday. We took him to the vet that next day and after palpating the injured limb and a x-ray our vet determined it was most likely a cruciate ligament tear. ( only definitively diagnosed with an MRI ) but all indications that was it.  ( I can only imagine how much a MRI would cost! Yikes$ ) He was prescribed an anti-inflammatory and some pain meds and I was told to have him rest. Ha! Rest....for Sylva that is next to impossible but we tried. He then had a half dozen laser therapy treatments to aid in the healing. Yes luckily today he is much better, but will still favor that leg now and then and we do not take him on long walks much to his chagrin! Short of surgery there is not much else and we are just hoping that in time it will improve. In the meanwhile I will continue to contribute to my Christmas club which is really a savings for my veterinarians new Volvo!

Then there was Nala......ugh a story for my next posting.... Cheers all!

Long Time No Me

So it's been a while since I have posted anything to my blog. I shamelessly admit I have been either too busy or too tired at night to sit in front of the computer and think. My apologies.

In the meanwhile Nala and Syla have been good. Sylva has transitioned into the fall season with his usual dermatitis. It has started to calm down and with a good bath he may just smell acceptable again!

Nala is very whiney lately. I am a little rusty with my bulldog translation but I think she is just demanding more attention! She will typically lie on her couch ( and I mean her couch ) and do that whiney bulldog thing until someone comes over and pets her. My husband over indulges her. He will pick her up and have her sit on his lap and look at the computer with him. Hopefully he hasn't given her my password to my Amazon account! I am not sure what has sparked this endless need for attention. Perhaps just a phase, time will tell.

That's all for now, I need to start slowly as I get back into blogland. I don't want to trigger my carpal tunnel and then I couldn't go to work tomorrow. Hmm not a bad idea...

June is Upon Us

Sorry ...we are here! Just plain ole laziness not to post something for so long! Nala has been enjoying the nice weather and we just came in from an evening stroll. It takes us at least 40 minutes to go just around our block! Nala insists on stopping and waiting for people who happen to be walking behind us. She will literally sit her bum down in the middle of the road and not budge until they catch up with us! Seriously Nala not everyone wants to pet you!

We had a BBQ the other day and Nala must of ate something she should not of! The morning after was a little rough. I knew she wasn't well when she didn't eat her breakfast! Her stomach was making noises so loud that I could hear it from across the room. No fear though, by dinner time she was back to her old self and eating like a champ! I really have to keep a better watch on her! You know how bulldogs can give you that sad look, like they are so deprived! Peoples don't be fooled!

Nala ..hosting a backyard barbecue.

"Yeah who could resist this face!"

Wagging Wednesday

"Do you see what I see?! Yup yup....squirrellll!!!!

April is for Fools

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter holiday! Nala had lots of fun visiting with friends and family. Though the Easter "bummy" as Nala refers to him left her nothing much except some hard boiled eggs. With that spring has finally arrived in the NJ/NYC area with trees budding and kids returning to their outside playtime. More people are seen walking their dogs which makes you wonder where everyone was during the winter months. Probably backyard business for the most part.It's time for everyone to put on their walking shoes and get out there! Right Nala! Nala?! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Well at least some of us will!

" I had a horrible dream that I was the Easter bunny and kids were throwing rotten eggs at me. Thank goodness it was just a dream!"

"The outdoors isn't all it's cracked up to be!"

Blizzard Saturday!

We are hunkering down for a full blown blizzard here on the east coast! The weather men/women are in their glory as they speak of this epic storm with now a possibility of up to 3 feet of snow! Nala has mixed emotions about the whole event. As the snow is piling up it becomes harder to find a spot to go potty....especially with the wind and snow blowing in your face! We may have to resort to peeing on the deck for now...Pop doesn't go for that but what the heck he can use the bathroom!

At least we are all safe and sound. Nala is getting a little bored though. We will have to find something for her to do...maybe there is a good movie on Netflix?

Stay warm and safe all!

"Okay lets binge watch Nurse Jackie!"

 Looking from the inside out!

"Okay what do you want to do...?!"

Taco Tuesday and Other Holiday Observations

I hope everyone out there in the blog-o-sphere had a wonderful Christmas holiday! Ours was hectic with at least 30 people over Christmas day! A lot of food, family and friends made the day merry! I must say though the day after I felt like a train hit me! Running around all day cooking, serving, cleaning ugh! A ton of work though it's worth it that so everyone ends up having a good time! Nala had no shortage of fun. Between presents from Santa, illegal foods fed to her by well meaning guests and over all excitement she was just as pooped out the next day!

Now we are looking forward to a new year and our usual resolutions. Lose weight, exercise more, get organized blah blah! Yup same ones every year! Same good intentions that somehow fall to the wayside by mid February! Nala has similar resolutions too. Oh yeah the lose weight/exercise thing, and perhaps the refraining of eating cardboard and not peeing on our neighbor's lawn. All these too will be history at some point. Maybe the best we can do all year long is to be kind to others and take care of ourselves. That should cover a lot of territory!

Now you may wonder why the "Taco Tuesday" in the title of the post. We were out doing the gift return thing today when we stopped at On the Boarder for lunch. There they have Taco Tuesdays where you get a choice of 3 types of tacos for just $2.00 a taco! We found this was a great deal and fulled ourselves silly with tacos! Later on in the afternoon I was still revisiting the chicken tinga as my stomach kept reminding me of it! Perhaps this should be a resolution for 2016, everything in moderation especially when it comes to tacos!

Another Manic Monday

Monday rears its ugly head once again. At least the sunrise is a beauty and Nala has her day all planned out! Wake up eat, a quick trip to the yard and back to the couch! Ahh life is good!

So Where you Been Sunday?!

