Feeling Much Better

Life has been busy with non-dog-related activities, namely too much work. But Cabana has been doing really well, and sometimes, it amazes me how easy she is. She has matured into such a great dog with very few issues. (Well, we just have one ongoing struggle that I will blog about one of these days.)

Over the past few months, Cabana had been itchier than usual. I thought it was due to food allergies, and it mostly manifested itself in her gnawing at her poor pink paws. After removing the food/treats that I thought were the culprit, the itching persisted, which made me realize there were seasonal/environmental triggers as well. A couple weeks ago, I started Cabana on Allerplex, an all-natural allergy supplement for humans. I've been putting two capsules in her breakfast and two in her dinner (I just drop the whole capsules in her bowl, and she eats them up without the slightest reservation). After a week, Cabana's itching stopped completely.

What I didn't realize before was how much Cabana hadn't been her usual self. I would take her to the dog park, and she would barely play with other dogs, even her most favorite friends like Bodhi. She used to run and romp endlessly, but lately, she might play half-heartedly for a few minutes, and that would be it. But I had thought she was just growing up and wasn't as interested in that kind of play. It never occurred to me that her low energy level was related to allergies.

But since we started the Allerplex, the difference is incredible. Cabana is SO much more playful! I had no idea how much the allergies had been slowing her down before. It's so great to see her return to her happy self. Unlike Benadryl, Allerplex doesn't cause drowsiness. It doesn't really have any side effects, except one. Allerplex contains fenugreek, which is similar to curry powder, so now Cabana smells a bit like Indian food!

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A Visit from Bodhi

Oh dear, over a week since my last post. Don't you hate it when life gets too busy to blog?

Today, we got to have Bodhi come for a visit. Bodhi is a 2-year old Blue Picardy Spaniel and a favorite friend of Cabana's at the dog park. I love how he lays with his paws crossed, so dapper.

Next month, we've offered to keep Bodhi while his owners are away for a few days. Because Bodhi has never been exposed to homes other than his own, we decided it would be a good idea to have Bodhi over for an hour or two in preparation for his real sleepover.

Bodhi was a bit nervous at first, running to every door and window, looking for his hu-mom after she dropped him off, but he settled down after 15 minutes.

I had shut all the bedroom doors upstairs, so I could keep a better eye on Bodhi's whereabouts. But at one point, he ran upstairs and managed to pushed open the door to my older daughter's room. Suddenly, I heard him barking loudly, so I went up to see what was going on. Turns out that Bodhi was scared of the stuffed bear on my daughter's bed. I held it out to him to show him it was a lifeless toy, but he wouldn't come any closer to investigate until I asked Cabana to come and give it a sniff. After he saw Cabana's fearless behavior, he finally realized that Freddy, with his missing eyes and torn-up nose and who used to belong to my husband when he was a child, is relatively harmless.

In the photos, it looks like Cabana can barely tolerate Bodhi! But he really is one of her best friends at the dog park. Maybe she was puzzled by his nervous energy at our house. They played with each other a little bit, but not as much as I had anticipated. The funny thing is, when Bodhi's hu-mom came back for him, he suddenly became his old rambunctious self, going into full play mode, happy and comfortable with his owner present. It can be hard for a dog who is under-exposed to new situations, so I'm glad we got to take it slow with this practice visit. I think he'll do even better the next time.

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Following the Leader

Kira continues to learn and improve by leaps and bounds everyday. She adores Cabana and is ALWAYS giving Cabana kisses. A kiss here and there would be fine, but the constant unsolicited affection wears on Cabana's good humor until, finally, Cabana will protest with a growl or a bark. You tell her, Cabana--after all, Kira needs to learn to mind other dogs' social cues.

Kira is fabulous on leash. She's just so happy to be next to Cabana that I almost don't even need to leash Kira. I don't know if it's her temperament or her breed or because she was a stray? Kira knows what being lost and alone is like, and she doesn't want to experience it again, so she stays close and checks in often.

At the park, none of the other dogs will play with Kira. They come up to her for a meet and greet, but they don't solicit her to play. I suppose they know she's still too tentative.

But when Cabana plays with her springer friends, like Maggie above, Kira is right there, either trying to get in on the action or maybe just getting front row seats? It will be interesting to see if this changes over the next week or two.


In this video, Cabana is playing with her pal Bodhi. They LOVE to rough house with each other. Kira does her best to keep up with them. It's so cute how she runs after Cabana, no matter what.

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