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Leave a bone for LAYLA (12-20-98 thru 02-19-09)
Nicknames: LAYLA (formerly known as Fanny), daddy Jake started calling me THE WHINERY...because I whine a lot. (But recently we found out why so it will be corrected)!
Doggie Dynamics:
Likes: Ear rubs and licking everyone to pieces.
Pet-Peeves: Loud noise or yelling, being left alone
Favorite Toy: Pita at this point, always trying to be friends. Loves attention
Favorite Food: Merricks can food and chicken bits Loved dads home cooking
Favorite Walk: Loves to trot up and down the streeet. Wants to meet other dogs. Very very friendly.
Best Tricks: Sit, give a paw, that great big smile and thank you!
Arrival Story: During the week of December 18th, our friends on dog rescue forwarded us a photo of LAYLA. She was red listed to be euthanized at the Harbor Shelter in San Pedro, California. We contacted Liz Marshall, Diane Kinder and their friend Karen and asked if she was still available. We jumped at the chance to take our Service Dog Pita with us to see if they would get along. They did. We immediately started the wheels in motion to adopt (Fanny), LAYLA. She is a 10 year old Chow chow/german shepard mix who knows commands, is very very gentle and was eager to please. We fell in love with her immediately and decided that this was the perfect Christmas gift of life for our Pita and ourselves. Thus, she came home with us the following day. Her past history is sketchy. We know that she was a stray and was a runner. We experienced that ourselves as we found that when we opened the car doors she would try to bolt. However, with attention, affection and loving, she came to trust us and I believe knew that she found herself a loving home. As of this writing, she has been with us for about three days and have found her to be an incredible dog who is responsive and loving. I am sorry for whoever let her go. I feel blessed that we are now the proud guardians of this wonderful creature and will love her till the end.
Bio: LAYLA has a cauliflower ear, good hearing though, responds to a few commands and is forever licking us. She is a wonderful addition to our family. Our other Chow chow, Pita, is taking a liking to her and although LAYLA has much more energy, we will work with her to slow down a bit. She is house trained and we left her and Pita together for an entire evening to get acquainted. They got along famously and are now friends, sharing water, food and beds. What a wonderful thing to have this loving creature of God in our lives!
Forums Motto: loving, gift from above
The Groups I'm In: ♥ Paws with a Purpose ♥, P*I*F (Paw it Forward), The Rainbow Bridge, ~~~*♥Dog Park USA♥*~~~
To be determined: As LAYLA is still new to our home, we have yet to explore all of her likes and dislikes. So far, she is obedient, loving and willing to share. She was in isolation for 2 months therefore is starving for attention, love and playing with other 4 leggers.
RAINBOW BRDIGE: It is with great sadness that we had to put LAYLA down on February 19th, 2009. unknown to us until we took her in for respiratory problems after her alteration that she had level9 - inoperable cancer and she was literally suffucating from the fluids in her lungs. The Dr removed the fluids but said that chemotherapy was a long and painful process and it would not really help Layla. We spent the last day with her at the vet and I sat in until the very last. She will forever remain in our hearts. She will be cremated and her ashes shall remain in our home. Thank you to all for your kind words, zealies and prayers. Love Pita, Bob & Jacob, guardians to a very loving and wonderful creation of God.
Dear Friends: I wanted to first of all let you all know that I will duplicate this on LALO's page. We received many letters recently from LOUIE, PENNIE, THE TATER TOTS, DANTE, RILELY, NELLY, FLICKA and others. One of the letters was moving in that this dogster also has a 4 legger that may be on the way to the Bridge. The question was posed; How do you know when it is time.
I suppose the best answer I can give is after watching the demise of a couple of my best friends, and one on the way (Pita), I can best tell it by talking about Pita, who has been with me since she was a pup and is now over 14 and a half years old. She has been my faithful companion, friend, never judgemental and always there for my sadness and happy times.
Pita has experienced more in her lifetime than most dogs might in 3 lifetimes; being a service dog, she has traveled everywhere with me, been to the finest and worst restaurants around the country. She has been to the movie studio sets, met many famous people and had her portrait done in oil by an extraordinary artist. She has been to the Los Angeles Opera and met Placido Domingo, and many many others. She has had a full life and a wonderful life.
She was well taken care of when she required surgery and was always loved and never scolded. She was always there for me and I for her.
The time is drawing near when we will have to part company soon. I am not blind nor is she oblivious to the inevitable. I truly believe that she knows that her days are numbered and she understands that my taking in other rescues were a combination to calm my heart and give her a companion and friend that could be with her during her winding down years. She is a very intelligent dog.
Pita once upon a time, chased golf balls, completed agility training and chased squirrels (her many videos tell her tales). Over the past year or so she has gotten so much slower and grayer. What used to take us 10 minutes for a walk now takes half an hour. I am patient with her and always and forever, loving her and reminding her in word and action that SHE is number one because I was number one in her life.
Her muzzle has gotten completely gray. She walks slowly. She still loves her car rides and I many times sleep on the floor with her as she is no longer capable of jumping up on the bed and sometimes has great difficulty climbing her assistance stairs to the bed. Not a problem. She gave me her best and now I will return the favor.
She watches me closely and carefully forever with that smile and pant. I know that she loves me and appreciates the life I gave her and she gave to me. We are one.
It will soon be time to let go and let GOD to His thing and bring her home. I will of course miss her and my life was forever altered as a result of her "adopting me".
You know however, that the time is drawing near when she looks to you and comes to you just to be close. You know when she says nothing but just wants to be held and if that means sleeping with her on her terms - do it! You know it is almost time when you have to help her eat and when she won't go to the food, the food has to come to her!
You know when she gives you that look of thank you and wishing it could last forever!
Treasure your dogs as they love and treasure you! I know that after losing Layla and Teddy etc., losing Pita will be the hardest thing that I will ever have done in my 50 plus years on Earth and I will give her the best send off that LA ever saw.
Remember always, that although their bodies leave us, their spirit and souls remain forever within us and what they taught us will give us the spunk to carry on. Knowing that one day for sure, we will join them again in another realm, another dimension or however you may perceive the afterlife. I myself, know that I will be once again with Pita, Layla and Teddy when it is time.
I hope that this answers your questions and remember that it is only my opinion of what happens but this is the best I can do.
The signs to look for are as described above. LOVE and HOLD your dog close during their waning years as they have loved and held you in their hearts for all the time you gave them!
Bob, guardian to Pita, Lalo and my two in heaven, Layla and Teddy!
We included this in the videos for LAYLA because we believe that in the place that she and TEDDY went to is a place much like that as was described by John Lennon. A place of peace and harmony where all creatures of God are equal unlike here on earth.
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