So I just returned from the Poconos where I had a girls weekend with my friends.  I left Nala in the capable hands of her Pop and Grand-paw. Even though it was only a short time away Nala was not happy with my absence! Apparently no one is a replacement for Mom!

"So where you been......well?!"

" I was bored and my cardboard roll broke!"

Bull Dog Days of Summer Tuesday

So summer finally put it's act together and took all of the hot weather we could of had already and gathered it up for this week. Yup a good ole heat wave is what we have in the NY/NJ area! With that comes a lot of air conditioning and folks finding ways to escape the heat! 

I don't need to tell you bulldog folks about the dangers of hot weather. We must never under estimate their low tolerance for any kind of heat and how deadly it could be. I have attached a story of a local woman who was idiot enough to leave her bulldog in a hot car with windows up while she did some of her shopping. Luckily this story had a good ending and the dog was saved by a good Samaritan that notified the police. The story isn't over and hopefully the woman will face some prosecution but she should not have this beautiful animal and I pray somehow he ends up with a knowledgeable, loving owner!


http://cliffviewpilot.com/tenafly-police-officer-rescues-bulldog-from-hot-car/

"Let's go in where it's cool!"

"Now that's much better! Go get me some ice cream human!"

Taking it to the Streets Tuesday

Nala was so excited when she met Hank the puppy Dachshund last night. 

She just loves him!

My hydrangeas are in bloom this year! Such wonderful colors!

Monday's Mystery of the Lost Collar

So have you ever lost your dog's collar? I mean it's like losing your wallet. All the ID tags, town dog license and rabies vaccination tag etc . This happened last Sunday with Nala's collar. We always take it off at night because she prefers to sleep in the buff. The next morning it was no where to be found. Like I mean absolutely no where! We searched every couch and under every chair, table and bed! In cabinets under rugs it was no where zero...zip notta!

I immediately called the board of health in our town which issues the dog licenses. I explained my dilemma to the clerk and she told me it would be no problem to get another one. That day we did exactly that. So new tags new collar we were set. The only conclusion I could come to was that it accidentally fell into the garbage somehow. Because it was totally gone, missing, disappeared, vanished,poof!

The next afternoon there was a ring of our doorbell and our next door neighbor Al was standing on our porch. 'I have something of yours." he said with a puzzled look. In his hand was Nala's collar. 'Someone hung it on my back fence." Stunned to think that it was laying around outside we could only assume that it came off during her walk. We use a harness to hook the leash on so it could of happened that way but still it seems weird. I guess some one hung it on Al's fence in a vain attempt to return it....close enough. I suppose we will never know fully how it happened and Nala's not giving up any information. Now we have a spare dog license just in case a collar decides to go missing one day again.

"I am tired of looking for that darn collar, I'm taking a nap! Wake me up when you find it!"

To Cold for June Tuesday!

What a miserable day...rainy and cold..I mean really cold for the month of June, it feels like March today! Quite disappointing but what can you do? Complain on a blog about it I guess! 

Nala has been well and dabbling in card board and plastic bottles, her usual play things! She recently was the hit of the party at her Pop's 60th birthday gala! So many people and so little time to have each and every one pet and make a fuss over her!

It's getting late so I am going to sign off for now. Stay well all!

“The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.”
―M.K. Clinton (author, The Returns)

Simply Sunday

So we been busy around the house lately but no excuse not to blog except pure laziness! Nala is loving the spring since besides bringing the wonderful weather it also brings the return of our landscapers Chris and Bruce. It is a mutual admiration that they share. Nala just can't wait to get out there and be admired!

I discovered a more affordable version of the dental treats Greenies at Walmart the other day.  Called Minties, they are similar, wheat soy and corn free with that minty taste. At 

$ 6.88 a 6 oz size bag they are almost half the price. Also at Walmart I found this cute toy that holds an empty water bottle which is one of Nala's favorite things to play with. It is a winner!

Here is hoping you have a wonderful week and enjoying the weather out there!

"These products have been endorsed by me!"

Palooza Tuesday

Sunshine was in abundance on Saturday for MABR's Bully Palooza at the Wonder Bar, which probably led to good attendance, people and dogs alike! The Wonder Bar is a local fixture in Asbury Park. A quirky place that makes a mean burger and hosts some rocking bands! During the warmer weather they have a Yappy Hour where you can bring your dog and chill in an outside gated area while having a beer or go for a dip in a plastic kiddie pool. (The dogs doing the dipping that is!)

There were bullies everywhere of all colors and sizes and it was a beautiful sight to behold for the bulldog aficionado! Nala was a bit over whelmed but did make friends with a handsome dude named Oliver! It was ten dollars a person for admission (dogs where admitted free) and you received a bunch of numbered tickets to place next to all the various bulldog themed prizes that they raffled off...like a Chinese auction. Sad to say we didn't win a thing but the prize of the day was having this special outing with Nala!

Nala was exhausted and snoozed on the ride home with a look of content on her sleepy face! We will definitely do it again next year!  

Here are some pics of the Palooza! 

Finally Friday

It's been a long week but it's Friday and we are now getting into our weekend mode! We are looking forward to the Bully Palooza at the Wonderbar located in Asbury Park tomorrow! The weather is suppose to be perfect with temps in the 70's and no rain!! Woo hoo!

The Bully Palooza is a fund raiser for the MidAtlantic Bulldog rescue that's held twice a year. The monies raised go to pay for veterinary care that some of the rescues are in need of.. The folks who run this rescue are amazing dedicated people that love the breed and go over and beyond the call of duty to find these dogs loving forever homes!

I will have some super bulldog pics to share with you from tomorrow's event! Until then have a good night and enjoy spring at last!!

"OK when do we go to the Palooza?!"